Sunday scrimmage recap thread

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Lofton's body language and attitude were the one negative that I took away from the scrimmage. The coaches pulled him out at least once for what I took to be attitude issues. Lil Dre was trying to get in Lofton's face after one bad play and he wasn't listening to any of it and then got taken out for the walk-on.

Mo went out with a tweaked hamstring but looked to be moving ok on it after the autograph session. It was kind of cool to see Anthony Bennett there for the scrimmage and to see Mo after the game.

I was really impressed with Mason and Morris. They played with much more aggression than I expected for them being the new guys. Martin wasn't very shy about putting up shot either.

Pitino on the open mic all scrimmage would have been funny. Might have been too brutally honest for the players confidence though. He had a good crack on Mo's 3 and was maybe caught with his mic on when getting on Martin's case for too many 3 attempts.

it was good to hear Jonkowski on the pa again. I heard something about him having health issues and am glad he was there.

overall I thought it looked like most scrimmages look when you mix up the teams different from how they usually play and it is early in the year. Lots of passes where the passer thought the receiver should be but the receiver had different ideas. Better shooting percentage than I expected, nice surprise there.
 

What are the odds of McNeil starting over Morris? Sounds like he's better at this moment...
 


topos said:
I was there and these are my thoughts. I have more emphasis on the new guys since I am sure that is what people are curious about.

Mason-Ran the point for the gold. Looked totally in control and can absolutely stoke. No question about it he will be a big time contributor this year. For all the excitement for the guards in the 2015 class, Mason should not be overlooked. He is a competitor and will be a solid backup at pg and will see some serious time at the 2. One knock against him is he seems to have a low release point on his J.

Josh Martin- Like we all know, he is super athletic and looks to have a B10 ready body. He had a really sick put back dunk and brings a totally different dimension than King. He will be in more of a support role this year, but he will get some minutes at the 4. Took a couple of 3s in the first half and his stroke looked pretty good. Don't think he hit one though. Seems like a guy who will need some adjusting to the college game but the tools are there.

Morris- The squirrel is a slasher and is a much more confident ball handler than Austin. While he did hit a jumper or two his shot seems a little weird. It's like he brings the ball up from his knees (a little exaggeration but it is unorthodox). He looks really skinny even though he has supposedly put on a lot of weight since arriving. I think he can definitely be a sufficient replacement for Austin and can be a lot more consistent since he has the ability to get past his defender on the dribble.

McNeil-I know i said I would concentrate on new players but McNeil was fantastic! It is no exaggeration by Pitino that he is the most improved player. He shot with confidence, had some nice drives and looks like an entirely different player than last year. Knocked down some 3s and took it to the hoop with a purpose. I was really impressed with him and am really excited to watch him build on his already impressive frosh year.

Konate - Had a few dunks and some nice post moves. Had a ton of fouls though. Whenever he had it close to the hoop he dunked it. It was a nice change of pace from EE and Mo. He will be a role player this year but the future is very bright with this kid!

Lofton- Seemed like a solid guard. For me it was tough to imagine what his future role would be. He hit a few shots but didn't really stand out to me. Maybe someone else has more in depth info.

Other Notes- Dre was quiet... Had some really dumb turnovers that left me scratching my head. Lil Dre also had a quiet night. While he did have some great passes, he also had a lot of turnovers.. King looks bigger and looked confident shooting the 3. Still didn't really notice him on the boards.

I haven't looked at the box score yet, so these are just my thoughts from watching in person. Take it how you want it! Go Gophs!
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Very much on target.

Mason will contribute & looked the most comfortable & polished of the new guys.

McNeil looked confident & a bit fearless. A far cry from his Freshman go round. Granted, most first year guys are cautious as they find their role or until they get the green light. Let's hope it was a glimpse of what's to come.

Morris - definitely skinny. We'll see how he does as the competition gets more physical. He did grab a couple defensive rebounds. I would not be surprised if McNeil see a lot of time at this spot. To be fair it was one scrimmage.

