Johnson on Ihnen: "I had to fight to keep him for almost two weeks. His people were telling him you got all these options."

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Marcus:

"I wasn't planning the team thinking [Carr] was going to be back," Johnson said. "I knew if I didn't keep Ed, then Liam was probably not going to stay. At the end of the day, you have to think Year 4 and Year 5 what is putting this program in position to be the most successful? That's with staff and players."

Brandon Johnson and Gach were strongly considering staying put and were the last to transfer out. For Johnson, picking DePaul meant a chance to return home to Chicago. Gach, an Austin native, left his home state again for Utah, where he began his career.

Only Ihnen stayed out of the portal.

"I had to fight to keep him for almost two weeks," Johnson said. "His people were telling him you got all these options."

www.startribune.com

Gophers men's basketball has an all-over America team

Transfers enter program from every corner to form Ben Johnson's first squad.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 

I have more respect for our coach after hearing about his general conversation with Gabe K. The idea DJ didn't want Gabe to ignore what his heart was telling him he needed to do out of an obligation to Johnson based on the relationship from the past. That's refreshing. Over the long haul, you gain a lot more respect from players and peers by having that attitude about individuals as opposed to trying to guilt somebody into something they're not sold on for the sake of your programs short term success.

Not to say that I'm not disappointed that Gabe transferred out. I think he actually epitomizes the type of player (in all aspects of his game physically, mentally & emotionally) we want in the program. However, if he was going to be in school and on the floor wondering if he should've transferred, that's bad for everybody involved. So I wish him luck down south.
 

Chico Gopher said:
I have more respect for our coach after hearing about his general conversation with Gabe K. The idea DJ didn't want Gabe to ignore what his heart was telling him he needed to do out of an obligation to Johnson based on the relationship from the past. That's refreshing. Over the long haul, you gain a lot more respect from players and peers by having that attitude about individuals as opposed to trying to guilt somebody into something they're not sold on for the sake of your programs short term success.

Not to say that I'm not disappointed that Gabe transferred out. I think he actually epitomizes the type of player (in all aspects of his game physically, mentally & emotionally) we want in the program. However, if he was going to be in school and on the floor wondering if he should've transferred, that's bad for everybody involved. So I wish him luck down south.
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I'm on the opposite side. "I encouraged him that if he needed a fresh start to get it," from Ben should have been "dude, I'm your fresh start, along with Thorson".
 

GopherOhana said:
I'm on the opposite side. "I encouraged him that if he needed a fresh start to get it," from Ben should have been "dude, I'm your fresh start, along with Thorson".
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Agreed. I create models around the importance of CAC - Customer acquisition cost. It’ll take the u 4-5 years to get back the talent that walked out the door.
 

Spaulding!No! said:
Agreed. I create models around the importance of CAC - Customer acquisition cost. It’ll take the u 4-5 years to get back the talent that walked out the door.
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Will have to measure how the new talent performs in year 4-5. This coaching staff may be a huge factor. They could hardly do worse than the last regime.
 




GopherOhana said:
I'm on the opposite side. "I encouraged him that if he needed a fresh start to get it," from Ben should have been "dude, I'm your fresh start, along with Thorson".
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I'd be shocked if DJ didn't take that type of approach only to have Gabe reply with something like, "same town, same gym, same school, same fans ragging on me isn't really a fresh start. I need a completely new environment and a completely different setting.".

If somebody is set on leaving and you have to work really hard to convince them to stay, knowing that they're always going to be wondering "What if" while trying to make the second chance work, I think you're hurting both sides in the long run. Even if DJ had talked him into staying, it's sounding like Gabe's heart would not have been100% committed, and that would have been a problem.

If you have to talk the girl out of breaking up with you, you know it's just a matter of time before it's over anyway and possibly uglier than the first time around.
 

I would have kept the Ed and Liam duo as well. If we get blown out next year it's going to be hard to recruit the next class. The "come to our program to turn it around" angle or "you can play right away" IMO doesn't work as well as the "come to our program and you'll be winning and get to the NBA". Ben should have done everything he could have done to improve our year zero's roster since that becomes the baseline for all the future recruiting classes. Having Liam on the roster would have made a huge difference this coming year.
 



