PiPress: Timberwolves' Gorgui Dieng happy to tutor Gophers big man Bakary Konate

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FSN: Wolves' Dieng, Gophers' Pitino have forged tight-knit relationship

A pristine, stained-wood trophy case and an oversize desk with plays and notes scattered across it are the hallmarks of Pitino's Bierman Field Athletic Building office. The 2014 NIT trophy, trimmed-off Madison Square garden net draped over the top, graces the center of the trophy case. Behind the desk, separate framed photos of Richard and his wife, Jill, and his 3-year-old daughter, Ava stand out among the rest of Pitino's mementos.

Out the doors of the Gophers basketball office, to the right and up a flight of stairs resides the basketball team's primary workout facility. When he wasn't in Senegal for his camp, Las Vegas for summer league or Spain for the FIBA World Cup, Dieng was here, pumping iron and getting shots up.

Five days a week, sometimes six. He'd often spend the mornings working out with Gophers strength coach and conditioning coach Shaun Brown, then be at the Target Center by noon to get some one-on-one time with the Wolves staff.

Dieng focused on adding muscle to his 230-pound frame while maintaining his agility. He wants to be able to run the floor with Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine and the rest of Minnesota's young contingent. Assistant Ryan Saunders, the son of coach and president Flip Saunders, also put Dieng through some rim-finishing drills this summer.

"I just want to get better any time I've got a chance," said Dieng, who lives about two minutes away from the Minnesota campus, according Pitino. "I think that was a good opportunity for me. Nobody was here. The coaches was focusing on me."

http://www.foxsports.com/north/stor...no-have-forged-tight-knit-relationship-101514

Go Gophers!!
 

Hopefully Dieng is tutoring Diedhiou on his English, too. Maybe he'll be on the roster in January.
 

SelectionSunday said:
Hopefully Dieng is tutoring Diedhiou on his English, too. Maybe he'll be on the roster in January.
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Assuming Diedhiou passes his English proficiency exam, I wonder if he could become eligible to be with the team at the end of the first semester - sometime early December - or would he have to wait til the start of the 2nd semester in late January.

I believe there is something like 10 games in the period from the end of classes 1st semester and the first day of classes 2nd semester.

I remember when when Devoe Joseph went to Oregon and became eligible after 1st semester - he began playing for the Ducks in early December.

Just a thought and a question for a SLOW GH Board.
 



rrjackIII said:
Assuming Diedhiou passes his English proficiency exam, I wonder if he could become eligible to be with the team at the end of the first semester - sometime early December - or would he have to wait til the start of the 2nd semester in late January.

I believe there is something like 10 games in the period from the end of classes 1st semester and the first day of classes 2nd semester.

I remember when when Devoe Joseph went to Oregon and became eligible after 1st semester - he began playing for the Ducks in early December.

Just a thought and a question for a SLOW GH Board.
Click to expand...

I always thought that if he was admitted for the spring semester he could start practicing as soon as the fall semester ends, I assume it would be at the completion of all fall finals. He still needs to be admitted in the next month and a half though.
 

tinyarch said:
Puff, puff, pass... :cool02:
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You seen the state of the center position in the NBA lately? Dwight Howard and whomever his backup is would be better. I guess you could still consider Duncan a center, along with Splitter. Maybe Marc Gasol and some scrub. Pao Gasol and a scrub. Can't really think of anyone else ... most of the rest of the top big guys are PFs (Noah, Cousins, Horford, Al Jefferson, etc.)

Pek and Dieng has to be a top-5 combo. Although the way the game is played today, with center deemphasized, that doesn't get you much.
 

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Go Gophers!!
 




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