BleedGopher
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per Amelia:
When Bakary Konate comes out of the lineup and heads for the bench, his teammates might wince a little.
They know the obligatory hand-slap parade is coming, and the Gophers sophomore center has more than a little punch in his high-fives.
“You shake his hand and he’s ripping your hand off,” coach Richard Pitino said. “I always tell him, ‘Don’t try to break my hand.’ ”
Such is the Konate way. Since joining Minnesota two summers ago, the big man from West Africa has gained a reputation for attacking just about everything in his life — from school, to basketball, to salsa dancing — at full force.
The coaches laud his commitment to his classes and to working on his game on his own. Konate has welcomed American culture with open arms, from the fast-food lifestyle (Taco Bell is a favorite) to reality TV (“Real Husbands of Hollywood” has caught his eye). And despite the fact English is the fourth language he’s learned, Konate has become one of the more vocal players on the team, Pitino has said.
“I have big goals,” Konate said. “My family and all the people who support me, I know I have to do well.”
http://www.startribune.com/for-gophers-konate-biggest-challenge-is-channeling-energy/369745431/
Go Gophers!!
When Bakary Konate comes out of the lineup and heads for the bench, his teammates might wince a little.
They know the obligatory hand-slap parade is coming, and the Gophers sophomore center has more than a little punch in his high-fives.
“You shake his hand and he’s ripping your hand off,” coach Richard Pitino said. “I always tell him, ‘Don’t try to break my hand.’ ”
Such is the Konate way. Since joining Minnesota two summers ago, the big man from West Africa has gained a reputation for attacking just about everything in his life — from school, to basketball, to salsa dancing — at full force.
The coaches laud his commitment to his classes and to working on his game on his own. Konate has welcomed American culture with open arms, from the fast-food lifestyle (Taco Bell is a favorite) to reality TV (“Real Husbands of Hollywood” has caught his eye). And despite the fact English is the fourth language he’s learned, Konate has become one of the more vocal players on the team, Pitino has said.
“I have big goals,” Konate said. “My family and all the people who support me, I know I have to do well.”
http://www.startribune.com/for-gophers-konate-biggest-challenge-is-channeling-energy/369745431/
Go Gophers!!
