May Roster Construction current take

[Bob_Loblaw]

I think 'give the spot to Carrington' is not accurate. Johnson said in his mid week presser that he wants to give the young guys a chance to get some meaningful minutes. No coach is guaranteeing anyone a starting spot.

Reading between the lines, it seems that Johnson really likes what he has and is willing to roll with that crew and let them grow a bit. Maybe he listened to all of the advice of the GopherHole coaching cabal and decided to try to play some of the youngsters this year.

Yeah, I'm not saying he did. I'm arguing against the posters who are saying he essentially did (not recruiting more wings) or it would be a good idea if he did.

If Ben Johnson doesn't bring in another player or two who can play meaningful minutes at the wings and it was intentional, I think it was really stupid. Again, I dont think this is the case. Just arguing against the people who have been hinting that CBJ isn't going after wings because he likes his freshman. He should like his freshman but he shouldn't like them so much he isn't desperately looking to improve those positions in the portal.

If Ben Johnson doesn't bring in another player or two who play meaningful minutes at the wings and it was unintentional, then it was a slight failure in recruiting. It's not a huge deal because he has certainly had recruiting wins this year, but IMO, we need wings, we can offer a ton of minutes to a wing, not getting a decent one (or 2) would be a disappointment.

 

[Gopherfan84]

That's only somewhat true. You also need to have spacing and ball handling. Parker Fox might be athletic enough to guard wings but unless he is a much better shooter than we know, we wouldn't to play him with two post players. It would absolutely destroy spacing.

Totally agree. Is why I don’t get caught up in positions and focus on roles and skill sets.

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

I posted this before, but if you are interested in playing with the numbers and keeping yourself honest I built a little tool on Google Sheets that will let you allocate the minutes by position or simply by individual. If you want to make your own, go to File and Make a Copy.

I had a heck of a time finding enough minutes for all of our forwards/posts. Particularly Thompson and Ihnen. Battle and Garcia are just going to see the court so much. It was interesting to divvy up the minutes for Carrington/Henley now that it appears we can't/won't attract a quality transfer guard.

10 players will see significant playing time per game! Interesting! I doubt it but what do I know!

 

[Lion King]

I am somewhat surprised that all of the roster spots have not been filled. I thought that he would want to fill the 13 spots, but with Cooper and Garcia having multiple years left, Coach Johnson wants to make sure that his base is freshmen recruits each year. I do believe that he wants 3 schollies to play with for the Class of 2023 and that he wants Carrington and Henley as well as Payne and maybe JOJ to feel valued on the team.

Thus, I think he will only sign a wing and a backup type PG good for 15 minutes a game. I still think the current construct of the roster is missing perimeter quickness both on offense and defense. They need a guy who can breakdown the defense and be a stopper against a quick opponent on the perimeter. They need 1 more ball handler and one more outside shooting threat. I can see them signing one of the two PG either Samuel or Watkins both who have only 1 year of eligibility left and are both not a serious threat to the freshmen getting time in the present and future.

i do believe the other spot is for the best wing/combo guard Coach Johnson can find. I think Strong would be a fallback option here. If they cannot find someone at a certain level, then Carrington will have a huge role.

True post— I believe it will be a near even split between Fox 22 minutes and Payne 18 minutes. It is hard to stay out of foul trouble when you are slightly undersized vs. a Dickerson or Edey. Even the Purdue duo averaged about 20 minutes a game.

Stretch 4– Garcia 30, Thompson 6, Ihnen 4. No concerns offensively. Certain small ball teams could create mismatches.
Wing —-Battle 32. Ihnen 8. I still think Henley is a year away strength and skill wise. He is not a great shooter or ball handler. A year or two of added strength and Henley will be a handful. He is amazing already in a full court game.

Combo Guard— New guy 25 and Carrington 15.

Point Guard —Cooper 28, Backup 12.

just my take

Having it all figured out for Ben in May sure going to make his job easy come November.

 

[jovs]

That's only somewhat true. You also need to have spacing and ball handling. Parker Fox might be athletic enough to guard wings but unless he is a much better shooter than we know, we wouldn't to play him with two post players. It would absolutely destroy spacing.