Full Speed Ahead said:
I would have kept the Ed and Liam duo as well. If we get blown out next year it's going to be hard to recruit the next class. The "come to our program to turn it around" angle or "you can play right away" IMO doesn't work as well as the "come to our program and you'll be winning and get to the NBA". Ben should have done everything he could have done to improve our year zero's roster since that becomes the baseline for all the future recruiting classes. Having Liam on the roster would have made a huge difference this coming year.
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Anthony Edwards was 7-11 in conference, 14-12 overall at Georgia and he was the #1 pick. Winning and getting to the NBA aren't attached at the hip. I don't know his motives for going there but I'd say getting to showcase his talents was probably more important than winning. Just speculation on my behalf.
 

bfriedrichs10 said:
Anthony Edwards was 7-11 in conference, 14-12 overall at Georgia and he was the #1 pick. Winning and getting to the NBA aren't attached at the hip. I don't know his motives for going there but I'd say getting to showcase his talents was probably more important than winning. Just speculation on my behalf.
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Well, add these two #1 picks to your list:

Ben Simmons, 19-14 at LSU in his one year (and that team had 5 guys who played in the NBA at least on short stints);

Markelle Fultz, 9-22 at Washington in his one year (that team had two guys currently in the NBA).
 

Full Speed Ahead said:
I would have kept the Ed and Liam duo as well. If we get blown out next year it's going to be hard to recruit the next class. The "come to our program to turn it around" angle or "you can play right away" IMO doesn't work as well as the "come to our program and you'll be winning and get to the NBA". Ben should have done everything he could have done to improve our year zero's roster since that becomes the baseline for all the future recruiting classes. Having Liam on the roster would have made a huge difference this coming year.
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Just my opinion but i would not have kept Ed no matter what. Other programs have been built from terrible 1st and 2 year records because of how they decided to build. Ben was not going to keep a coach he did not want. You can attract winning players before you win.
 

cjbfbp said:
Well, add these two #1 picks to your list:

Ben Simmons, 19-14 at LSU in his one year (and that team had 5 guys who played in the NBA at least on short stints);

Markelle Fultz, 9-22 at Washington in his one year (that team had two guys currently in the NBA).
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I was thinking about using Simmons as a data point but they were 11-7 in conference which isn't terrible. They didn't play in March Madness for some reason.

Fultz was a good recall, forgot all about him.
 



builtbadgers said:
Just my opinion but i would not have kept Ed no matter what. Other programs have been built from terrible 1st and 2 year records because of how they decided to build. Ben was not going to keep a coach he did not want. You can attract winning players before you win.
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Absolutely. It was going to be Thorson over Ed every single time. That’s Ben’s guy.
 

GopherOhana said:
I'm on the opposite side. "I encouraged him that if he needed a fresh start to get it," from Ben should have been "dude, I'm your fresh start, along with Thorson".
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I disagree. Ben showed that he is looking out for the players best interest and not trying to take advantage of the personal situations. It is a true judge of his character as a man.
 

Full Speed Ahead said:
I would have kept the Ed and Liam duo as well. If we get blown out next year it's going to be hard to recruit the next class. The "come to our program to turn it around" angle or "you can play right away" IMO doesn't work as well as the "come to our program and you'll be winning and get to the NBA". Ben should have done everything he could have done to improve our year zero's roster since that becomes the baseline for all the future recruiting classes. Having Liam on the roster would have made a huge difference this coming year.
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No, you need to start out by laying your foundation no matter if you lose some very good players. If you ”cheat” on your principles from the start, then they mean nothing. Liam is a very good player and would be great on the team, but he was following Ed no matter what.
 

alchemy2u said:
It is a true judge of his character as a man.
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wouldn’t ’I’m 100% committed to helping gritty, hard playing, coachable high character MN kids succeed, more so than any other coach’ (my interpretation of Ben’s brand) also be good character? Confidence and commitment And investment. By letting Gabe go, seems to me coach diminished that brand.

not trying to be difficult, but if Ben doesnt believe he is the best coach for Gabe, then what is Ben’s brand? Is he now just the ‘if you want to be a gopher stay home’ coach?
 

GopherOhana said:
wouldn’t ’I’m 100% committed to helping gritty, hard playing, coachable high character MN kids succeed, more so than any other coach’ (my interpretation of Ben’s brand) also be good character? Confidence and commitment And investment. By letting Gabe go, seems to me coach diminished that brand.

not trying to be difficult, but if Ben doesnt believe he is the best coach for Gabe, then what is Ben’s brand? Is he now just the ‘if you want to be a gopher stay home’ coach?
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Ben and Thorson not keeping Gabe here means no one or thing was keeping him here. His story isn’t the norm. Recruiting the upcoming high school seniors and juniors will be a different conversation.
 

