STrib article on players using programs as stepping stones for next transfer, quotes Jojo Mitchell

[BleedGopher]

Not surprising that coaches are now needing to recruit with the mantra of "come here, develop, then transfer up." It's a sad state of the current landscape, but low major and mid major coaches better adapt or suffer. It sucks for fans though.

Per Marcus:

Five of the top eight players in the state’s 2026 boys basketball class signed with mid-major D-I programs, including Cretin-Derham Hall’s JoJo Mitchell, who’s headed to St. Thomas. The guard understands the portal landscape.

“When the team is really good, some of the best players usually go somewhere else to make some money,” Mitchell said.

The Tommies’ free-flowing offense has been a springboard for players to transfer to power conferences in recent years, but Mitchell says he’s focused on making an immediate impact as a freshman.

“I like my opportunity to hopefully play right away,” Mitchell said. “I really like [Johnny] Tauer and the coaching staff. And I like St. Thomas a lot, so I’m going in there just [thinking] about St. Thomas and having a great year.”

College coaches are pitching programs as temporary stops for recruits

In the era of NIL deals and the transfer portal, colleges are pitching their programs as temporary stops for high school recruits.

varsity.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[BleedGopher]

Tauer is still looking to recruit players who would enjoy playing four years for him, but the Tommies’ conference is becoming a feeder system for power conferences.

Summit League teams like St. Thomas and North Dakota, which recruit Minnesota high school players, were hit hard with portal losses this offseason. Tauer’s program is gaining a reputation for developing more high school players who are moving on to pursue bigger NIL opportunities.

The Tommies lost starters Andrew Rohde and Kendall Blue to Virginia and Nebraska, respectively. This past season’s leading scorer, Nolan Minessale, has transferred to Marquette.

“You want to support people’s hopes and dreams,” Tauer said. “But also, there has to be a dose of reality. We tell our players all the time: You can have anything in life, but you can’t always have everything you want. Everybody wants to be the high-volume, high-usage scorer on a great team, at a great school, making a lot of money. That’s the star at Duke and Michigan. You also have to pick what’s most important to you.”

Go Gophers!!

 

[Roland Brooks]

Yep lots of these guys are shocked when they get to these Big Schools.. 1/3 the shots.. 1/3 the touches and 1/2 the minutes if they are lucky… in some cases no minutes… No plays ran for them at the Power 4… UST does a great job at running plays for their top players within the offense….

 

[Spottedmuskie]

Yep lots of these guys are shocked when they get to these Big Schools.. 1/3 the shots.. 1/3 the touches and 1/2 the minutes if they are lucky… in some cases no minutes… No plays ran for them at the Power 4… UST does a great job at running plays for their top players within the offense….

The one player I thought that should have stayed was Kendall Blue. Rhode was a key defensive piece for VA and WI but he was "meh" at P4. Glad he got his money, would have been neat to see a team like St.Thomas keep some guys and hit the sweet 16

 

[SelectionSunday]

And the thing is, Barnstable is the guy they missed the most this past season. Was a really good player for Tulsa. Pretty good result for his decision. … got paid & was a starter & key player for a successful team, though it was NIT not NCAA.

I have zero doubt in my mind, add Barnstable to last year’s team & UST in the NCAA.

Barnstable
Bjerke
Herro
Janowski
Johnson-Arigu
Minessale
Oosterbaan

That’s an insane top 7 at that level of D1, granted, if Barnstable stayed it’s questionable whether Janowski comes aboard.

 

[Roland Brooks]

Barnstable’s numbers were better than his UST numbers and D3 numbers credit to him… the advantage he had over Blue, Rohde and Janowski is that he was quicker and more athletic..

 

[Roland Brooks]

Rhode would of have been more marketable to play overseas if he stayed at UST… more awards etc.. At Wisconsin people forgot he was there even Wisconsin people forgot