BleedGopher
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No longer burdened by the distractions of a year ago, these Gophers should capitalize.
Days after he returned from an African safari over the summer, Tubby Smith talked like an enlightened man.
He called the trip a "spiritual" journey and said he returned to America with a "renewed spirit" during a conversation in June.
He sounded like a preacher and a philosopher as he compared the spoils of the States to the poverty he observed in Kenya and Tanzania.
"It was just what the doctor ordered," Smith said.
Most coaches would have needed medical treatment -- or a spiritual renewal -- after going through the turmoil of the 2009-10 Gophers men's basketball season.
Smith's exact feelings on starting the new season are not yet known, since he was unavailable for comment in the weeks leading up to the start of practice. But as his team prepares for Friday night's Tubby's Tipoff, the Gophers' version of the Midnight Madness season kickoff, the program's offcourt woes seem cured.
Trevor Mbakwe's legal situation for an assault case in Miami was resolved in August, and the 6-8, 260-pound former St. Bernard's and Henry Sibley star already has been tagged by national pundits as a player to watch this season. Al Nolen overcame academic challenges that sidelined him the second half of last season and is ready to go for his senior year.
The six scholarship players the Gophers added -- Chip Armelin Jr., Austin Hollins, Maurice Walker, Elliott Eliason, Oto Osenieks and Maverick Ahanmisi -- might not see the floor too often because the team is expected to rely on a foundation of six upperclassmen and sophomore Rodney Williams. Many of those seven played major roles during the team's run to the Big Ten tournament title game in March.
And although last year's team appears to be deeper and more versatile on paper than this year's, this crew looks like Smith's best Gophers squad because of its relative stability, a trait that last year's red-flagged roster lacked. It was hard to project the 2009-10 team's potential because of its question marks.
Bright lights, high-flying slams and one of the most talented groups in recent Gophers history entertained fans at the 2009 Tubby's Tipoff.
But within days, reality arrived.
Power forwards Royce White and Mbakwe never suited up after that evening due to their legal troubles. The Gophers eventually lost starting point guard Nolen to academic trouble. And transfer rumors proved true when Paul Carter and Justin Cobbs left at the end of the year.
The pursuit of star recruit Cory Joseph ended when the brother of current Gophers standout guard Devoe Joseph chose Texas in the spring.
The whole roller coaster culminated with Jimmy Williams winning a $1.2 million judgment against Smith and the university, after the former Gophers assistant sued Smith for a negligent misrepresentation in offering a coaching job.
The Gophers won't carry those burdens into this campaign.And as a result, they will face pressure to build on last year's late-season push.
The Gophers might get lost in the Big Ten, the best league in college basketball entering the season, but even if they finish in the middle of the pack, they should earn an NCAA tournament bid.
But just getting there won't suffice.
In back-to-back tourney appearances -- and back-to-back first-round exits -- the Gophers failed to compete down the stretch in double-digit losses to Texas and Xavier, respectively.
If key players stay healthy and eligible, this team has the potential to achieve the program's first official NCAA tournament victory since reaching the 1990 regional semifinals.
As Smith angles for an extension and a $20 million practice facility amid an economic downturn, a university salary freeze and job cuts, his personal performance expectations will rise in his fourth year, when successful coaches usually take their programs to another level.
The Gophers will have a tough time winning a Big Ten crown with four teams -- Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State -- that will earn top-10 rankings in many preseason polls. After beating Purdue and Michigan State in last year's Big Ten tournament, however, the Gophers have defeated every other Big Ten team under Smith.
And by employing a frontcourt that includes 6-11 centers Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson and a backcourt featuring star-in-the-making Joseph and other talented veterans, the Gophers will have the aptitude to compete with every team in the Big Ten.
So yes, the past drama no longer plagues this program.
But with the stress gone, the hype will soon escalate.
The one difference from last season? They have a legitimate opportunity to live up to it.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...DUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUvDEhiaE3miUsZ
Go Gophers!!
