Practice Summary From TDG Writer

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Easily the tallest?

Elliot Eliason - easily the tallest guy on the team.
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How big is he?

Being Colton and Ralph are about 7 feet right?
 


basketball media access

Good to see some coverage up this early. I see that TDG has media access thru the U. Just curious but does anyone know how it works to get media access(credentials)?. Can anyone just start up a blog and apply for media credentials? Do you need to develop a reputation in the blogosphere?
 

Was a little disapointed with reading the comments on Devoe, however, with that said being a go to scorer is largely based on talent, but another major aspect of it is attitude and mind state. That attitude is something that Devoe has. To some extent Westbrook did too and I would argue Devoe has more talent than Westbrook does. The article cites Devoe's lack of "go-to moves" ... what moves did Westbrook have? If Devoe can be Westbrook but smarter and more level headed. I'm pretty confident about it.
 


Why are you worried about devoe? that writer has clearly never played sports. Obviously devoe isnt blowing by people or going to the rack he tore his effing quad muscle. what do you expect from an injured player? Last year we saw devoe be that guy, and he's better than he was last year because you dont get worse you get better. So no worries.
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
colt is 6'10" 6'11", ralph 6'11", eliason is 7 ft.
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I recall Colton telling Natalie Kane he was taller the Ralph, despite what he is listed at. Seeing them stand next to each other I would put Colt at 6'-11 1/2"-7' and Eliason a half inch above him. Colt definitely looks like he has grown into his body, he's stronger and more toned, I'd be curious to hear his current weight.
 

Although they'd get run around like they were fence posts it would be fun for S and G to see Iverson, Sampson, Mbakwe, and Walker out on the floor together.

:pig::pig::pig::pig:
 

and eliason at the point. maybe against western kentucky at the barn? just for a minute. :) cmon tubby
 



This doesnt relate to this article, but I read i think 1 of the blogs said Austin Hollins is a legit 6-5. That would be fantastic instead of the 6-3 he was reported at when he was being recruited. Also I think TDG is right when it comes to Mo Walker, he will probably make the biggest impact of any player imo
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
Why are you worried about devoe? that writer has clearly never played sports. Obviously devoe isnt blowing by people or going to the rack he tore his effing quad muscle. what do you expect from an injured player? Last year we saw devoe be that guy, and he's better than he was last year because you dont get worse you get better. So no worries.
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I may have given the wrong impression with my post. I meant it as I am disapointed in the writers comments, not in Devoe. I have very little doubt that Devoe could have been the "go-to scorer" even last year.

When was the last time we saw Taylor Battle blow by someone to the hoop or have a move other than a Blake-3 or a pull up mid range and he is regarded as a great go-to scorer. I am not worried about Devoe at all, just disapointed in the way the author presented him.
 

Winona Gopher said:
This doesnt relate to this article, but I read i think 1 of the blogs said Austin Hollins is a legit 6-5. That would be fantastic instead of the 6-3 he was reported at when he was being recruited. Also I think TDG is right when it comes to Mo Walker, he will probably make the biggest impact of any player imo
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I agree there also, although I don't like the article downgrading him for being "big and slow" one of the most dominant centers in NBA history (Shaq) was often called "Big and Slow". IMO to be a good center, speed and quickness are not necessarily needed. As long as Mo can get up and down the court, and from one side of the lane to the other, I am fine with it. Good luck to Kalin Lucas driving on an Mbakwe / Walker frontcourt.
 

you know, walker kind of reminds me of a dexter pittman, very skilled and very big. he has a beautiful 15-17 foot jumper if any of you have seen it.
 



A couple of clarifying points...

The big guys. Sampson was about an inch shorter than Iverson who was about an inch shorter than Eliason. Eliason doesn't tower over everyone but he is clearly a legit 7 feet while Iverson is about 7' with shoes on.

