Potential Lineups for this Season

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Garcia, Payne and one of Mitchell/Hawkins, the remaining two spots, hopefully, are somewhat interchangeable. Man, it would be fun to have a good year.
 

JZABR said:
I imagine that Mitchell and Hawkins minutes will be a little staggered so either one plays with the bench, ensuring a point guard is always on the floor.
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Yes, ideally we have one or both of them on the floor at all times. I'm really only calling Mitchell the starter because he has better size than Hawkins. If Hawkins is better and ends up the starting PG, then great. Might be better to have a bigger PG come off the bench since he should be able to defend multiple guard positions. It will be tough for a 5' 11" guy to match up with B1G off guards.
 

Also, what happened to all the enthusiasm for Christie? Kalscheur/Oturu both started as true freshman on a round of 32 team. Christie is probably somewhere in between them in terms of readiness. It will be a great sign if he is in the starting lineup. He is probably Ben's highest profile prep recruit to this point (in terms of those that didn't ask out of their LOI ; )) Turn him loose!
 

GopherBlood666 said:
Also, what happened to all the enthusiasm for Christie? Kalscheur/Oturu both started as true freshman on a round of 32 team. Christie is probably somewhere in between them in terms of readiness. It will be a great sign if he is in the starting lineup. He is probably Ben's highest profile prep recruit to this point (in terms of those that didn't ask out of their LOI ; )) Turn him loose!
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Good point, where is that enthusiasm? I think it's all been sucked out of people after 2 very poor years-those kinds of years have a way of doing that. I know there's never a sure thing with freshmen, but I believe Christie is going to get a lot of playing time.

A player with the equivalent credentials of being a top 3 player in Illinois hasn't come to this school in a while. What we know is that at 6'6 or 6'7 (and yes, he's slight), with a good handle and a very nice shot from both 3 and mid-range, this kid has a chance to be very good. We'll take him.
 

Formerswish said:
I agree that we really don't know if Ihnen can guard a 3 or if he can be an effective wing on offense. Here's what I would say about him: He is a career 29% shooter from 3, but he did shoot 38% on 45 3's his freshman season, and all of his shots were not all open looks from the corner. The guy has a good stroke and may surprise people. He's long, he is an excellent rebounder, and he isn't a great ball handler but my guess is he's improved his handle over the past 2 years, and I didn't see him as an awful ball handler his first 2 years.

Defensively, he moves very well laterally (at least he used to) and he should be able to guard more than one position. I don't care what position he's playing, a guy like this can be very valuable, and assuming he can move well after his surgeries (no, we don't now that yet), I think he's one of the surprises this year and shows that he's a valuable piece for this team.
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I don't disagree with your opinion of Ihnen's potential. What I disagree with is that those things would make him a wing.

I don't think you saw him as an awful ball handler before because he never handled the ball. He was a PF, who cut to the basket, spotted up in the corner, defended the post and rebounded. I'd love it if that is how we were going to use him this year - I think he'd be very effective.

My posts aren't to sh!t on Ihnen. I just think if Ben plays him significant minutes at the SF he is literally repeating his biggest mistake from last year.
 


Otis said:
Say what you want but Hawkins is going to start. He’s played two years of college and HS at DeMatha , so he has been playing at a high level for awhile. The B1G is not too big for him.

I see it going like this:

PG: Hawkins
SG: Mitchell
SF: Christie/Ihnen/JoJ/KK
PF: Garcia
C: Payne

SF is the only guessing game. Christie has to overcome being a freshman, but Ben has started freshmen before. Ihnen and JoJ are not SFs. KK has played two years of Euro ball and could play some if he can play good D. In any case, the only pure SFs are Christie, Special K, and you, Ramburg.

Hard to say if he’s more comfortable playing someone out of position or not. He is coaching for his job this time.
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Carrington should be there at SF too. A three guard lineup is about just as common in college basketball as a 2 guard lineup. Carrington surprisingly gives you a little bit of rebounding too.
 


Sane24 said:
Problem is that Plitzuweit, Hawkins and Mitchell have all already demonstrated their ball-handling and 43%+ 3pt% for two+ college seasons.
Carrington has one injury-marred season and Christie has never played college basketball yet.
Putting the proven skill sets of Plitzuweit, Hawkins and Mitchell and their combined seven seasons of college experience on the court together would have been exceptionally special.
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I have heard AJ might be done playing? Have you heard if he is going to play? I heard this a couple months ago…
 

I haven't heard that, but I hope he is just waiting for Ramberg to quit.
 



Also, AJ has gone through a horrific knee injury which he rehabbed for 2 years and from which he may not have ever fully recovered
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
I don't disagree with your opinion of Ihnen's potential. What I disagree with is that those things would make him a wing.

I don't think you saw him as an awful ball handler before because he never handled the ball. He was a PF, who cut to the basket, spotted up in the corner, defended the post and rebounded. I'd love it if that is how we were going to use him this year - I think he'd be very effective.

My posts aren't to sh!t on Ihnen. I just think if Ben plays him significant minutes at the SF he is literally repeating his biggest mistake from last year.
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I understand, I think he may well be best suited near the basket. In order for him to be effective on the wing, he would have to have made significant progress on his ball handling and some other areas of his game. I think that's possible, we'll have to see. I didn't seem him as an awful ball handler, but one that was scared to finish drives and really cautious, usually pulling up after 2-3 bounces, no matter where he was on the court.

