TA’LON COOPER A GOPHER!

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Tucker32 said:
Jay Wright has been pretty successful with a rotation of 6-7 guys most years. UNC shortened their bench to 7 this year. Duke played 7. Etc… Most successful programs are playing 7-8 guys, not 9-10.
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Again, those guys get 5 star type recruits. And somehow their players stay healthy. Ours do not and we don't have elite talent. Those teams are good because of superior talent meshed with excellent coaching.
Lesser talented teams have success with 9,10 playing. Texas Tech, Houston, Saint Peters...there is a bunch on the other side.
We ain't Duke or North Carolina...they got another 5 star on the bench to plug and play....we do not. Guys gotta get minutes to relax, improve, develop, gain confidence. The 5 star guys are already all that.
It's apples and oranges....trucks versus scooters.
 






60's Guy said:
Again, those guys get 5 star type recruits. And somehow their players stay healthy. Ours do not and we don't have elite talent. Those teams are good because of superior talent meshed with excellent coaching.
Lesser talented teams have success with 9,10 playing. Texas Tech, Houston, Saint Peters...there is a bunch on the other side.
We ain't Duke or North Carolina...they got another 5 star on the bench to plug and play....we do not. Guys gotta get minutes to relax, improve, develop, gain confidence. The 5 star guys are already all that.
It's apples and oranges....trucks versus scooters.
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I agree. The portal also will become a factor. Coaches no longer have the luxury of grooming a player for 2 years thru practice reps only. Players want to see a path to playing meaningful minutes. It is easy to transfer now to a school where assurances have been given. I don’t think too many players are content to sit and cheer only for the first 1-2 years of their college career. If they are that complacent, I don’t think I’d want them on the team.
 


VanillaThunder said:
  • PG: Ta'lon Cooper, 6'4''
  • SG: Jamison Battle, 6'7''
  • SF: Dawson Garcia, 6'11
  • PF: Parker Fox, 6'8''
  • C: Treyton Thompson, 7'0''
Would be quite a different look than last season. Should be able to finally get offensive rebounds and block shots. Don’t know if this scenario could stay in front of anyone defensively. Interesting scenario anyway. Thanks for sharing the link.
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Battle at SG? Not sure I see that happening. Would be interesting on offense but problematic on defense.
 

RogueGopher said:
Did he say Minneosta University?
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I don't think he said Minneosta University.

Just kidding. I think it was one of those "I choose Minnesota!!" And in the excitement chucked in the "University" part.
 









Watched Murray St game which they lost 57-53. 30 min, 4pt, 1 RB, 6 Ast, 3 TO, 3 PF. A few observations:
-He passes the eye test for a BIG PG. Seems strong with ball. Right hand dominate. Usually brings ball up court. Looks to pass the ball rather than dribble.
-Two successive D possessions where he was sleeping. Not aggressive on D and often not in good D position nor stance. Not a Loewe type on D. Lots of switching on D. Did not guard the PG rather a 3 or 4.
-Let smaller player get around him on a Off Reb and tip in.
-His team is sloppy with ball.
-beautiful bounce pass on a backdoor basket
-I don't think he scored in first half. Two drives to basket is all I saw.

Another loss to Murray St 71-67 for OVC championship
37 Min, 12 pts, 5 Reb, 5 asst, 5 TO, 4 PF, 5/10 FG, 1/2 3pt, 1/4 FT
-Has trouble finishing around the basket with the few drives he had
-Not aggressive on boards
-Shows some emotion after big plays but not cocky.
-Seems confident with the ball and deliberate.
-Not an explosive player but plays under control.

IAfter watching two games, he looked solid but not overly impressive. He is totally different player than Willis. He is not a dominant offensive player nor do they run their offense through him. He seldom looks for his shot. Rather they get the ball to their #5. He has decent handles but is not explosive. I think he took it to the hoop just 2 or 3 times. He didn't appear to be a great passer but seemed to make good decisions with the ball.

He seldom guarded the PG so not sure how Ben will use him on D. If he guards a SG, then we will likely need a quicker defender on the PG. He did not appear to be a great defender I might be wrong here but that is my limited observation.