Devoe - I maintained last year and I still do that he isn't really a go-to scorer, and yesterday he didn't show anything new. Maybe he grows into it I understand he was injured but he was practicing full speed and I just don't see him being "that guy". He has one move and that is to back a guy down and shoot a step-back fade away from 10' or further out. He scores points but he isn't consistent (look at his lines from last year) and he isn't strong at penetrating to the lane and finishing or kicking it out to an open shooter. The end of the Indiana game is a good example. Down 1 in OT he used the exact same move he used at the end of regulation. Neither were going towards the basket and neither will draw a foul. He hit one and missed the other. I don't think other teams fear him in those situations because he isn't going to break down a defense by getting by anyone.

This isn't meant to be a slam on DJ, he does somethings very well but it is just a reality that we didn't have a go-to scorer last year and do not again this year. Talor Battle can and does get by his defender far more frequently than DJ does. A good defender can slow down DJ, Battle is much tougher to defend. DJ had a great run in the B10 tourney last year but he needs to be more consistent. He scores 19 and 16 against Ind and MSU then scores 5,5,4,4 in the next four games (shooting 25%). He averages 14 in the B10 Tourney then scores 4 in against Xavier.

My athletic ability is lacking but for what it's worth I played college ball and coached at the same school for several years. I am going down the road of defending myself in an anonymous and public and that never goes well, but I played basketball at the college level (though I wasn't very good :cry:). I'm not claiming to be an expert and I did not play D1 but I would consider myself an athlete and knowledgeable on basketball.

Lastly, someone asked about getting credentialed. The U does have some standards and we met them. It helped with TDG because for another organization I have been credentialed by the TWolves so they had a pretty good idea that I would know how to conduct myself in the press box. I wasn't going to show up in my Maroney jersey with my face painted and singing the rouser along with Sid. I know that Fringe Bowl Team is also credentialed for this season and I believe they are the only other "blog" to get credentials. And further I know that many other universities and pro teams are much more hesitant than the U at credentialing bloggers.

OK, I'm done, that was longer than I thought it was going to be. I am not thin-skinned, you can rip me, I just wanted to clarify a little bit on DJ, the height thing and the credential thing.
 

DailyGopher said:
A couple of clarifying points...

The big guys. Sampson was about an inch shorter than Iverson who was about an inch shorter than Eliason. Eliason doesn't tower over everyone but he is clearly a legit 7 feet while Iverson is about 7' with shoes on.

Devoe - I maintained last year and I still do that he isn't really a go-to scorer, and yesterday he didn't show anything new. Maybe he grows into it I understand he was injured but he was practicing full speed and I just don't see him being "that guy". He has one move and that is to back a guy down and shoot a step-back fade away from 10' or further out. He scores points but he isn't consistent (look at his lines from last year) and he isn't strong at penetrating to the lane and finishing or kicking it out to an open shooter. The end of the Indiana game is a good example. Down 1 in OT he used the exact same move he used at the end of regulation. Neither were going towards the basket and neither will draw a foul. He hit one and missed the other. I don't think other teams fear him in those situations because he isn't going to break down a defense by getting by anyone.

This isn't meant to be a slam on DJ, he does somethings very well but it is just a reality that we didn't have a go-to scorer last year and do not again this year. Talor Battle can and does get by his defender far more frequently than DJ does. A good defender can slow down DJ, Battle is much tougher to defend. DJ had a great run in the B10 tourney last year but he needs to be more consistent. He scores 19 and 16 against Ind and MSU then scores 5,5,4,4 in the next four games (shooting 25%). He averages 14 in the B10 Tourney then scores 4 in against Xavier.

My athletic ability is lacking but for what it's worth I played college ball and coached at the same school for several years. I am going down the road of defending myself in an anonymous and public and that never goes well, but I played basketball at the college level (though I wasn't very good :cry:). I'm not claiming to be an expert and I did not play D1 but I would consider myself an athlete and knowledgeable on basketball.

