Q&A: Get to Know Gopher Men's Basketball's Frank Mitchell

BleedGopher

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Per the U:

Why Minnesota?
It's just a great spot. Coach Johnson really made me fall in love here and he's a great coach. I loved the atmosphere here and chose to come to Minnesota because of it.

You've been through workouts for a month now. What have you taken away from your Minnesota experience so far?
It's a great program. Everyone loves each other, supports each other and we are striving for greatness. I wanted to be around a winning culture and that's what we're building here. We're excited to see how the year unfolds.

How have you been able to get acclimated to living in Minnesota as well as Minnesota basketball?
Honestly, Minnesota feels very much like Montreal. From a team aspect, I'm a loving person and I think everyone accepts that. The team has a bunch of great guys, and everyone clicked from when we all came here. Everyone I've met here so far has been great.

What's one thing fans should know about Toronto?
It's the best city. Simple. Period. The culture, the vibe. Even when it's snowing, it's hot. I love it.

You were originally a hockey player. When and how did you make the switch from hockey to basketball?
I played hockey when I was young but gave it up around age 13 or 14. I didn't start playing basketball until I was 18 and I really didn't play competitive basketball until after high school at 19. There was a big gap. I went from hockey, then I started working construction and was even in the union. Then decided to start basketball.

You've come to the right school and state with our hockey tradition. Planning on going to some Gopher or Minnesota Wild games upcoming this year?
The Gopher team here, you're going to see me at every game and if I can't go, I'm going to be watching them on the road. I have already been on the ice with Parker Fox at (3M Arena) Mariucci. I've got my skates and my stick here so if any of the hockey guys want to get in contact with me, let me know!

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming season?
Win and go a long way through March Madness. That's what we're all looking for here.


Go Gophers!!
 

Per the U:

Why Minnesota?
It's just a great spot. Coach Johnson really made me fall in love here and he's a great coach. I loved the atmosphere here and chose to come to Minnesota because of it.

You've been through workouts for a month now. What have you taken away from your Minnesota experience so far?
It's a great program. Everyone loves each other, supports each other and we are striving for greatness. I wanted to be around a winning culture and that's what we're building here. We're excited to see how the year unfolds.

How have you been able to get acclimated to living in Minnesota as well as Minnesota basketball?
Honestly, Minnesota feels very much like Montreal. From a team aspect, I'm a loving person and I think everyone accepts that. The team has a bunch of great guys, and everyone clicked from when we all came here. Everyone I've met here so far has been great.

What's one thing fans should know about Toronto?
It's the best city. Simple. Period. The culture, the vibe. Even when it's snowing, it's hot. I love it.

You were originally a hockey player. When and how did you make the switch from hockey to basketball?
I played hockey when I was young but gave it up around age 13 or 14. I didn't start playing basketball until I was 18 and I really didn't play competitive basketball until after high school at 19. There was a big gap. I went from hockey, then I started working construction and was even in the union. Then decided to start basketball.

You've come to the right school and state with our hockey tradition. Planning on going to some Gopher or Minnesota Wild games upcoming this year?
The Gopher team here, you're going to see me at every game and if I can't go, I'm going to be watching them on the road. I have already been on the ice with Parker Fox at (3M Arena) Mariucci. I've got my skates and my stick here so if any of the hockey guys want to get in contact with me, let me know!

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming season?
Win and go a long way through March Madness. That's what we're all looking for here.


Go Gophers!!
Dual threat!
 

Per the U:

Why Minnesota?
It's just a great spot. Coach Johnson really made me fall in love here and he's a great coach. I loved the atmosphere here and chose to come to Minnesota because of it.

You've been through workouts for a month now. What have you taken away from your Minnesota experience so far?
It's a great program. Everyone loves each other, supports each other and we are striving for greatness. I wanted to be around a winning culture and that's what we're building here. We're excited to see how the year unfolds.

How have you been able to get acclimated to living in Minnesota as well as Minnesota basketball?
Honestly, Minnesota feels very much like Montreal. From a team aspect, I'm a loving person and I think everyone accepts that. The team has a bunch of great guys, and everyone clicked from when we all came here. Everyone I've met here so far has been great.

What's one thing fans should know about Toronto?
It's the best city. Simple. Period. The culture, the vibe. Even when it's snowing, it's hot. I love it.

