BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 62,650
- Reaction score
- 19,860
- Points
- 113
per Marcus:
Pitino felt strongly that if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t ended the season prematurely, that his team would’ve made a run in the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis earlier this month. The Gophers clobbered Northwestern but weren’t allowed to play Iowa in the second round. Now Oturu is gone.
What will life be like without him? It hasn’t completely settled in yet for Pitino, who fully supported Oturu’s decision, as he did when leading scorer Amir Coffey left early for the NBA last year.
The Gophers’ draft drought likely will end with Oturu becoming the first U player selected in the NBA draft since Kris Humphries in 2004. That’s a positive step for the program, Pitino said.
Pitino likes the pieces coming back, especially All-Big Ten guard Marcus Carr. But not having his All-America center return makes the Gophers’ potential next season hard for Pitino to predict right now.
“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword,” Pitino said. “If Daniel came back, we probably get picked top four in the league. So, if you’re taking a step back and evaluating the program, it’s in really, really good shape. What we need to do is get [big man] Eric Curry healthy whenever we’re allowed to get back to work. Develop [big men] Jarvis Omersa and Sam Freeman. Go recruit a big guy who can step in right away and see big minutes and opportunity right there. And continue to evaluate the way that we play.”
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
Pitino felt strongly that if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t ended the season prematurely, that his team would’ve made a run in the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis earlier this month. The Gophers clobbered Northwestern but weren’t allowed to play Iowa in the second round. Now Oturu is gone.
What will life be like without him? It hasn’t completely settled in yet for Pitino, who fully supported Oturu’s decision, as he did when leading scorer Amir Coffey left early for the NBA last year.
The Gophers’ draft drought likely will end with Oturu becoming the first U player selected in the NBA draft since Kris Humphries in 2004. That’s a positive step for the program, Pitino said.
Pitino likes the pieces coming back, especially All-Big Ten guard Marcus Carr. But not having his All-America center return makes the Gophers’ potential next season hard for Pitino to predict right now.
“It’s a bit of a double-edged sword,” Pitino said. “If Daniel came back, we probably get picked top four in the league. So, if you’re taking a step back and evaluating the program, it’s in really, really good shape. What we need to do is get [big man] Eric Curry healthy whenever we’re allowed to get back to work. Develop [big men] Jarvis Omersa and Sam Freeman. Go recruit a big guy who can step in right away and see big minutes and opportunity right there. And continue to evaluate the way that we play.”

Richard Pitino says Gophers program can progress even without Daniel Oturu
The Gophers coach says Oturu's NBA draft prospects signal a positive step for program.
Go Gophers!!