Lastly, someone asked about getting credentialed. The U does have some standards and we met them. It helped with TDG because for another organization I have been credentialed by the TWolves so they had a pretty good idea that I would know how to conduct myself in the press box. I wasn't going to show up in my Maroney jersey with my face painted and singing the rouser along with Sid. I know that Fringe Bowl Team is also credentialed for this season and I believe they are the only other "blog" to get credentials. And further I know that many other universities and pro teams are much more hesitant than the U at credentialing bloggers.

OK, I'm done, that was longer than I thought it was going to be. I am not thin-skinned, you can rip me, I just wanted to clarify a little bit on DJ, the height thing and the credential thing.
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Reading your comments, you are the first person I have read to even suggest that Austin Hollins won't play at the SG position. What makes you say that? Every recruiting service and article I have read has him at the guard position.
 

Gold Vision said:
Reading your comments, you are the first person I have read to even suggest that Austin Hollins won't play at the SG position. What makes you say that? Every recruiting service and article I have read has him at the guard position.
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I said it, last year. IF he grows to 6-6 or 6-7, he'll be a wing more so than SG as a Gopher.
 

DailyGopher said:
A couple of clarifying points...

The big guys. Sampson was about an inch shorter than Iverson who was about an inch shorter than Eliason. Eliason doesn't tower over everyone but he is clearly a legit 7 feet while Iverson is about 7' with shoes on.

Devoe - I maintained last year and I still do that he isn't really a go-to scorer, and yesterday he didn't show anything new. Maybe he grows into it I understand he was injured but he was practicing full speed and I just don't see him being "that guy". He has one move and that is to back a guy down and shoot a step-back fade away from 10' or further out. He scores points but he isn't consistent (look at his lines from last year) and he isn't strong at penetrating to the lane and finishing or kicking it out to an open shooter. The end of the Indiana game is a good example. Down 1 in OT he used the exact same move he used at the end of regulation. Neither were going towards the basket and neither will draw a foul. He hit one and missed the other. I don't think other teams fear him in those situations because he isn't going to break down a defense by getting by anyone.

This isn't meant to be a slam on DJ, he does somethings very well but it is just a reality that we didn't have a go-to scorer last year and do not again this year. Talor Battle can and does get by his defender far more frequently than DJ does. A good defender can slow down DJ, Battle is much tougher to defend. DJ had a great run in the B10 tourney last year but he needs to be more consistent. He scores 19 and 16 against Ind and MSU then scores 5,5,4,4 in the next four games (shooting 25%). He averages 14 in the B10 Tourney then scores 4 in against Xavier.

My athletic ability is lacking but for what it's worth I played college ball and coached at the same school for several years. I am going down the road of defending myself in an anonymous and public and that never goes well, but I played basketball at the college level (though I wasn't very good :cry:). I'm not claiming to be an expert and I did not play D1 but I would consider myself an athlete and knowledgeable on basketball.

Lastly, someone asked about getting credentialed. The U does have some standards and we met them. It helped with TDG because for another organization I have been credentialed by the TWolves so they had a pretty good idea that I would know how to conduct myself in the press box. I wasn't going to show up in my Maroney jersey with my face painted and singing the rouser along with Sid. I know that Fringe Bowl Team is also credentialed for this season and I believe they are the only other "blog" to get credentials. And further I know that many other universities and pro teams are much more hesitant than the U at credentialing bloggers.

OK, I'm done, that was longer than I thought it was going to be. I am not thin-skinned, you can rip me, I just wanted to clarify a little bit on DJ, the height thing and the credential thing.
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I was not there and don't claim to have any athletic expertise whatsoever.

But Devoe was a Go-To scorer in HS and also in U18 Euro tournament after HS. He averaged 20-25 ppg in the latter as one of the tourney's highest scorers.

... World Team members were members of national teams that competed last summer in the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championship ... Joseph (22.6 ppg., 5.8 rpg., and 3.4 apg. for Canada) ... all represented their country in the U19 Worlds.

But I liked your summary of the practice you saw.
 

I could totally be wrong on this one and I don't mean that he cannot play the 2, in fact he surely will play some minutes as the SG on the floor.