You were originally a hockey player. When and how did you make the switch from hockey to basketball?
I played hockey when I was young but gave it up around age 13 or 14. I didn't start playing basketball until I was 18 and I really didn't play competitive basketball until after high school at 19. There was a big gap. I went from hockey, then I started working construction and was even in the union. Then decided to start basketball.

You've come to the right school and state with our hockey tradition. Planning on going to some Gopher or Minnesota Wild games upcoming this year?
The Gopher team here, you're going to see me at every game and if I can't go, I'm going to be watching them on the road. I have already been on the ice with Parker Fox at (3M Arena) Mariucci. I've got my skates and my stick here so if any of the hockey guys want to get in contact with me, let me know!

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming season?
Win and go a long way through March Madness. That's what we're all looking for here.


Go Gophers!!
This is great but I would really love to see our reporters ask more basketball specific questions.
These aren't perfect but just off the cuff:

- how do you see yourself fitting next to Dawson Garcia?
- what type of player do we expect to see when you are out there?
- what are you seeing in this team in practice so far- what is the identity shaping up as?
- what skills are you working on to improve this summer?
- has any player surprised you?
 

This is great but I would really love to see our reporters ask more basketball specific questions.
These aren't perfect but just off the cuff:

- how do you see yourself fitting next to Dawson Garcia?
- what type of player do we expect to see when you are out there?
- what are you seeing in this team in practice so far- what is the identity shaping up as?
- what skills are you working on to improve this summer?
- has any player surprised you?

The article was "Get to Know" Frank Mitchell and I thought these questions were pretty good for that. The guy has an unusual background for a D1 player and he elaborated a bit about that. I'm also curious why he compared Minnesota to Montreal rather than his home base of Toronto.
 

back in the day, Herb Brooks would have tried to recruit him. Herb loved those big dudes like Russ Anderson and Paul Holmgren.
 



The article was "Get to Know" Frank Mitchell and I thought these questions were pretty good for that. The guy has an unusual background for a D1 player and he elaborated a bit about that. I'm also curious why he compared Minnesota to Montreal rather than his home base of Toronto.
Yeah, had to read it twice.
 





Yeah, had to read it twice.

I have never been to either city but I got close to Toronto (Burlington, ON about an hour and a half drive away). Luckily, there is a wealth of compare and contrast information on the net!. Here is a pretty succinct summary from a person on Quora:

Toronto: Predominantly English speaking
Montreal: Predominantly French speaking (But with English majority areas)

Toronto: Hustle and bustle
Montreal: More laid back

Toronto: Excellent pubs and restaurants
Montreal: Excellent cafes and restaurants

Toronto: Business, media and culture centre
Montreal: Culture, media and business centre

Toronto: a hybrid of London and New York packed into a metropolis of 6-million
Montreal: a hybrid of Paris and New York packed into a metropolis of 3.5-million

Toronto|: cheers for the Leafs
Montreal: cheers for the Habs

Toronto: Great place to explore British colonial history
Montreal: Great place to explore French colonial history

Toronto: Ridiculously expensive
Montreal: Reasonably priced

Toronto: Anglo culture of being polite but very reserved
Montreal: Gallic culture of Joie de vivre
 

Montreal more expensive than Toronto. The nice thing about the internet, you can find information to argue both sides.
 

I have never been to either city but I got close to Toronto (Burlington, ON about an hour and a half drive away). Luckily, there is a wealth of compare and contrast information on the net!. Here is a pretty succinct summary from a person on Quora:

Toronto: Predominantly English speaking
Montreal: Predominantly French speaking (But with English majority areas)

Toronto: Hustle and bustle
Montreal: More laid back

Toronto: Excellent pubs and restaurants
Montreal: Excellent cafes and restaurants

Toronto: Business, media and culture centre
Montreal: Culture, media and business centre

Toronto: a hybrid of London and New York packed into a metropolis of 6-million
Montreal: a hybrid of Paris and New York packed into a metropolis of 3.5-million

Toronto|: cheers for the Leafs
Montreal: cheers for the Habs

Toronto: Great place to explore British colonial history
Montreal: Great place to explore French colonial history

Toronto: Ridiculously expensive
Montreal: Reasonably priced

Toronto: Anglo culture of being polite but very reserved
Montreal: Gallic culture of Joie de vivre
Love both cities
 




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