With the number of guys who can play the wing this year, I'd be awfully surprised to see him out there playing at the wing, and it's not like we have a surplus of quality 4's in the lineup. But I also believe that a talented guy like that can make considerable improvement on his handle, no matter what position he's playing. And like you, I really like his defense and rebounding near the hoop.
 







Otis said:
Say what you want but Hawkins is going to start. He’s played two years of college and HS at DeMatha , so he has been playing at a high level for awhile. The B1G is not too big for him.

I see it going like this:

PG: Hawkins
SG: Mitchell
SF: Christie/Ihnen/JoJ/KK
PF: Garcia
C: Payne

SF is the only guessing game. Christie has to overcome being a freshman, but Ben has started freshmen before. Ihnen and JoJ are not SFs. KK has played two years of Euro ball and could play some if he can play good D. In any case, the only pure SFs are Christie, Special K, and you, Ramburg.

Hard to say if he’s more comfortable playing someone out of position or not. He is coaching for his job this time.
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Christie is not even close to a "pure SF".

The starting spot at the 2 is a huge question mark despite you confidently claiming Mitchell will start there. My money is on Carrington.

And I'd be stunned if KK is a major part of the rotation.
 


Zeppelin Gopher said:
Christie is not even close to a "pure SF".

The starting spot at the 2 is a huge question mark despite you confidently claiming Mitchell will start there. My money is on Carrington.

And I'd be stunned if KK is a major part of the rotation.
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Mitchell
Hawkins
Garcia
Payne

i think those 4 are the easy ones.
i like the idea of Christie being able to come in ready to start and being able to run out 3 guard starting lineup. (and all 3 being able to handle the ball)

1st guys off the bench.
Carrington
JOJ
Ihnen

Question marks
where do Betts and Wilson fit into the picture

unknown
Fox and where he is at with things
 

Outside of Garcia, Payne, JOJ and Carrington, the remainder of the squad are "unknowns".
 

Zeppelin Gopher said:
Christie is not even close to a "pure SF".

The starting spot at the 2 is a huge question mark despite you confidently claiming Mitchell will start there. My money is on Carrington.

And I'd be stunned if KK is a major part of the rotation.
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Christie may not be close to a "pure SF", but I'll bet he is close to a pure third guard in a 3-guard offense
 

GopherBlood666 said:
Also, what happened to all the enthusiasm for Christie? Kalscheur/Oturu both started as true freshman on a round of 32 team. Christie is probably somewhere in between them in terms of readiness. It will be a great sign if he is in the starting lineup. He is probably Ben's highest profile prep recruit to this point (in terms of those that didn't ask out of their LOI ; )) Turn him loose!
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He just seems really skinny. Maybe he's stronger than he looks though.
 

Sane24 said:
Christie may not be close to a "pure SF", but I'll bet he is close to a pure third guard in a 3-guard offense
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Garcia and Payne are locks. Ihnen backs up the 4, Wilson and Fox back up the five. I unfairly believe it is best for Ihnen and Fox to play a 8-10 minute back up role until they are clearly 100% back physically and mentally.

I agree Mitchell and Hawkins start but then rotate at the point with Carrington and Cristie getting minutes.

JOJ is our starter at the 3 with Betts as back up.
This is a much better team than last year.

If two players are equal in practice. Free Throw % will determine who starts?
 

Gophs24 said:
Mitchell
Hawkins
Garcia
Payne

i think those 4 are the easy ones.
i like the idea of Christie being able to come in ready to start and being able to run out 3 guard starting lineup. (and all 3 being able to handle the ball)

1st guys off the bench.
Carrington
JOJ
Ihnen

Question marks
where do Betts and Wilson fit into the picture

unknown
Fox and where he is at with things
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Most coaches will start with the veterans even if the younger guy is more talented. Then as the season progresses the frosh wins the spot if he is better. It should have happened sooner with Payne last year and a little later with Henley. Obviously Henley was looking great in practice but then in the games early in the year he was just too wild.
 


AJ Plitzuweit is the son of the Gopher women's basketball coach.
AJ was an outstanding PG at the University of South Dakota and is in the transfer portal, but he is still trying to recover from a horrific knee injury from almost three years ago.
Gopherbbdude said:
AJ???
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Big Ten Championship said:
Garcia and Payne are locks. Ihnen backs up the 4, Wilson and Fox back up the five. I unfairly believe it is best for Ihnen and Fox to play a 8-10 minute back up role until they are clearly 100% back physically and mentally.

I agree Mitchell and Hawkins start but then rotate at the point with Carrington and Cristie getting minutes.

JOJ is our starter at the 3 with Betts as back up.
This is a much better team than last year.

If two players are equal in practice. Free Throw % will determine who start.
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You mean that if someone makes an actual free-throw in a game, he (or she) will become a starter?
 

Our FT% takes a huge jump this year mostly due to new guys. It’s not a given who plays where. There is a lot to sort out among players who should be on the court. Going to be interesting. Even Garcia can be kept fresh through the season. Fox, JOJ, and Ihnen can all spit depending on the game situation. I better be half right about Wilson as my biggest concern is at center. I don’t like centers under 250 or centers that can’t run like a cross between a deer and a Rhino.
 

Rockraven said:
Our FT% takes a huge jump this year mostly due to new guys. It’s not a given who plays where. There is a lot to sort out among players who should be on the court. Going to be interesting. Even Garcia can be kept fresh through the season. Fox, JOJ, and Ihnen can all spit depending on the game situation. I better be half right about Wilson as my biggest concern is at center. I don’t like centers under 250 or centers that can’t run like a cross between a deer and a Rhino.
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If Fox is healthy, I'm guessing most people won't even realize Wilson is on the team.
 

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