He looks like a SF and less like a guard. When they broke up into three groups he was with the "middle sized" group. Not the bigs and not the little guards. He and Rodney were guarding each other all of the time and I expect he'll have a similar role that Rodney played last year. But really it doesn't matter, in our offense the 2 and the 3 are pretty interchangeable so difference is really just the label. We started Hoffarber at the SF last year. Hollins will be a more athletic Hoff, not as good a shooter but actually capable of putting the ball on the floor.

Defensively he didn't have the quickest feet (they did a lot of defensive footwork drills), but those long legs covered a lot of ground. I see him fairing well guarding a SF but struggling more against a quick SG. When they were actually playing up and down he took just one shot from the baseline and I didn't really see him shoot it so I can't comment on his shooting ability.

Maybe over the next couple years we'll see Rodney and Hollins starting as the SG and SF. That would be a fun and athletic backcourt.
 

DailyGopher said:
A couple of clarifying points...

The big guys. Sampson was about an inch shorter than Iverson who was about an inch shorter than Eliason. Eliason doesn't tower over everyone but he is clearly a legit 7 feet while Iverson is about 7' with shoes on.

Devoe - I maintained last year and I still do that he isn't really a go-to scorer, and yesterday he didn't show anything new. Maybe he grows into it I understand he was injured but he was practicing full speed and I just don't see him being "that guy". He has one move and that is to back a guy down and shoot a step-back fade away from 10' or further out. He scores points but he isn't consistent (look at his lines from last year) and he isn't strong at penetrating to the lane and finishing or kicking it out to an open shooter. The end of the Indiana game is a good example. Down 1 in OT he used the exact same move he used at the end of regulation. Neither were going towards the basket and neither will draw a foul. He hit one and missed the other. I don't think other teams fear him in those situations because he isn't going to break down a defense by getting by anyone.

This isn't meant to be a slam on DJ, he does somethings very well but it is just a reality that we didn't have a go-to scorer last year and do not again this year. Talor Battle can and does get by his defender far more frequently than DJ does. A good defender can slow down DJ, Battle is much tougher to defend. DJ had a great run in the B10 tourney last year but he needs to be more consistent. He scores 19 and 16 against Ind and MSU then scores 5,5,4,4 in the next four games (shooting 25%). He averages 14 in the B10 Tourney then scores 4 in against Xavier.

My athletic ability is lacking but for what it's worth I played college ball and coached at the same school for several years. I am going down the road of defending myself in an anonymous and public and that never goes well, but I played basketball at the college level (though I wasn't very good :cry:). I'm not claiming to be an expert and I did not play D1 but I would consider myself an athlete and knowledgeable on basketball.

Lastly, someone asked about getting credentialed. The U does have some standards and we met them. It helped with TDG because for another organization I have been credentialed by the TWolves so they had a pretty good idea that I would know how to conduct myself in the press box. I wasn't going to show up in my Maroney jersey with my face painted and singing the rouser along with Sid. I know that Fringe Bowl Team is also credentialed for this season and I believe they are the only other "blog" to get credentials. And further I know that many other universities and pro teams are much more hesitant than the U at credentialing bloggers.

OK, I'm done, that was longer than I thought it was going to be. I am not thin-skinned, you can rip me, I just wanted to clarify a little bit on DJ, the height thing and the credential thing.
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I understand what you mean about Devoe, and I definitley saw his inconsistancy last year, hopefully he does improve on that. My personal opinion is that being a go-to guy / closer is as much attitude as it is talent (point often used in the Kobe / LeBron debate). Westbrook showed that attitude when he took over and won the Wisconsin game 2 years ago in OT. I think Devoe showed a similar attitude when he took over the MSU game in OT in the BTT. However, he missed the great look game winner against Purdue. I believe that he will begin to get more confident and comfortable in that role as he gets older here, and as he gets more experienced with it as there really is no other guard on the roster who is capable of that role this year. Al doesn't score well enough, Rodney has the potential to be, and Hollins is a freshman. I feel like he has the right attitude to be able to contribute in that role with experience and continued work. I also agree he could use a better drive to be that guy, but I think he can still be a very capable scorer, although not perfect, without it. Some games when I watched Battle, he would try a fadeaway shot or off balance shot and airball it or drive and just get pushed around for being so small. If you compare Devoe's sophmore year numbers to Battle's sophmore year they are pretty similar. My hope is that Devoe is surrounded by better talent and has the right attitude he will grow to be similar to, if not better than, Battle.

