STrib: Whalen promises good things are coming; Freshmen insist they're not leaving

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen promises: 'Good things are coming. You have to believe that.'

With a disappointing fifth season nearing a close, Whalen still appears to have the faith of her freshmen, who insist they have no plans to leave the program.

www.startribune.com

The Gophers finish the regular season Sunday against Purdue at Williams Arena at 10-18, 3-14 in conference, headed to their worst Big Ten finish in coach Lindsay Whalen's fifth season.

“We chose to go here for a reason. We knew it wouldn't be pretty right away. It's been super frustrating. People are so quick to say, 'Oh, are you guys leaving?' We're like, 'No.'”
Mara Braun

It has been a difficult year.

"I don't want to be in the position of not making the NCAA tournament, towards the bottom of the Big Ten," Whalen said. "We've had some struggles, some disappointments.''

 

[bbwannabe]

Go Gophers!

 

[Katogopher]

I hope this true because if it is I’m buying season tickets, used to have them but since I’ve been retired we travel during the season. This group is worth staying home for. Please stay I think you got something

 

[GringaGopher]

I will be keeping my season tickets as well. I truly hope this group stays because I do think it will result in significant improvements in the W/L record. As a Gopher FB, woman’s basketball and Vikings season ticket holder hope is a requirement , lol. Go Gophers !!

 

[Ragnor]

We will keep our season tickets, pretty sure always will unless cost goes too high. Have had them about 12 years since we moved back to the cities.

 

[ndnae]

Good article! It is nice to see the players views! I like that they are all talking about getting in the weight room! Amaya saying in high school players bounced off her and now she bounces off players was interesting!

 

[blkroll]

Here’s what I don’t understand about the bigger/stronger comments: Don’t they start working out with the coaches in the summer? Wouldn’t they be bigger/stronger already? And if they don’t start with the coaches in the summer due to some sort of NCAA regulation, couldn’t the coaches at least give them a workout regimen to follow? These are kids who seemingly want to “get after it”. I would think them motivated to do summer strength and conditioning on their own.

 

[Bfan]

The young players are going to get better. That's exciting. They are going to stick around.

The team could use one good veteran transfer portal player to help at wing/shooting guard minutes. A good player, better than the transfer portal players last time.

 

[adamj95]

I would infer Whalen saying the freshman insist they are not leaving means she is coming back. Like Whalen as coach or not she has 1 last season (imo) to keep her job. Get it done Lindsay.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

It's the freshmen insisting they are not leaving, not Whalen. Whalen's quote regarding the future is:

"As a player, I figured it out,'' she said. "We are taking it on the chin this year. I take it hard. I take it personally. But I've always been able to figure it out and get to the good times.'

It's the line or sentiment used by Souhan, Scoggins and many fans who were around 20 years ago.

 

[walleye]

Here’s what I don’t understand about the bigger/stronger comments: Don’t they start working out with the coaches in the summer? Wouldn’t they be bigger/stronger already? And if they don’t start with the coaches in the summer due to some sort of NCAA regulation, couldn’t the coaches at least give them a workout regimen to follow? These are kids who seemingly want to “get after it”. I would think them motivated to do summer strength and conditioning on their own.

They most likely have and are doing weight training, agility drills, and flexibility exercises. That is just part of the equation. These young women are still developing. Some are still growing into their bodies. Some are still developing mentally and emotionally. Everyone develops at a different rate physically and mentally. Weight training can help with a lot of the necessary changes but not all.

 

[whalenfan]

I would infer Whalen saying the freshman insist they are not leaving means she is coming back. Like Whalen as coach or not she has 1 last season (imo) to keep her job. Get it done Lindsay.

the quotes are coming from the kids themselves, heres Battles that I know people on here will appreciate:
"Leaving is a new-school mentality, where people leave when things don't go their way,'' Battle said. "We're here. We're not going to leave. We're going to change it. We're going to do what we said.''

 

[MOGopher]

"We're here. We're not going to leave. We're going to change it. We're going to do what we said.''

Good luck with that. Pretending things are going to change failed year after failed year is not the answer. It's time to hire an experienced coach. We will be back here again next year.. just like last year.. and the year before that. Deal with reality and hire a coach that can recruit, communicate, and get this team out of the bottom. Another year for this coach is the wrong answer.

 

[tripledouble]

Good article by Kent. Like what I'm hearing from the players. As frustrating as this year has been for everyone involved, I like this group and I think, if they can stick together, they can get the program back on track. I like that they already know what they need to do to improve individually. As was mentioned in the article, they need to get stronger, especially the guards. And, they'll need to improve their shooting. And, as a team, they'll have to reduce turnovers, make better decisions. I think that will come with experience, but I'll also point out that we haven't seen much improvement with that as the year has progressed. I'm hoping that at least a couple of these players will be able to improve substantially in the off-season, as Rose did from freshman to sophomore year (and also during the season.) So, I'm still hopeful.