MaroonGopher
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After watching Winona State against UW-Eau Claire, I think it’s going to be another big day for the Big Two down low Monday. I’m obviously talking about Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson. WSU has some strong options on the perimeter, but its starting center, 6-foot-9 Iowa State transfer Clayton Vette, seems to be having a difficult time playing to his potential after blowing out his knee almost exactly a year ago. He’s a step slow and struggles with his vertical quickness. In fact, he was stuffed by Jim the Rim on a dunk attempt down low against UWEC. He just couldn’t get up. He’s a decent option for the Warriors and still has a chance to live up to the hype, but RSIII and Colt will have another field day in my opinion. Winona’s second option down low appears to be Joel Armstrong, who struggles with rebounding despite his 6-7, 230-pound frame. Again, the Warriors will offer much more resistance than Northeastern State, but Minnesota will still win by 25-plus.
The backcourt match-ups appear to be much more level. Winona’s Ben Fischer can stick with Al Nolen without a problem and Anthony Tucker has already guarded Hoffarber in high school and college. Rodney will contend with WSU’s best perimeter defender CJ Erickson, who stands 6-6. Erickson, an Evansville transfer and high school teammate of Tucker at Minnetonka, was named the Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in high school and has taken his talents to the next level. He is essentially Winona’s version of Williams, a high-flying, lanky wing with an OK jumper and lots of upside. However, let me make this clear: Rodney Williams is more athletic than Erickson and has more potential. I am not saying they are equals in overall skill; they just play the same role on their respective teams and have similar height and basketball traits.
Minnesota’s bench is obviously more explosive, but Winona does have some decent options, including 6-foot-7 guard (yes I said guard) Kellen Taylor. The Wayzata graduate red-shirted last season and appears to be blossoming quite nicely. Against Eau Claire, he was 4-for-4 from deep and had a dunk in transition and a sweet block from behind on the break. His brother plays for Brown and his dad was on a Gopher team that won a Big Ten title back in the day. The rest of the Winona bench consists of sharp-shooting guards with little beef on the blocks. Armstrong usually comes off the bench, but I doubt he will against the Gophers, leaving Winona with little depth in the frontcourt. The Warriors do have 6-foot-9 Division I transfer Caleb Palkert, but he may be red-shirting, so who knows.
The backcourt match-ups appear to be much more level. Winona’s Ben Fischer can stick with Al Nolen without a problem and Anthony Tucker has already guarded Hoffarber in high school and college. Rodney will contend with WSU’s best perimeter defender CJ Erickson, who stands 6-6. Erickson, an Evansville transfer and high school teammate of Tucker at Minnetonka, was named the Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in high school and has taken his talents to the next level. He is essentially Winona’s version of Williams, a high-flying, lanky wing with an OK jumper and lots of upside. However, let me make this clear: Rodney Williams is more athletic than Erickson and has more potential. I am not saying they are equals in overall skill; they just play the same role on their respective teams and have similar height and basketball traits.
Minnesota’s bench is obviously more explosive, but Winona does have some decent options, including 6-foot-7 guard (yes I said guard) Kellen Taylor. The Wayzata graduate red-shirted last season and appears to be blossoming quite nicely. Against Eau Claire, he was 4-for-4 from deep and had a dunk in transition and a sweet block from behind on the break. His brother plays for Brown and his dad was on a Gopher team that won a Big Ten title back in the day. The rest of the Winona bench consists of sharp-shooting guards with little beef on the blocks. Armstrong usually comes off the bench, but I doubt he will against the Gophers, leaving Winona with little depth in the frontcourt. The Warriors do have 6-foot-9 Division I transfer Caleb Palkert, but he may be red-shirting, so who knows.