Lastly, I just want to say thanks for responding. It is always interesting and appreciated to have the authors of articles on here comment on the readers thoughts.
 

DailyGopher said:
A couple of clarifying points...

The big guys. Sampson was about an inch shorter than Iverson who was about an inch shorter than Eliason. Eliason doesn't tower over everyone but he is clearly a legit 7 feet while Iverson is about 7' with shoes on.

Devoe - I maintained last year and I still do that he isn't really a go-to scorer, and yesterday he didn't show anything new. Maybe he grows into it I understand he was injured but he was practicing full speed and I just don't see him being "that guy". He has one move and that is to back a guy down and shoot a step-back fade away from 10' or further out. He scores points but he isn't consistent (look at his lines from last year) and he isn't strong at penetrating to the lane and finishing or kicking it out to an open shooter. The end of the Indiana game is a good example. Down 1 in OT he used the exact same move he used at the end of regulation. Neither were going towards the basket and neither will draw a foul. He hit one and missed the other. I don't think other teams fear him in those situations because he isn't going to break down a defense by getting by anyone.

This isn't meant to be a slam on DJ, he does somethings very well but it is just a reality that we didn't have a go-to scorer last year and do not again this year. Talor Battle can and does get by his defender far more frequently than DJ does. A good defender can slow down DJ, Battle is much tougher to defend. DJ had a great run in the B10 tourney last year but he needs to be more consistent. He scores 19 and 16 against Ind and MSU then scores 5,5,4,4 in the next four games (shooting 25%). He averages 14 in the B10 Tourney then scores 4 in against Xavier.

My athletic ability is lacking but for what it's worth I played college ball and coached at the same school for several years. I am going down the road of defending myself in an anonymous and public and that never goes well, but I played basketball at the college level (though I wasn't very good :cry:). I'm not claiming to be an expert and I did not play D1 but I would consider myself an athlete and knowledgeable on basketball.

Lastly, someone asked about getting credentialed. The U does have some standards and we met them. It helped with TDG because for another organization I have been credentialed by the TWolves so they had a pretty good idea that I would know how to conduct myself in the press box. I wasn't going to show up in my Maroney jersey with my face painted and singing the rouser along with Sid. I know that Fringe Bowl Team is also credentialed for this season and I believe they are the only other "blog" to get credentials. And further I know that many other universities and pro teams are much more hesitant than the U at credentialing bloggers.

OK, I'm done, that was longer than I thought it was going to be. I am not thin-skinned, you can rip me, I just wanted to clarify a little bit on DJ, the height thing and the credential thing.
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I am not going to disagree with your observation since I am not an expert. I have followed college basketball for the last 23 years right after I almost stopped playing soccer. I have never seen a player improving so much at the beginning of a season. It always happens in the middle of it. Players start getting better once they have a few good games. Some will never get better if they don't have those two confidence-boosting games. Lets hope that our players have those games very soon.

Go Gophers
 

I respectfully disagree when trying to compare Battle to Joseph. I actually really like DJ, I just don't think he'll become the guy that Gopher fans want him to be so bad. He's a shooter who is capable of scoring, not a scorer.

as sophomores
TB - 16.7 ppg, 5.3 reb, 5.0 ast (4 games not scoring in double figures)
DJ - 9.4 ppg, 2.9, 3.0 (18 games not scoring in double figures)

these guys are totally different players and although I like DJ, I'd trade him for TB in a heartbeat.