Martin. Great athlete. The follow up dunk was a great example. I believe coach told him to stop taking the outside shot after the third miss. Stroke looks good, but the result was always bad.... I thought I saw he was 0-7 in the closed scrimmage as well. Someone correct me if I am wrong. Coach may have finally seen enough. He also had a couple freshman/lack of concentration TOs. Joey is too savvy & can hit the three to worry much about the young guys taking his minutes yet.

Konate changed teams at half because Mo went out with what I believe was a hamstring. Probably just precautionary. I saw him reaching for it as he went out of the game just before halftime. Konate is rather skinny from the waist down, so when given space he finished well.

Both Dre's were quiet, but not a concern. May possibly have been instructed to get the other guys involved.

Buggs did a nice job when given the opportunity. Seems to be lacking confidence still though.

Lots & lots of turnovers. Coach even got on the PA system to warn those down front to wear a helmet..... Very funny for the crowd, but I think he's getting the hang of the Minnesota nice type of slam. Passive aggressive. Top to bottom we are a more athletic. No doubt.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Minnesconsin fan said:
Lofton's body language and attitude were the one negative that I took away from the scrimmage. The coaches pulled him out at least once for what I took to be attitude issues. Lil Dre was trying to get in Lofton's face after one bad play and he wasn't listening to any of it and then got taken out for the walk-on.
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That's disappointing. We were all supposed to assume that he had grown up since high school. Hopefully Pitino can teach him something while he redshirts.
 


afurry91 said:
That's disappointing. We were all supposed to assume that he had grown up since high school. Hopefully Pitino can teach him something while he redshirts.
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I'll second that. We've heard about these things second-hand before like at Ill State, but I thought it would go away now that he made it to the B1G where he probably always felt he should be. Not very encouraging to see this issue pop up in a scrimmage ... what's going to happen when things don't go his way in a real game (like on the road at Wisconsin where he'll get mugged with no call)?

LNH asks for scorn with his some of his snarky comments, but I don't think you can slam him for questioning Hollins' health and whether he'll hold up. He's already had several injury problems in his college career and IMO he's one more injury away from the dreaded "can never stay healthy" label. We haven't seen the guy who put up 41 vs Memphis in a long, long time. Still holding out hope we'll see that player again, but I wouldn't bet a lot of money on it.

Last 3 times I've seen or heard about Mason in action, he was the leading scorer and MVP in the West Coast all star game this summer, the leading scorer in the closed team scrimmage, and now the leading scorer on his team in the open scrimmage. No one-game wonder here. 3 star recruit! hahaha (I remember the first time I saw Trey Burke play for Michigan...I looked him up to see if he was a 5* or 4* and Rivals had him as a 3* somewhere south of the top 100. LOL)
 

WanderingGopher said:
I'll second that. We've heard about these things second-hand before like at Ill State, but I thought it would go away now that he made it to the B1G where he probably always felt he should be. Not very encouraging to see this issue pop up in a scrimmage ... what's going to happen when things don't go his way in a real game (like on the road at Wisconsin where he'll get mugged with no call)?

LNH asks for scorn with his some of his snarky comments, but I don't think you can slam him for questioning Hollins' health and whether he'll hold up. He's already had several injury problems in his college career and IMO he's one more injury away from the dreaded "can never stay healthy" label. We haven't seen the guy who put up 41 vs Memphis in a long, long time. Still holding out hope we'll see that player again, but I wouldn't bet a lot of money on it.

Last 3 times I've seen or heard about Mason in action, he was the leading scorer and MVP in the West Coast all star game this summer, the leading scorer in the closed team scrimmage, and now the leading scorer on his team in the open scrimmage. No one-game wonder here. 3 star recruit! hahaha (I remember the first time I saw Trey Burke play for Michigan...I looked him up to see if he was a 5* or 4* and Rivals had him as a 3* somewhere south of the top 100. LOL)
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Dre's had 2 sprained ankles (one alot worse than the other) and a tweaked hip. How is that injury prone? He''s missed a total of 3 games in 3 years here. Andre was averaging 16ppg before he went down last year. He was clearly bothered by it the rest of the season, and by all accounts he is now 100%.
 

