I was a huge Nate Mason fan. Still am. Would love to see him in a Wolves jersey some day, although I think my fandom may be elevating his potential from great overseas pro to an NBA caliber player.
Having said all that, the impending departure of Jordan Murphy has me a little depressed. He's been such a stud for the program for so many games over the years that it will be hard to fathom a Gopher team without him. Murphy is the heart and soul of this team and it's been such a pleasure watching him night in and night out.
I think the post-Mason era was easier to endure because I knew Murphy was still on the squad. But without Murphy, I do fear this team lacks an unexpected hero. Don't get me wrong. Amir Coffey is definitely an excellent basketball player and is more than ready to lead this team next year. But with Coffey, we kind of expected it. He was highly touted coming in and has mostly lived up to the expectations. Murphy and Mason on the other hand? No one could have anticipated their success in the B1G10. These guys didn't have the ESPN 100 recruiting pedigree that Coffey had. It was fun watching Murphy and Mason exceed expectations and then some. But without that "nobody believed in me" bravado, I feel like something will be missing with this squad. Maybe Gabe Kalscheur can assume that role. We'll see. All I know is that I am going to miss Murphy so much next year. Hope this NCAA run can last as long as possible.
Having said all that, the impending departure of Jordan Murphy has me a little depressed. He's been such a stud for the program for so many games over the years that it will be hard to fathom a Gopher team without him. Murphy is the heart and soul of this team and it's been such a pleasure watching him night in and night out.
I think the post-Mason era was easier to endure because I knew Murphy was still on the squad. But without Murphy, I do fear this team lacks an unexpected hero. Don't get me wrong. Amir Coffey is definitely an excellent basketball player and is more than ready to lead this team next year. But with Coffey, we kind of expected it. He was highly touted coming in and has mostly lived up to the expectations. Murphy and Mason on the other hand? No one could have anticipated their success in the B1G10. These guys didn't have the ESPN 100 recruiting pedigree that Coffey had. It was fun watching Murphy and Mason exceed expectations and then some. But without that "nobody believed in me" bravado, I feel like something will be missing with this squad. Maybe Gabe Kalscheur can assume that role. We'll see. All I know is that I am going to miss Murphy so much next year. Hope this NCAA run can last as long as possible.