Kerwin Walton enters transfer portal

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jovs said:
Not much being mentioned about him heading in this direction, with the NBA evaluation it is going to be a month anyway but I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.
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I can only hold my breath for like a minute.....so if we are going to have to hold it for a month then I am out on holding my breath for this one.... :)

But yeah, I wouldn't expect to hear anything (good or bad) for a while. He doesn't seem to be real quick with making decisions. And of course there is still the added piece that we really don't know for sure if he is even someone that Ben is targeting.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
So you would rather continue to have the Gophers be a bad team?
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No. Not at all. Which is why I’d take Walton if he wanted to be here. He is at least an upgrade to the bench if he isn’t a starter. My point was people are acting like Walton could only help bad teams. The gophers were (are?) a bad team. I think Walton would play for most P5 teams.
 

North Carolina fans seem to describe him as a great spot up shooter and a poor defender, and maybe not great at driving or creating his own shot. Is he quick enough to defend shooting guards? Is he big enough to defend power forwards? If he’s pretty much strictly a 3 as far as defensive assignments that he can handle, is he okay with riding the bench behind possibly the best player on the team? Everyone saying the staff should pursue him as a depth piece should consider whether Walton wants to just be bench depth, when he might have other opportunities to start and play 25-30 minutes a game, even if it’s not at the power conference level. Plus we’re not starving for a half decent 3 point shooter right now like we have been in the recent past. I’d think Battle, Garcia, and Cooper, and maybe even Carrington could hit at around 35% or higher. He also would occupy a scholarship for 2-3 years, which maybe the staff doesn’t want if they’re feeling good about high school recruiting.
 

I did not watch a lot of UNC this year so can't speak for Walton's defense. If Walton was an incredibly poor defender in high school, he would not have likely been a 4 star and would not have likely been offered a scholarship to play at UNC.

IF Walton is interested in coming here, hungry, and willing to understand that he will have to fight for minutes just like any other player, you take him in a heartbeat. He is far better than any of the other players in the portal that have shown interest in the Gophers.

IF Walton is interested in coming here, you have someone with 2 years of high-level NCAA experience who can talk about what it takes to be successful. If he starts early in the season but gets passed by one of the first year players, this is a great sign that Ben has caught some lightning in a bottle.

A good team has players on the bench that can come in and play the game at a high level. These players often bring a different look to the team that makes them valuable in catching the opponent off guard. If Walton's role is simply as another shooter off the bench, you take him a second.

As we found last year, lack of depth can be a killer. Johnson wants to be in a position where he doesn't have to flinch if an injury or flu bug hits the starting 5. If Walton is interested, Johnson will certainly reach out and make contact. He is a good kid with a good attitude. Johnson should be fired if he doesn't kick the tires on this one.
 

DeathClutch said:
If he had "off the charts work ethic," why did he get benched for his defensive liabilities at UNC?
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And it also seems like a stupid comment to make in relation to saying he doubts it come to Minnesota!

"Unless something changes, I don’t see that school being the #Gophers. Kid has off the charts work ethic."

It come off like he works to hard for a lazy school like MN.... Doogie is not the brightest bulb.
 


DeathClutch said:
If he had "off the charts work ethic," why did he get benched for his defensive liabilities at UNC?
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Because defense is more than effort and being a Johnny try hard. You can have all the coaching, the strongest work ethic, but you're not quick enough to guard a certain spot on the court, it doesn't really matter. If Walton isn't quick enough to guard the two spot in the big ten, no amount of coaching will change that, especially if we're suspect of Battle's ability to guard three's, Garcia ability to either guard the four spot or if he's tough enough to guard the five spot, be one thing if we had a Gabe or a Damian Johnson or Al Nolan at the point, where the supporting cast could hide him, but we really need someone to lock it down at the two spot, if we are suspect at the forward spots. I'd be all for giving Walton all the minutes that one of Battle or Garcia is off the floor, you could probably carve out a nice 10-12 minute bench role, but I am guessing he wants more and with his frame, if he had the quickness to move with guards, combined with his shooting ability, well he'd be Gary Trent Jr and off to the NBA after being a one and done. Will see where he ends up, nice player, but I think the board would agree that they would prefer Battle.
 

ecoperson said:
I did not watch a lot of UNC this year so can't speak for Walton's defense. If Walton was an incredibly poor defender in high school, he would not have likely been a 4 star and would not have likely been offered a scholarship to play at UNC.