Fire away!
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
After watching two games, he looked solid but not overly impressive. He is totally different player than Willis. He is not a dominant offensive player nor do they run their offense through him. He seldom looks for his shot. Rather they get the ball to their #5. He has decent handles but is not explosive. I think he took it to the hoop just 2 or 3 times. He didn't appear to be a great passer but seemed to make good decisions with the ball.
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Watched about 2/3's of another game and agree with this.
 

BTChamp said:
Interesting read. This guy seems pretty locked in. I say locked in - in that he he's pretty detailed. Also has Treyton starting in one possible scenario for what that's worth.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...sedgntp&cvid=b44d9c880c8a4eb0a94b2be641bb95e2
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I appreciate anyone who puts in the time to write an article on the Gophers, but the author's take is crap. He has Treyton Thompson starting at the 5, which is extremely unlikely. Thompson should continue to develop, and I expect he'll be a good player in time, but barring a Robert Johnson crossroads deal with the devil, I can't see him adding enough strength to be a starting 5 in the B1G next season. Even less likely is Battle at the 2 guard spot. Nothing against Battle, but he absolutely does not have the foot speed, handle, or ability to guard players at that position.
 

This is a great p/u for the Gophers. A true PG, who takes care of the ball, and who looks to distribute first. Was 7th in the nation in assists. 2.72 assist to turnover ratio. Good size at 6'4" 190lbs. Rebounds well 4.5 per game, and is just enough of an offensive threat that you can't ignore him.
 


Bayfieldgopher said:
IAfter watching two games, he looked solid but not overly impressive. He is totally different player than Willis. He is not a dominant offensive player nor do they run their offense through him.
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Liked your report! Remember, though, Willis wasn't all that impressive until pretty late in his career.

Sounds like he's a capable and confident ball handler who doesn't dominate the ball and likes to keep it moving. I like that. Not a big scorer. I'm OK with that as long as he can average about 8 or 9 points per game. The defensive observations are a bit troubling but we'll see.
 

cjbfbp said:
Liked your report! Remember, though, Willis wasn't all that impressive until pretty late in his career.

Sounds like he's a capable and confident ball handler who doesn't dominate the ball and likes to keep it moving. I like that. Not a big scorer. I'm OK with that as long as he can average about 8 or 9 points per game. The defensive observations are a bit troubling but we'll see.
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I've read he's a great defender, and now I'm reading this, not sure what to believe? What I do know, is playing defense is not optional when playing for Dave Thorsen.
 

cjbfbp said:
Liked your report! Remember, though, Willis wasn't all that impressive until pretty late in his career.

Sounds like he's a capable and confident ball handler who doesn't dominate the ball and likes to keep it moving. I like that. Not a big scorer. I'm OK with that as long as he can average about 8 or 9 points per game. The defensive observations are a bit troubling but we'll see.
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Thanks. Some here were highly complimentary of his abilities to the point of penciling him is as a starter and getting a majority of the PG minutes. I thought I would take the time to watch some video's and form my own opinion. After my exercise, I have some concerns particularly on the defense side.

My comment: "He seldom guarded the PG so not sure how Ben will use him on D. If he guards a SG, then we will likely need a quicker defender on the PG. He did not appear to be a great defender I might be wrong here but that is my limited observation."

Based on what I observed and the skills of the returning players and incoming FR, IMO we have no one capable of providing quality PG defense. This will be a huge issue for Ben just as it was this past season. Maybe Cooper can develop those skills but his coach seemed to take the pressure off him on the D side. Probably for good reason as there were others on his team more capable. He was allowed to switched a lot rather than expecting him to fight through screens. He is far from a Loewe who worked very hard on D. Plus he did not appear to have good footwork nor upper body position and strength when attempting to guard a player attacking the basket.

