STrib: Gophers hoops freshmen Treyton Thompson, Laye Thiam making 'huge strides'

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per Marcus:

Following a strong impression during the first week of practice, Thiam and Thompson are progressing toward being ready to contribute in the Nov. 9 opener vs. Missouri Kansas City.

"[Thiam] has made huge strides," Johnson said. "He has come a long way from where he was in the summer to where he is now, on both sides of the ball. Treyton has taken huge strides. Offensively knowing how to get his shot off and where to get his shot off. And defensively with his talk. Those guys have been good."

"If you are Treyton Thompson,it is a great opportunity," Johnson said. "As a freshman, to have the opportunity to play and get valuable minutes, it's huge. I've told him you better embrace this. If you aren't embracing this, we need to check your heart a little bit."

There's no need to wonder if Thiam has a pulse. The springy 6-3 guard from Orlando isn't your typical freshman having already played a season at Indian River State Junior College in Florida. He's pushing a veteran group of Division I grad transfers in practice with his effort, energy, and talent.

A recent Gophers scrimmage saw him lead the Maroon squad with several three-pointers. He's arguably the team's best dunker along with Lafayette transfer E.J. Stephens. Johnson said the next step for Thiam is continuing to expand in parts of the game not always on the highlight reel.

"He doesn't get tired, he's in unbelievable shape and pretty impressive athletically," Johnson said. "He's got a really good talent for shooting the ball. Now it's getting with him and the little details to make you translate those skills and traits into something that's elite. It's about the small details."

www.startribune.com

Gophers hoops freshmen Treyton Thompson, Laye Thiam make 'huge strides'

Thompson, from Alexandria, has added 30 pounds to his 6-11 frame since graduating from high school.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 


alchemy2u said:
Sure is nice to hear a coach that emphasizes the small details, that is how good teams are built.
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Every coach will emphasize the small details. It's another thing to teach these small details and see them executed on the court. I am really hoping that coach and coaches can do the latter. This is what made Beilein at Michigan so good.
 

An explosive guard that can dunk on people... can't wait! Also agree that if Thompson not ready for UMKC, he has basically no heart. Good to hear that's not true!
 



howeda7 said:
I hope Thompson can start at C at least by B1G season.
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He's so skinny though, I worry about him starting at the 5 in the most physical conference in the country.
 






ForecastingAWin said:
Plus this would offer up a chance at some valuable experience. Would rather have some bodies coming back next year versed in the grind of big ten play.
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God Bless Eric Curry but I want him to have to play as few minutes as possible.
 

Many of these quotes are from Ben Johnson's press conference after the first open to the media practice from last week. I would rather we just heard something generic about hard work at this point. The "huge strides" quote only allows Thompson and Thiam to meet the expecations of fans after hearing that, there's no room for a pleasant surprise but lots of room for people to question things if they don't look good.
 

Parcival said:
He's so skinny though, I worry about him starting at the 5 in the most physical conference in the country.
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This part of the Strib article intrigues me:

Thompson, a 6-11 former Alexandria, Minn., standout, experienced the biggest physical transformation on Minnesota's roster after gaining 30 pounds since he arrived in June.

He's gone from 190 to 220 pounds - impressive.
 

EG#9 said:
Many of these quotes are from Ben Johnson's press conference after the first open to the media practice from last week. I would rather we just heard something generic about hard work at this point. The "huge strides" quote only allows Thompson and Thiam to meet the expecations of fans after hearing that, there's no room for a pleasant surprise but lots of room for people to question things if they don't look good.
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Nobody expects anything from this team other than hard work. A little bit of optimism over individual guys is okay at this point.
 



schwie said:
This part of the Strib article intrigues me:

Thompson, a 6-11 former Alexandria, Minn., standout, experienced the biggest physical transformation on Minnesota's roster after gaining 30 pounds since he arrived in June.

He's gone from 190 to 220 pounds - impressive.
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This is why I don't get the skinny comment. Does he have room to grow? Definitely, but the kid went to prep school specifically to bulk up and prepare for play in the B1G. I am not concerned about his size at all, anyone looks puny when standing next to Zach Edey : )
 
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He has his picture in the Strib.

He'll get pushed around, but all freshman do.

If he keeps up the body development, he'll be fine as a sophomore.
 

I figured that Thiam would be one of our better players but the news about Thompson's development is a nice surprise.
 

GopherBlood666 said:
This is why I don't get the skinny comment. Does he have room to grow? Definitely, but the kid went to prep school specifically to bulk up and prepare for play in the B1G. I am not concerned about his size at all, anyone looks puny went standing next to Zach Edey : )
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Yeah I was about to say pretty sure Thompson was only 175, maybe 180 when he went off to Prep School as an 11th grader. Needs to get to 240 by the time he's an upperclassmen, but at 220 I think he's further along than I thought he would be
 

Fleckoff said:
Yeah I was about to say pretty sure Thompson was only 175, maybe 180 when he went off to Prep School as an 11th grader. Needs to get to 240 by the time he's an upperclassmen, but at 220 I think he's further along than I thought he would be
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I'm skeptical that he can get to 240lbs and still be lean. I am also skeptical that he is really up to 220. I am only confident he will have more quality mass than Chet will ever have.
 

I'd like Thompson to get as much run as possible. I'm not expecting him to set the world on fire and I realize it will likely result in some pretty poor stretches for him. That said, he is a mobile 6'11" guy with some skills. Even if it's kind of ugly at times, that height and ability to move can be really valuable.

Thiam really seems like a guy whose kind of unorthodox motion and style has made him kind of underappreciated. He has put up numbers at every stop along the way and he is playing against some pretty good competition. From the couple videos I've seen of him, it looks a little weird, but no one came close to stopping him.
 

Parcival said:
He's so skinny though, I worry about him starting at the 5 in the most physical conference in the country.
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When you are athletic, you can compensate and overcome. Quick twitch style basketball. See Oregon elimination of Iowa last March. Size is a factor, but so is quickness and athleticism. I firmly believe this is why many (i.e., not Michigan) Big Ten teams disappoint in the tournament.
 

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