DeathClutch said:
Dre's had 2 sprained ankles (one alot worse than the other) and a tweaked hip. How is that injury prone?
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I said "one more injury away..." And I think your statement above pretty much shows that, as well. 4 injuries in 4 years would be...not good. Obviously it's not his fault, it is what it is. You know very well that the (small) number of "missed games" last year is not a good reflection of the significant impact of his injuries.

I hope we see the player we saw for much of his sophomore year (except now stronger and a better defender). Hollins is the one guy we have who could be that go-to superstar on a team full of good but not great players. That is, for this year. We might have some superstars down the road.
 

howeda7 said:
What are the odds of McNeil starting over Morris? Sounds like he's better at this moment...
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Morris is the better athlete and a terrific ball handler. McNeil is ahead of him at the moment based on his experience and the fact that he's a tough hard nosed kid. With Morris - it's a question of whether or not he can hit the open jumper. If he can- he's a player.

What I saw yesterday is a new class of players that is a notch up in raw ability, which really bodes well for the future. Mason is going to be a very, very good player, starting now.
 



Analysis per the STrib:

Nate Mason is going to see playing time, and a lot of it. The freshman looked like the real deal on Sunday night, connecting on five of eight three-point attempts and leading the Gold team with 17 points. But perhaps even more impressive than his clear scoring ability? His poise. He played great defense on DeAndre Mathieu throughout, and exuded the kind of steady presence that doesn't often come packaged in a freshman. Gophers fans, I think you'll get to know him well.

These newcomers are exciting. Not since I've been on this beat has an incoming class been so intriguing. Carlos Morris started the firestorm. Nate Mason looked like a legitimate star. Bakary Konate showed enough promise for Gophers fans to dream about. Zach Lofton, though redshirting, flashed his pro potential. Josh Martin nearly jumped through the rafters. It could be a fun year to watch.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/280476622.html

Go Gophers!!
 

I always like this first look at the team. It offers an opportunity to see all the players in extended action. Here are a few of my unsolicited observations.

Hollins. Off night. Nuff said.

Lofton - check back next year at this time for more.

Buggs - Still see glimpses of a nice player - He was going to start the 2nd half for Mo but a last second Konate to Maroon trade put him back to the bench.

Walker and Eliason - both look Louisville-ready (or as ready as they'll ever be for Louisville). But, Pitino should NOT stop Mo from shooting 3's like he said he would while joking around with Mo during the scrimmage after he made his only 3. Mo can shoot from out there. 2 or 3 times a game could make Mo a surprise stretch 5 ---- IMo.

King definitely likes the 'stretch' part of the stretch 4. and he looks stronger.

Now for the rest. Put this in the category of line-ups I wouldn't mind seeing before the B1G but maybe not Louisville (like maybe Franklin Pierce). These are all-Pitino recruit lineups. The first one is the 'M Club' line-up.

Matthieu Mason McNeil Morris Martin line-up. Easy for me to remember. Might be interesting for its athleticism.

Another line-up I wouldn't mind seeing is a little more futuristic with an eye toward 2015-16 and a little more conventional in size.

Mason McNeil Morris Martin Konate.

Also, I have to agree the opening scrimmage could use a lil more sizzle as a poster suggested elsewhere. They even cut the Dance Line half-time Taylor Swift 'Shake it Off' number short for a musical chairs contest - c'mon. Don't bring back the lengthy 3pt and dunk contests though. The more scrimmage time the better.

Anyone with Pitino's ear - let him know.
 

Minnesconsin fan said:
Lofton's body language and attitude were the one negative that I took away from the scrimmage. The coaches pulled him out at least once for what I took to be attitude issues. Lil Dre was trying to get in Lofton's face after one bad play and he wasn't listening to any of it and then got taken out for the walk-on.

Mo went out with a tweaked hamstring but looked to be moving ok on it after the autograph session. It was kind of cool to see Anthony Bennett there for the scrimmage and to see Mo after the game.

I was really impressed with Mason and Morris. They played with much more aggression than I expected for them being the new guys. Martin wasn't very shy about putting up shot either.