I may be totally wrong here but that is my opinion. It would be good for others to take a look and I would be interested in their opinion.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
I've read he's a great defender, and now I'm reading this, not sure what to believe? What I do know, is playing defense is not optional when playing for Dave Thorsen.
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Well, that's kind of life as a message board participant! :)
 


Bayfieldgopher said:
Or people can watch video's and form their own opinion. :unsure:
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There are a few full games of his on youtube. I think he'll be a decent defender, he's smart and much longer than an average PG. The downside, he doesn't look particularly quick.

On offense, he is fun to watch. He's the traditional PG and in the two games I watched, he would have had 3-5 more assists per game if teammates didn't blow easy baskets.
 

cjbfbp said:
Liked your report! Remember, though, Willis wasn't all that impressive until pretty late in his career.

Sounds like he's a capable and confident ball handler who doesn't dominate the ball and likes to keep it moving. I like that. Not a big scorer. I'm OK with that as long as he can average about 8 or 9 points per game. The defensive observations are a bit troubling but we'll see.
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Don't think a good athlete at 6'4 and 190 will be a defensive liability if he accepts coaching and gives the effort. I'm banking on Ben looking closely at his defense and attitude closely before we offered.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
There are a few full games of his on youtube. I think he'll be a decent defender, he's smart and much longer than an average PG. The downside, he doesn't look particularly quick.

On offense, he is fun to watch. He's the traditional PG and in the two games I watched, he would have had 3-5 more assists per game if teammates didn't blow easy baskets.
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Reminds me of Tyus Jones when Apple Valley started a very young center. He was 6'11 so they wanted his size. That first year the poor kid had black eyes, knots on his head, and wrenched shoulders from meeting blind bullets from Tyus while not getting his hands up. Generally he was right under the basket for a bunny. Tyus lost a truckload of assists.
 

Well, my conclusion reading Bayfield along with what we have on the roster prior to Cooper...we are a much better zone defensive team than man to man at this point. Supposedly, defense not a strength for Garcia either?
Will we just outscore people? I think that mighta been a philosophy in recent times?
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
There are a few full games of his on youtube. I think he'll be a decent defender, he's smart and much longer than an average PG. The downside, he doesn't look particularly quick.

On offense, he is fun to watch. He's the traditional PG and in the two games I watched, he would have had 3-5 more assists per game if teammates didn't blow easy baskets.
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There is a reason why he was not asked to defend Murray States best players and also allowed to do so much switching. Lack of quickness could be the main issue along with needing more upper body strength.

I think we can all assume that the best defenders will get the most PT. And likely one of the reasons TT didn't see the floor regularly.

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60's Guy
"Well, my conclusion reading Bayfield along with what we have on the roster prior to Cooper...we are a much better zone defensive team than man to man at this point. Supposedly, defense not a strength for Garcia either?

I have the same exact thought. We often saw that with TT.
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
There is a reason why he was not asked to defend Murray States best players and also allowed to do so much switching. Lack of quickness could be the main issue along with needing more upper body strength.

I think we can all assume that the best defenders will get the most PT. And likely one of the reasons TT didn't see the floor regularly.

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60's Guy
"Well, my conclusion reading Bayfield along with what we have on the roster prior to Cooper...we are a much better zone defensive team than man to man at this point. Supposedly, defense not a strength for Garcia either?

I have the same exact thought. We often saw that with TT.
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I don't disagree with the conclusion and I'd be perfectly fine playing more zone next year, but I don't think Cooper's issue is going to be upper body strength, he's pretty big for a guard.

As far as Morehead State's defense, yeah, they certainly switch a lot and play a lot of zone. But I'm not sure if that is a product of Cooper as much as it is of their lineups. They played a lot of small guys (at least in the small sample size of the games I watched).
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I don't disagree with the conclusion and I'd be perfectly fine playing more zone next year, but I don't think Cooper's issue is going to be upper body strength, he's pretty big for a guard.

As far as Morehead State's defense, yeah, they certainly switch a lot and play a lot of zone. But I'm not sure if that is a product of Cooper as much as it is of their lineups. They played a lot of small guys (at least in the small sample size of the games I watched).
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Ben is not changing defensive mindset to fit a transfer. He would not have brought him in if he didn't believe he fit our defense.
 

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