I don't think we have anybody on the roster who is a real go-to guy. Attitude is clearly part of it, Westbrook had that attitude, too bad he also was such a poor decision maker. Here is the defining thing for me. Nobody on this roster keeps opposing coaches awake at night cause they don't know how they are going to stop them. We have a strong inside game, Hoffarber may be the purest shooter in the country, Nolen can penetrate and dish as well as anybody in the conference, Joseph is capable of putting up 20 any given night and hopefully Rodney can contribute on offense this year. But all of them are guardable.
 

DJ also didnt start half the season, so... comparing his numbers to TB isnt all that fair.
 

Regarding Devoe, a step back midrange jumper can get you very far. Sam Cassell made millions off that move and was pretty clutch. The thing with Sam is he knew how to kind of work in traffic to find space to get his shots off. If Devoe can develop that part of his game, I'll be happy. But I don't anticipate him being a dominant iso guy that you just kind of hand him the ball and say "Do work son" and he can score 20 a game for you. Consistency will definitely be key for him.

I've been loving what I'm hearing about Austin Hollins, this kid looks like he might be a very nice pickup. And he's still growing, even better. I do like the potential defensive prowess on the wings with Rodney and Hollins. If Rodney can figure it out offensively, that could be a nice combo going forward.
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
DJ also didnt start half the season, so... comparing his numbers to TB isnt all that fair.
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1-not starting is not a good defense of having lower numbers.

2-even so here are his numbers in the last 18 games which he started.

10.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 3.6 apg not double figures in 8 of 18 games.

3-Do you think that if Battle were on our roster he wouldn't have been starting for the Gophers? You can argue why DJ wasn't starting or that he should have been, but if he were in the same class as TB he would have been starting from game 1. Battle was 1st team all-Big Ten as a sophomore.
 

not even what im saying? if he gets more playing time againist the NC schedule which are mostly inferior teams such as utah valley or brown he could easily have had 15 points in those kind of games, so that boosts his average up. see what im saying?
 

Keep up the good work DailyGopher. Great reading. :)
 


I agree with Daily on basically everything. Battle is clearly a better player and DJ will always be extremely streaky. He can't really drive by anyone and his defense is... yeah. I know you mentioned the injury but I still think it's a little unfair to evaluate his play after sitting out that long.

"I talked with Blake after practice and he told me the one thing he's worked on that we can expect to see differently this year is a pump-fake. He said at the end of the year he was being face-guarded a lot and guys closed out really hard on him with a few shots being blocked late in the year. He has worked on moving better without the ball and adding a pump-fake for when guys come flying out to block his deadly three ball."

Didn't he say almost that exact same thing last year? I remember him doing that in the beginning last year but then he basically stopped.
 

underground629 said:
I agree with Daily on basically everything. Battle is clearly a better player and DJ will always be extremely streaky. He can't really drive by anyone and his defense is... yeah. I know you mentioned the injury but I still think it's a little unfair to evaluate his play after sitting out that long.

"I talked with Blake after practice and he told me the one thing he's worked on that we can expect to see differently this year is a pump-fake. He said at the end of the year he was being face-guarded a lot and guys closed out really hard on him with a few shots being blocked late in the year. He has worked on moving better without the ball and adding a pump-fake for when guys come flying out to block his deadly three ball."

Didn't he say almost that exact same thing last year? I remember him doing that in the beginning last year but then he basically stopped.
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Yes -- Blake did say that last year. Maybe he has a new and improved 'pump fake' :) Thanks Daily for your comments....keep them coming.
 

He may have said that last year. He does need to move better without the ball, but more than anything else I'd love to see Tubby run more set plays specifically for him. He gets most of his threes in transition where he finds an open spot and his guys find him. But it seems like he rarely gets run off a double-screen with some backside action to make the defense either choose to jump out and guard Hoffarber or stay home and not give up a layup. Or whatever, but in the half-court we didn't seem to run nearly enough set plays for Blake.
 

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