MN Daily: Malik Smith embraces role with Gophers

[BleedGopher]

per the Daily:

“I pretty much had the green light to go whenever I felt like it,” Smith said of his time at FIU. “Now I have to pick my spots.”

It’s a new role for the Gophers senior guard, who followed his head coach Richard Pitino to Minnesota and was the Panthers’ second-leading scorer last season.

And it’s a role he struggled to adapt to through two games. He averaged just 4.5 points per contest.

“It was pretty hard for me to figure out through the first two games — when to be aggressive and when not to,” Smith said.

http://www.mndaily.com/sports/people/richard-pitino/2013/11/18/smith-embraces-role-gophers

Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

STrib: Smith no stranger to taking big shots for Gophers basketball

“Malik is the type of guy — he’s a home run hitter who wants to be up in the bottom of the ninth,” Pitino said. “He may not be the best fielder, he may not be the best baserunner. But you’ve got confidence when he’s going to shoot the ball that it’s going in. He’s just one of those guys that you want on the court. There is something unique about a kid who wants to shoot that shot. Not everybody does that. Some people hide from it. He does not hide from it.”

“He’s the type of guy, he’ll shoot some shots that will drive you crazy, it drives me crazy,” Pitino said. “But then he hit a three with just [over] three minutes to go that essentially won us the game. So as a coach, you kind of have to deal with it a little bit, and you’ve got to give him a little bit of a longer leash than some other guys.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/232770241.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[rrjackIII]

STrib: Smith no stranger to taking big shots for Gophers basketball

“Malik is the type of guy — he’s a home run hitter who wants to be up in the bottom of the ninth,” Pitino said. “He may not be the best fielder, he may not be the best baserunner. But you’ve got confidence when he’s going to shoot the ball that it’s going in. He’s just one of those guys that you want on the court. There is something unique about a kid who wants to shoot that shot. Not everybody does that. Some people hide from it. He does not hide from it.”

“He’s the type of guy, he’ll shoot some shots that will drive you crazy, it drives me crazy,” Pitino said. “But then he hit a three with just [over] three minutes to go that essentially won us the game. So as a coach, you kind of have to deal with it a little bit, and you’ve got to give him a little bit of a longer leash than some other guys.”

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/232770241.html

Go Gophers!!

Sounds just like Tubby - oops wrong thread!

 

[zipsofakron]

I'm excited about Smith. Sure, there are going to be nights where he goes 1-8 and people will question why he's seeing court time, but I'm excited for the nights where he goes 6-6 and single-handedly decides a game. Pitino seems content with letting him shoot through his struggles and seeing Oto's turnaround so far (Richard told him to just let 'er rip) I tend to agree with that approach. Much more than Tubby's "miss twice and you're benched" approach that turned Austin Hollins into a headcase late last year.

 

[BballJones]

I'm excited about Smith. Sure, there are going to be nights where he goes 1-8 and people will question why he's seeing court time, but I'm excited for the nights where he goes 6-6 and single-handedly decides a game. Pitino seems content with letting him shoot through his struggles and seeing Oto's turnaround so far (Richard told him to just let 'er rip) I tend to agree with that approach. Much more than Tubby's "miss twice and you're benched" approach that turned Austin Hollins into a headcase late last year.

It sounds like shooting is not necessarily the issue. It's more playing hard on D and hitting the boards, etc. He can't get away with just being the mad bomber. He needs to help the Gophers in all aspects. With that said, I think he'll end up being a very good contributor this year.

 

[tinyarch]

Every team needs a "Vinny the Microwave."