Spacing is what makes Thompson such an attractive option, at 7 ft he so screws with apposing teams defenses and opens up the middle for everybody, you have to cover him on the three point line and can't do it with a guard because he is decent around the basket. He just needs to figure out how to guard someone.

 

[Spottedmuskie]

Anyone else think if Thompson doesn't make a big jump this offseason, that he won't see any minutes again?

 

[GopherPlaya]

Anyone else think if Thompson doesn't make a big jump this offseason, that he won't see any minutes again?

Still think the few minutes he got last year were due to a mass roster exodus. He doesn’t do anything well & isn’t a consistent shooter

 

[Formerswish]

Anyone else think if Thompson doesn't make a big jump this offseason, that he won't see any minutes again?

I'd agree that Thompson will be unlikely to play many minutes next year unless he makes huge progress. I do think he shoots it OK, but has too many other deficiencies at this point. His defense is poor, he doesn't block out well or rebound well, very little evidence of post moves, and if he's going to be hanging around the 3 pt line, he'll need to show some ball security. All of these things can be improved, but let's just say he has a lot of work to do to in order to earn some minutes.

 

[ethomasp31]

Still think the few minutes he got last year were due to a mass roster exodus. He doesn’t do anything well & isn’t a consistent shooter

He seems like a nice kid and I hope he improves….

Last year we had Curry, Daniels and Battle. Next year we have Battle, Fox, Payne, Garcia, Ihnen….we have a lot of roster versatility….but he will need to improve a lot to see playing time next season. I’m not the coach….but those 5 will take up a lot of the minutes next year.

 

[MNVCGUY]

He seems like a nice kid and I hope he improves….

Last year we had Curry, Daniels and Battle. Next year we have Battle, Fox, Payne, Garcia, Ihnen….we have a lot of roster versatility….but he will need to improve a lot to see playing time next season. I’m not the coach….but those 5 will take up a lot of the minutes next year.

If Payne is as physically ready as it seems like he is to compete right away I would say there is a decent shot that Thompson redshirts.

But who knows....if Thompson has a great off-season he could find his way into the rotation. Will be fun to see how it all shakes out.

 

[Dakota2]

If Payne is as physically ready as it seems like he is to compete right away I would say there is a decent shot that Thompson redshirts.

But who knows....if Thompson has a great off-season he could find his way into the rotation. Will be fun to see how it all shakes out.

If TT plays similar time this year and is productive and no liability on defense he will help the team.

 

[Pete smith]

exactly....get Samuels or that Mikey guy to fill the back up PG spot and hopefully 1 other wing type guard....neither of which will be high end players....we just dont have the minutes to offer....so temper the expectations. Play 8 or 9 and trust 7 or 8.....

Trust
Battle
Garcia
Cooper
Fox
Braeden/Henley
Ihnen
Payne

Play
Braeden/Henley
back up PG

Bench/Spot Minutes
Thompson
JOJ
Ramberg
Transfer

the Carrington/Henley battle will be interesting to see how it plays out both in practice and in the non-con for who sees more minutes.

Who would want to join a basketball program where the Head Coach tells you, “you probably won’t get to play much, but we need you to practice“?

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Still think the few minutes he got last year were due to a mass roster exodus. He doesn’t do anything well & isn’t a consistent shooter

He did play a ton in our best win.

More than the shooting, he is an active 7fter. I don't like his shooting that much because while he seems fluid for a 7fter, I think most defenses would be cool with him shooting a 3 every time down the court.

I think TT's path to playing time is as a high energy, active 7 fter who can run the court and defend the PNR. I do think there is something there. There just aren't a lot of people his size who can move as well as he can but I think the path is pretty tough for him.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

this was discussed in the "Ben Johnson Interview" thread - but Johnson said he expects to play "8 or 9 players" on a regular basis.

he also said he hopes to bring in one more transfer, but does not plan to use all the available scholarships.

hey, he's the coach and the responsibility falls on him. So he may be wrong.

But, based on those comments, he certainly seems to feel confident that at least 7 or 8 of the guys in his rotation are already on the roster, with possibly one more being added.

that would seem to suggest that at least some of the true FR will see court time.