IF Walton is interested in coming here, hungry, and willing to understand that he will have to fight for minutes just like any other player, you take him in a heartbeat. He is far better than any of the other players in the portal that have shown interest in the Gophers.

IF Walton is interested in coming here, you have someone with 2 years of high-level NCAA experience who can talk about what it takes to be successful. If he starts early in the season but gets passed by one of the first year players, this is a great sign that Ben has caught some lightning in a bottle.

A good team has players on the bench that can come in and play the game at a high level. These players often bring a different look to the team that makes them valuable in catching the opponent off guard. If Walton's role is simply as another shooter off the bench, you take him a second.

As we found last year, lack of depth can be a killer. Johnson wants to be in a position where he doesn't have to flinch if an injury or flu bug hits the starting 5. If Walton is interested, Johnson will certainly reach out and make contact. He is a good kid with a good attitude. Johnson should be fired if he doesn't kick the tires on this one.
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Walton went off from three in the Peach Jam, that's why he was a four star
 

Fleckoff said:
Because defense is more than effort and being a Johnny try hard. You can have all the coaching, the strongest work ethic, but you're not quick enough to guard a certain spot on the court, it doesn't really matter. If Walton isn't quick enough to guard the two spot in the big ten, no amount of coaching will change that, especially if we're suspect of Battle's ability to guard three's, Garcia ability to either guard the four spot or if he's tough enough to guard the five spot, be one thing if we had a Gabe or a Damian Johnson or Al Nolan at the point, where the supporting cast could hide him, but we really need someone to lock it down at the two spot, if we are suspect at the forward spots. I'd be all for giving Walton all the minutes that one of Battle or Garcia is off the floor, you could probably carve out a nice 10-12 minute bench role, but I am guessing he wants more and with his frame, if he had the quickness to move with guards, combined with his shooting ability, well he'd be Gary Trent Jr and off to the NBA after being a one and done. Will see where he ends up, nice player, but I think the board would agree that they would prefer Battle.
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This is the Gophers we are talking about, it's not like Stephens or Loewe were lightening quick last year but they did end up in last place so that comparison might not be one we want to make. That is the problem with lower level P5 programs, it is hard to get the right mix of athleticism and basketball skills to compete. I was really hoping Thiam would develop into an effective alternative because he definitely had the quickness.
 

Off-GridTNgopher said:
Not very many are disagreeing with you... But again, As stated by James, doogie and whoever else.. coach has stated he doesnt see it as a good fit between player and program. At the end of the day... That's all that matters
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"Doesn't see it as a good fit"

Hard to get much more squishier of a statement than that. :sneaky:
 



Fleckoff said:
Walton went off from three in the Peach Jam, that's why he was a four star
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Fair enough but neither UNC nor any other university was going to extend Walton a committable scholarship offer based solely on going off in one tournament without looking at the entire body of work.

Walton wasn't a flash in the pan. He went off again at UNC during his first year. There is no reason to expect that he can't go off again in his Junior (COVID Sophomore) year.

College basketball is littered with players who may be a little slow on D but can light it up on offense. College basketball is used to finding ways to to hide players with minor deficiencies on D. Walton would be a welcome addition to the Gophers IF he is willing to take what is earned not given.
 

the issue is not whether Walton is better than the best player on your team.

the issue is whether Walton is better than - say - the 8th or 9th best player on your team.

If you add a player and he improves the overall talent level of your roster, it's a positive move.
 


Gophers_4life said:
"Doesn't see it as a good fit"

Hard to get much more squishier of a statement than that. :sneaky:
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Reports are that he is not a good defender, is a spot shooter, and not a great ball handler. If so, I can see why Ben would think that. And, if by chance, there were some character or anti-culture issues, Garcia would have a handle on that. Just saying.

IMO, Ben will bring in a CG who will improve the roster from last year.
 




GopherWeatherGuy said:
Doogie has been pretty plugged in with Ben since he was hired. Ryan James has also stated that Walton would not be high on Ben's list if he entered the portal.
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Ryan James saying this is not happening. RJ is usually a "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" kind of guy, but he's really down on Walton's defense.
 

Kerwin Walton is trending 100% to Creighton on 247 Sports Transfer Portal.
 