Days after he returned from an African safari over the summer, Tubby Smith talked like an enlightened man.
He called the trip a "spiritual" journey and said he returned to America with a "renewed spirit" during a conversation in June.
He sounded like a preacher and a philosopher as he compared the spoils of the States to the poverty he observed in Kenya and Tanzania.
"It was just what the doctor ordered," Smith said.
Most coaches would have needed medical treatment -- or a spiritual renewal -- after going through the turmoil of the 2009-10 Gophers men's basketball season.
Smith's exact feelings on starting the new season are not yet known, since he was unavailable for comment in the weeks leading up to the start of practice. But as his team prepares for Friday night's Tubby's Tipoff, the Gophers' version of the Midnight Madness season kickoff, the program's offcourt woes seem cured.
Trevor Mbakwe's legal situation for an assault case in Miami was resolved in August, and the 6-8, 260-pound former St. Bernard's and Henry Sibley star already has been tagged by national pundits as a player to watch this season. Al Nolen overcame academic challenges that sidelined him the second half of last season and is ready to go for his senior year.
The six scholarship players the Gophers added -- Chip Armelin Jr., Austin Hollins, Maurice Walker, Elliott Eliason, Oto Osenieks and Maverick Ahanmisi -- might not see the floor too often because the team is expected to rely on a foundation of six upperclassmen and sophomore Rodney Williams. Many of those seven played major roles during the team's run to the Big Ten tournament title game in March.
And although last year's team appears to be deeper and more versatile on paper than this year's, this crew looks like Smith's best Gophers squad because of its relative stability, a trait that last year's red-flagged roster lacked. It was hard to project the 2009-10 team's potential because of its question marks.
Bright lights, high-flying slams and one of the most talented groups in recent Gophers history entertained fans at the 2009 Tubby's Tipoff.
But within days, reality arrived.
Power forwards Royce White and Mbakwe never suited up after that evening due to their legal troubles. The Gophers eventually lost starting point guard Nolen to academic trouble. And transfer rumors proved true when Paul Carter and Justin Cobbs left at the end of the year.
The pursuit of star recruit Cory Joseph ended when the brother of current Gophers standout guard Devoe Joseph chose Texas in the spring.
The whole roller coaster culminated with Jimmy Williams winning a $1.2 million judgment against Smith and the university, after the former Gophers assistant sued Smith for a negligent misrepresentation in offering a coaching job.
The Gophers won't carry those burdens into this campaign.And as a result, they will face pressure to build on last year's late-season push.
The Gophers might get lost in the Big Ten, the best league in college basketball entering the season, but even if they finish in the middle of the pack, they should earn an NCAA tournament bid.
But just getting there won't suffice.
In back-to-back tourney appearances -- and back-to-back first-round exits -- the Gophers failed to compete down the stretch in double-digit losses to Texas and Xavier, respectively.
If key players stay healthy and eligible, this team has the potential to achieve the program's first official NCAA tournament victory since reaching the 1990 regional semifinals.
As Smith angles for an extension and a $20 million practice facility amid an economic downturn, a university salary freeze and job cuts, his personal performance expectations will rise in his fourth year, when successful coaches usually take their programs to another level.
The Gophers will have a tough time winning a Big Ten crown with four teams -- Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue and Michigan State -- that will earn top-10 rankings in many preseason polls. After beating Purdue and Michigan State in last year's Big Ten tournament, however, the Gophers have defeated every other Big Ten team under Smith.
And by employing a frontcourt that includes 6-11 centers Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson and a backcourt featuring star-in-the-making Joseph and other talented veterans, the Gophers will have the aptitude to compete with every team in the Big Ten.
So yes, the past drama no longer plagues this program.
But with the stress gone, the hype will soon escalate.
The one difference from last season? They have a legitimate opportunity to live up to it.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/g...DUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUvDEhiaE3miUsZ
Go Gophers!!