Of the true FR, based on what I've read and seen, I would say Carrington and Payne look to be the most ready to play right away. So, until I see differently, I'm going to guess/assume that Carrington and Payne are in that 8 or 9-man rotation.

at the same time, in today's climate, you probably have to give JOJ and Henley at least a taste of action to keep them happy so they don't go portal after this season.

 

[dbmn]

I hate to say this, but ----

you cannot discount NIL as a factor in recruiting. I just read a long article on SI.com. The article was mainly focused on College FB, but also touched on basketball. It suggested that, in the SEC, every player on the roster for some FB teams will be getting $50,000 in NIL. that's each player.

So, if a player is considering the Gophers vs Team X - and Team X is saying "we can get you this NIL money," while the Gophers do not have an active NIL offer..........that just makes recruiting to programs like MN even harder.

So, we need the Barn Burner NIL Collective to get going. C'mon Barn, start throwing some $$$$ at these recruits.

$ 50k for every player on a fb roster? That's $ 4mm for 80 players. Can that be right? Seems it might be less expensive to use a software programmer or graphic arts person to block the image of many of the players, if that's what they need to do. Saw one fb players was holding out for $ 8mm for 3 years. I can see paying 1 or 2 high profile players, but the entire team seems like a shotgun approach and not targeted for any type of return. Regardless, the idea of paying the college athletes beyond tuition and a monthly living allowance is hard to get used to compared to even 5 years ago, much less 30 years. Add to that the constant movement of players from team to team using the portal is counter to building and then keeping a loyal fan base. First it was coaches leaving for more pay and now the players leaving for $ or winning. If the rules allow it, what can a fan do except print a new roster each year.

 

[MNVCGUY]

this was discussed in the "Ben Johnson Interview" thread - but Johnson said he expects to play "8 or 9 players" on a regular basis.

he also said he hopes to bring in one more transfer, but does not plan to use all the available scholarships.

hey, he's the coach and the responsibility falls on him. So he may be wrong.

But, based on those comments, he certainly seems to feel confident that at least 7 or 8 of the guys in his rotation are already on the roster, with possibly one more being added.

that would seem to suggest that at least some of the true FR will see court time.

Of the true FR, based on what I've read and seen, I would say Carrington and Payne look to be the most ready to play right away. So, until I see differently, I'm going to guess/assume that Carrington and Payne are in that 8 or 9-man rotation.

at the same time, in today's climate, you probably have to give JOJ and Henley at least a taste of action to keep them happy so they don't go portal after this season.

With Samuels committing I would bet Johnson doesn't add anyone else unless there is an injury or he sees a massive deficiency in the roster when they start practicing in June.

So if we figure playing 8-9 regularly it would seem like - Battle, Garcia, Fox, Ihnen, Cooper and Samuels would be locks to occupy 6 of those spots. Payne seems like a solid bet to be in the rotation in some way given his size and would seem likely that Carrington and Henley both see somewhat regular minutes as well. That puts the total to 9 with Ola-Joseph and Thompson potentially red-shirting or seeing spot duty when guys get injured.

Plenty of question marks facing the team heading into next season but at least right now we are in a much much better place than we were heading into the 21-22 season. Seems unlikely that we are looking at a roster ready to contend for the Big Ten Title next year but this does feel like a team that should be able to compete well night in and night out and won't be undermanned the way last year's team was. I think making the tournament is a very real possibility in 22-23 if things break right for this group.

 

[UnFadeable21]

Gophers basketball roster is ready for the regular season.

Team is looking legit and set. 11 scholarships and two walk ons. I doubt Ben uses the final two scholarships because honestly there isn’t any playing time available now.


PG Cooper, Samuels
SG Carrington, Henley
SF Battle, Ola-Joseph
PF Fox, Ilhen
C Garcia, Payne, Thompson

Walk On’s: Ramberg, Purcell

 

[Holy Man]

Gophers basketball roster is ready for the regular season.

Team is looking legit and set. 11 scholarships and two walk ons. I doubt Ben uses the final two scholarships because honestly there isn’t any playing time available now.