Coming in hot! Interesting post C77! If true it kind of makes sense since Creighton boosters don't have to spread it around to a football team as well. Basketball is the deal there.

C77- you seem to have some solid information...how do you feel about our chances to land a good SG that will take us up a notch??
 

hungan1 said:
Kerwin Walton is trending 100% to Creighton on 247 Sports Transfer Portal.
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Baylor Scheireman has two crystal balls to Creighton with Kerwin only has one. Baylor is going to commit today at 9a.m. They don't really have room for both, but Mike Miller's son might be moved to a walk on and Mike Miller himself paying these guys
 


Blackhammer said:
Not getting on the Kerwin train . He ain’t coming here.
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Seems like Kerwin spending time with his own personal trainer is really hindering his development and relationships with UNC staff and players. Perhaps Ben and Thorson see this as a red flag. I'll hang up and listen
 

Spottedmuskie said:
Seems like Kerwin spending time with his own personal trainer is really hindering his development and relationships with UNC staff and players. Perhaps Ben and Thorson see this as a red flag. I'll hang up and listen
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That kind of behavior would absolutely be a red flag. Team first in college has to be the way it goes.
 

Holy Man said:
That kind of behavior would absolutely be a red flag. Team first in college has to be the way it goes.
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I mean that sounds nice, but any kid who thinks he is a future NBA talent is thinking "get me to the league as fast as possible", ie one-and-done guys (not saying Walton is such a guy).
 


Cartersieben77 said:
Yes they are offering him a car and 80k as all their players get that. Our Donors need to step up…
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Anybody know if Walton has an agent representing him as far as NIL is concerned, this could very easily be the reason for lack of mutual interest between Minnesota and Walton.
 

Gophers_4life said:
I mean that sounds nice, but any kid who thinks he is a future NBA talent is thinking "get me to the league as fast as possible", ie one-and-done guys (not saying Walton is such a guy).
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Probably true, but it's poison in the locker room.

I remember Lucia having major issues with his high end players getting "coached" by trainers and handlers not connected with the team. It was a disaster with high end talent frequently not meeting potential because they were so locked in on the NHL that they ignored their college team.

I do believe that high end talent focused on the next level can be quality team guys. Talent and good teammate are not mutually exclusive. But paying attention to an individual coach at the expense of the team is bad news.
 

Holy Man said:
Probably true, but it's poison in the locker room.

I remember Lucia having major issues with his high end players getting "coached" by trainers and handlers not connected with the team. It was a disaster with high end talent frequently not meeting potential because they were so locked in on the NHL that they ignored their college team.

I do believe that high end talent focused on the next level can be quality team guys. Talent and good teammate are not mutually exclusive. But paying attention to an individual coach at the expense of the team is bad news.
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If he comes for a campus visit and shows up with an entourage, we know it's time to cut bait.
 

jovs said:
Anybody know if Walton has an agent representing him as far as NIL is concerned, this could very easily be the reason for lack of mutual interest between Minnesota and Walton.
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Do you really think Walton is about to get a NIL deal after averaging 10 min and 3 points a game? Starters at most schools are barely scrapping in anything much less a transfer after a down season
 

Holy Man said:
Probably true, but it's poison in the locker room.

I remember Lucia having major issues with his high end players getting "coached" by trainers and handlers not connected with the team. It was a disaster with high end talent frequently not meeting potential because they were so locked in on the NHL that they ignored their college team.

I do believe that high end talent focused on the next level can be quality team guys. Talent and good teammate are not mutually exclusive. But paying attention to an individual coach at the expense of the team is bad news.
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Walton has never been a kid with character issues and the players you are describing are more Chet Holmgren & Jalen Suggs level guys. Walton isn't a shoe-in-NBA guy. The kid had a 4.1 GPA in high school with like a 32 ACT score. He is far from a bad character kid.
 

GopherPlaya said:
Walton has never been a kid with character issues and the players you are describing are more Chet Holmgren & Jalen Suggs level guys. Walton isn't a shoe-in-NBA guy. The kid had a 4.1 GPA in high school with like a 32 ACT score. He is far from a bad character kid.
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For the record, I meant to comment on the general situation, and not Kerwin's specifically. I had also heard similar things as you did about his character in the past. I also think he would be a great addition to the Gophers roster next season.
 

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