Katz on the early entrants

[SelectionSunday]

I suspect if Tubby keeps recruiting like he has thus far, we can expect to see Gophers on this list perhaps every couple years. That would be a great problem to have. ... a combination of guys good enough to test the NBA waters after a year or two, along with players who can/will develop into productive Big 10 players over a four-year period (i.e. Johnson, Westbrook, Nolen).

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=4104184

 

[bga1]

SS. I hope so. I wonder, however, to what degree Tubby's shuttle system will continue and if so how it will reduce the possiblity that players can build a reputation upon which they come out early. I guess I'm not sure whether Tubby's substitution pattern is part of his normal M.O. or if it was born out of having a roster with no stars.

 

[Weisbrod]

SS. I hope so. I wonder, however, to what degree Tubby's shuttle system will continue and if so how it will reduce the possiblity that players can build a reputation upon which they come out early. I guess I'm not sure whether Tubby's substitution pattern is part of his normal M.O. or if it was born out of having a roster with no stars.

Great point about the substitution pattern. I think we may see it once again in 2009-10, but probably to a lesser extent.

Right away, I think Tubby will rotate guys like Royce White, Justin Cobbs and Rodney Williams in and out of the regular rotation to see how they react to the college game. The thing is, Minnesota has a much tougher nonconference schedule to experiment with rotations and playing time.

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

SS. I hope so. I wonder, however, to what degree Tubby's shuttle system will continue and if so how it will reduce the possiblity that players can build a reputation upon which they come out early. I guess I'm not sure whether Tubby's substitution pattern is part of his normal M.O. or if it was born out of having a roster with no stars.

Tubby had the following early NBA entrants at UK - Nazr Mohammed in 1998, Kelenna Azubuike in 2005, Rajon Rondo in 2006, and Randolph Morris in 2007. (Azubuike wasn't drafted by NBA that year)