PG Cooper, Samuels
SG Carrington, Henley
SF Battle, Ola-Joseph
PF Fox, Ilhen
C Garcia, Payne, Thompson

Walk On’s: Ramberg, Purcell

If a guy can play there is always playing time.

 

[BarnBurner]

With Samuels committing I would bet Johnson doesn't add anyone else unless there is an injury or he sees a massive deficiency in the roster when they start practicing in June.

So if we figure playing 8-9 regularly it would seem like - Battle, Garcia, Fox, Ihnen, Cooper and Samuels would be locks to occupy 6 of those spots. Payne seems like a solid bet to be in the rotation in some way given his size and would seem likely that Carrington and Henley both see somewhat regular minutes as well. That puts the total to 9 with Ola-Joseph and Thompson potentially red-shirting or seeing spot duty when guys get injured.

Plenty of question marks facing the team heading into next season but at least right now we are in a much much better place than we were heading into the 21-22 season. Seems unlikely that we are looking at a roster ready to contend for the Big Ten Title next year but this does feel like a team that should be able to compete well night in and night out and won't be undermanned the way last year's team was. I think making the tournament is a very real possibility in 22-23 if things break right for this group.

Priceless!!

 

[Gopherfan84]

If a guy can play there is always playing time.

Exactly, but you can focus on a certain level of guy. There is no need to just take a guy to take him like we had to last year. It can be selective and focused on a guy that can bring us to the top 5 in the B1G. Those wings options probably will only come available after the draft and are unlikely, but we now have something to sell them. Otherwise you go with Carrington, Cooper, and Taurus splitting 80/90% of the guard minutes. For many that may scare them, but I think we are in a good spot with them considering how deep and talented our frontcourt is.

 

[leib0039]

I do wonder if we would take a Daniel's type later in the summer. A deep bench guy who is big just for those few minutes every so often. It's not a massive need per se, just more to put out there 3-4 min against a true center just to lean on him

 

[MNVCGUY]

Priceless!!

Against my better judgement I am legitimately curious what problem you have with what I posted above and beyond the fact that I posted it.

 

[BarnBurner]

Against my better judgement I am legitimately curious what problem you have with what I posted above and beyond the fact that I posted it.

Dont have any problem with what you posted. Why?

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

The key to this team will be if Battle can play SF and guard perimeter players. On paper, this team's strength is big men. Gophers really need Battle to be a true SF to take advantage of that depth. But he appears to be more of a 4.

 

[bga1]

If a guy can play there is always playing time.

Exactly right! The job of the coach is to recruit talent that will fit the scheme and win more games, not to promise playing time. The job of the player is to win more playing time, by being a factor in winning those games. I wouldn't just take guys but if we can get better guys (doubtful at this point) why wouldn't we?

This is a much better roster than last year. That said- we aren't loaded.

 

[Holy Man]

The key to this team will be if Battle can play SF and guard perimeter players. On paper, this team's strength is big men. Gophers really need Battle to be a true SF to take advantage of that depth. But he appears to be more of a 4.

What about Ihnen at SF/3?

 

[fan of Ray Williams]

What about Ihnen at SF/3?

Your response is showing that this team is in a much better place for the coming year. We forget about certain players. This will be an interesting year. Stay injury free, no off court issues and could very well have us being entertained more than a lot of us had hoped for in the 2nd year.

 

[jovs]

Add one more wing, preferably a sharpshooter and this team will be decent, even without it they should be improved.

 

[Holy Man]

Your response is showing that this team is in a much better place for the coming year. We forget about certain players. This will be an interesting year. Stay injury free, no off court issues and could very well have us being entertained more than a lot of us had hoped for in the 2nd year.

I'd like to believe that one of Ben's best attributes is confining his recruiting to players who will not have off the court issues. That should be the least of our worries. His ability to get players to gel quickly was a highlight of last year. If that is really a strength, which it needs to be in the brave new world of the portal, we could be in good shape. I'm still not confident enough to be the farm on it, though.

 

[Holy Man]

Add one more wing, preferably a sharpshooter and this team will be decent, even without it they should be improved.

To be a lot better, either Cooper or Samuels needs to be able to shoot well enough to keep defenses honest. I'm not sure the stats suggest that, though. I'd still like to see a proven shooter as part of the mix.