GopherOhana said:
wouldn’t ’I’m 100% committed to helping gritty, hard playing, coachable high character MN kids succeed, more so than any other coach’ (my interpretation of Ben’s brand) also be good character? Confidence and commitment And investment. By letting Gabe go, seems to me coach diminished that brand.

not trying to be difficult, but if Ben doesnt believe he is the best coach for Gabe, then what is Ben’s brand? Is he now just the ‘if you want to be a gopher stay home’ coach?
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Where did Ben indicate that? Pretty sure he absolutely believes he is the best coach for Gabe. But if Gabe doesn't believe it, or even if he does, but still wants to move out of the Twin Cities, even if it's just for the sake of change of scenery and go live someplace I've never lived before, what good are you doing trying to talk him into something he's not going to be 100% committed to?

I certainly don't know what was going through his head, but it kinda feels like the one thing he absolutely wanted, more than anything else, was to change locations, get away from home and not be the hometown guy anymore. I know that's hard to imagine for some folks, but I guarantee that when I made the decision to move out of Minnesota, there is virtually nothing that my family and friends could have said to change my mind. Love the state, love the family, but I had to get away and get some change.
 

Chico Gopher said:
I certainly don't know what was going through his head, but it kinda feels like the one thing he absolutely wanted, more than anything else, was to change locations, get away from home and not be the hometown guy anymore. I know that's hard to imagine for some folks, but I guarantee that when I made the decision to move out of Minnesota, there is virtually nothing that my family and friends could have said to change my mind. Love the state, love the family, but I had to get away and get some change.
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I think you're right. Those of us who made this kind of decision one or more times in our lives would agree with you. Sometimes you're just driven to get away. This move may not have been completely driven by basketball either.
 

Isn't there some irony here that some here are congratulating BJ for letting Gabe follow his heart, seemingly without putting up much of a fight..........in a thread titled: "Johnson on Ihnen: "I had to fight to keep him for almost two weeks. His people were telling him you got all these options."

Not commenting on the disconnect. But those of you slapping BJ on the back on Gabe, what do you think of how he approached Ihnen?
 

Chico Gopher said:
Where did Ben indicate that? Pretty sure he absolutely believes he is the best coach for Gabe. But if Gabe doesn't believe it, or even if he does, but still wants to move out of the Twin Cities, even if it's just for the sake of change of scenery and go live someplace I've never lived before, what good are you doing trying to talk him into something he's not going to be 100% committed to?

I certainly don't know what was going through his head, but it kinda feels like the one thing he absolutely wanted, more than anything else, was to change locations, get away from home and not be the hometown guy anymore. I know that's hard to imagine for some folks, but I guarantee that when I made the decision to move out of Minnesota, there is virtually nothing that my family and friends could have said to change my mind. Love the state, love the family, but I had to get away and get some change.
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don't really care about Gabe's decision making. 20 year olds will make interesting decisions

"When did Ben indicate that?" Ben: "I encouraged him that if he needed a fresh start to get it,"
 

GopherJake said:
Isn't there some irony here that some here are congratulating BJ for letting Gabe follow his heart, seemingly without putting up much of a fight..........in a thread titled: "Johnson on Ihnen: "I had to fight to keep him for almost two weeks. His people were telling him you got all these options."

Not commenting on the disconnect. But those of you slapping BJ on the back on Gabe, what do you think of how he approached Ihnen?
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Not trying to speak for the others here, but I think his point was that it was others trying to influence Ihnen to leave. Gabe sounds more like the opposite issue where his heart just wasn't 100% in it.
 

again, based on what Doogie and others have said, Gabe made up his mind to leave at mid-season. Apparently Gabe is an example of why 'staying home to play' is a double-edged sword. He apparently thought he was being unfairly criticized in part because of his status as a local player.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
again, based on what Doogie and others have said, Gabe made up his mind to leave at mid-season. Apparently Gabe is an example of why 'staying home to play' is a double-edged sword. He apparently thought he was being unfairly criticized in part because of his status as a local player.
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source? If anything, being a local player gave him more slack when it came to the media. If you are brought in to be a shooter and you are consistently going 1-10, you will be criticized regardless of where you are.
 

Drake University Gopher said:
Not trying to speak for the others here, but I think his point was that it was others trying to influence Ihnen to leave. Gabe sounds more like the opposite issue where his heart just wasn't 100% in it.
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Ah. I see the distinction. Thanks.
 

Drake University Gopher said:
Not trying to speak for the others here, but I think his point was that it was others trying to influence Ihnen to leave. Gabe sounds more like the opposite issue where his heart just wasn't 100% in it.
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Pretty sure Gabe had several factors that went into his decision that we know nothing about.
 



alchemy2u said:
Wow, you can ask some the the stupidest questions.
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He mentions factors we know nothing about. I asked him to clarify. Can you clarify for you?
like was there stuff mentioned that we aren’t privy to or was it pure speculation?

Feel free to block me or whatever so you don’t need to see what I post.
 

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