Pitino on the open mic all scrimmage would have been funny. Might have been too brutally honest for the players confidence though. He had a good crack on Mo's 3 and was maybe caught with his mic on when getting on Martin's case for too many 3 attempts.

it was good to hear Jonkowski on the pa again. I heard something about him having health issues and am glad he was there.

overall I thought it looked like most scrimmages look when you mix up the teams different from how they usually play and it is early in the year. Lots of passes where the passer thought the receiver should be but the receiver had different ideas. Better shooting percentage than I expected, nice surprise there.
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Lofton's body language and lack of effort on the defensive end were embarrassing. I certainly hope he gets a reality check. My kids met him for an autograph after the game, and seemed like a really shy, nice, quiet kid. So at least that's encouraging.

Mason was great. As others had mentioned, he looked very comfortable and his shot is very smooth - even though he does have a bit of a low release. And he does play very good D as has been mentioned by Pitino before.

Morris looked decent. He played good D, had some nice rebounds, has a good handle, slashes well...his shot is so-so at best though.

As a few have mentioned, McNeil was really good. His shot looked nice and plays such tough D.

Konate played pretty well for being a freshman against a senior. Surprisingly, they fed him the ball down low quite a bit and he made some decent moves. He did pick up MANY fouls though.

Eliason and Mo played OK. They didn't do a ton overall, but were steady.

Both Dre's were pretty much non-factors. Both had a few dumb TO's and neither shot the ball much. They'll be fine I'm sure.

King hit some 3's and looked a bit stronger than last year.

Martin is incredibly athletic, but King does not need to worry about his starting spot. He will be a great energy guy. After his big put back dunk, he bounced around celebrating and didn't get back and the other team scored right away. Can't imagine Pitino was very pleased with that.

Too bad the overall turnout at this event was pretty sad. I think I only saw about 20 students there.
 

WanderingGopher said:
I'll second that. We've heard about these things second-hand before like at Ill State, but I thought it would go away now that he made it to the B1G where he probably always felt he should be. Not very encouraging to see this issue pop up in a scrimmage ... what's going to happen when things don't go his way in a real game (like on the road at Wisconsin where he'll get mugged with no call)?

LNH asks for scorn with his some of his snarky comments, but I don't think you can slam him for questioning Hollins' health and whether he'll hold up. He's already had several injury problems in his college career and IMO he's one more injury away from the dreaded "can never stay healthy" label. We haven't seen the guy who put up 41 vs Memphis in a long, long time. Still holding out hope we'll see that player again, but I wouldn't bet a lot of money on it.

Last 3 times I've seen or heard about Mason in action, he was the leading scorer and MVP in the West Coast all star game this summer, the leading scorer in the closed team scrimmage, and now the leading scorer on his team in the open scrimmage. No one-game wonder here. 3 star recruit! hahaha (I remember the first time I saw Trey Burke play for Michigan...I looked him up to see if he was a 5* or 4* and Rivals had him as a 3* somewhere south of the top 100. LOL)
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You speak for me, WG. Much as I love Andre, his body seems to be failing him. He doesn't have the hops he had early in his career or in HS. I truly hope he's healthy and will look like his old self, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Astute observation on Trey Burke. Reminds me, too, of Shawn Respert, who was also a modestly rated guard. Not comparing Mason to either, mind you; just speaking about sleeper 3*'s in general. When I saw Mason's highlight tapes, he popped out. You have to be skeptical of a highlight tape, but he had the look of a 4* talent. Glad to see it wasn't a mirage.
 



BballJones said:
Martin is incredibly athletic, but King does not need to worry about his starting spot. He will be a great energy guy. After his big put back dunk, he bounced around celebrating and didn't get back and the other team scored right away. Can't imagine Pitino was very pleased with that.

Too bad the overall turnout at this event was pretty sad. I think I only saw about 20 students there.
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Coach Pitino should bring in Rachel Banham to show the guys what to do after you score the basketball.
 

ZL's game was disappointing, won't see him in action again until next year, wish he had a better outing.

Still like what I see from Buggs as others have said if he gets his confidence together he can be a good piece for us because of his size, athleticism, and versatility.

Nate was an assassin early, kinda faded out of the offense in the 2nd half, only 3 points.

Carlos did some very nice things offensively and on the boards early, he too seemed to fade.

Lil Dre, did not have a good day very poor turnovers and made a lot of bad decisions offensively.

Big Dre, did he even play? didnt seem like it.

Konate looks like a NBA player, defensive asset and finishes strong around the rim, a lot more polished then I expected.

Martin played well, another strong finisher, excited about our front court for the next few years.

King did ok, needs to drive to the basket harder. All I saw him do was either catch and shoot 3's or use the pump-fake 1- dribble pull up.

Mo and EE played well

I almost forgot the MVP Day-Day, nice overall game. attacked the basket well, got his game going from the free-throw line and capped it off with the game winning 3. good to see him playing confidently, looks like has taken some steps forward.
 

Bad Gopher said:
He doesn't have the hops he had early in his career or in HS
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Seemed to have his 'hop' back from what I witnessed on his pregame warm-up dunks. Seems like his legs are back.. especially considering he said they were.
 

I loved the attitude of the new players, sans Lofton. All seem like hard working, competitive team players. Morris looks taller that I expected, which might give him a slight edge over McNeil. They list him at 6-5, but to me he looks and plays longer.

Lofton's attitude was troubling. I went to a football open practice once and stood right by the WR's. It was very clear that Andre McDonald had a terrible attitude, and we all know how that worked out. Im hopeful this isn't the case, but he reminded me a lot of Andre McDonald yesterday.
 


Another note from the scrimmage. I noticed that the Hurt brothers from Rochester were there. That's always a good thing.
 

Bad Gopher said:
You speak for me, WG. Much as I love Andre, his body seems to be failing him. He doesn't have the hops he had early in his career or in HS. I truly hope he's healthy and will look like his old self, but I'll believe it when I see it.
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Y'all make Dre sound like he's a 37 year-old trying to coax one last season out of his beaten up old body. I have faith that a 21-22 year old has healed up just fine.
 

BballJones said:
Another note from the scrimmage. I noticed that the Hurt brothers from Rochester were there. That's always a good thing.
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Thanks for the post.

Was nice to see A. Robinson, Al Nolen, Quincy, Dan Coleman, DJ and Lawrence Mckenzie there supporting the squad.
 

howeda7 said:
Y'all make Dre sound like he's a 37 year-old trying to coax one last season out of his beaten up old body. I have faith that a 21-22 year old has healed up just fine.
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You're talking to a guy whose daughter is trying to coax three more years of gymnastics out of her 16-year old body. Just sayin'.
 

If Andre had Knee problems I might worry, but an isolated hip injury and a couple of very common and fully healed sprained ankles... not so much
 



StCroix said:
What gym is she a part of?
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Quit the club to go high school. Not to brag - OK, I'll brag - all-state and part of a state team championship as a freshman. But I'm concerned about her long term health. Still, it's been fun for all involved.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Quit the club to go high school. Not to brag - OK, I'll brag - all-state and part of a state team championship as a freshman. But I'm concerned about her long term health. Still, it's been fun for all involved.
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Awesome! My daughter is all club. HS not an option in our small town. She's still young, but the fire burns hot and we are enjoying watching her compete. Good luck to you and your daughter! Its a great sport!!
 

Been busy so I just got around to reading this. Appreciate everyone sharing their observations. Really interesting reading the Lofton stuff after I knew he was dismissed.
 

StCroix said:
Awesome! My daughter is all club. HS not an option in our small town. She's still young, but the fire burns hot and we are enjoying watching her compete. Good luck to you and your daughter! Its a great sport!!
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And good luck to yours. Because of the time demands of club, it was starting to affect her studies. She either had to quit club and go high school or quit high school. :)
 

balds said:
Lofton's attitude was troubling. I went to a football open practice once and stood right by the WR's. It was very clear that Andre McDonald had a terrible attitude, and we all know how that worked out. I'm hopeful this isn't the case, but he reminded me a lot of Andre McDonald yesterday.
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We have a winner, and much sooner than any of the rest of us would've imagined.
 

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