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GopherWeatherGuy said:
So Ben had issues with the only player he could keep from Pitino's final team, and everyone from his first HS class. And that's why they're all now leaving. How convenient.

Ryan James also makes up a lot of shit to defend this terrible coach and program in order to sell subscriptions.

Even if I pretend this is true, then it's just another example of how the players Ben recruits, don't want to play for him long term. He couldn't get anyone to stay from Pitino's last team even though he had relationships with many of them. Couldn't get anyone to follow him from Xavier. And now several players from his first few classes, which includes mostly local kids, can't wait to get out with multiple years of eligibility despite the teams improvement.
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Where did anyone say Ben had issues with anyone? You make up a lot of shit to berate the coach of our team and program because you didn't like the hire from day one.

The players can't wait to get out for moolah and playing time- pure and simple. That is not an indictment on Ben in any way. You are quite clearly trying to place the blame on the coach to help justify your dislike of Ben.
 

ecoperson said:
Where did anyone say Ben had issues with anyone? You make up a lot of shit to berate the coach of our team and program because you didn't like the hire from day one.
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Because he believes the former president forced the hire, because of what happened with George Floyd.
 

ecoperson said:
Where did anyone say Ben had issues with anyone? You make up a lot of shit to berate the coach of our team and program because you didn't like the hire from day one.

The players can't wait to get out for moolah and playing time- pure and simple. That is not an indictment on Ben in any way. You are quite clearly trying to place the blame on the coach to help justify your dislike of Ben.
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So Carrington is leaving for $$ - is that your position?
 

ecoperson said:
Where did anyone say Ben had issues with anyone? You make up a lot of shit to berate the coach of our team and program because you didn't like the hire from day one.

The players can't wait to get out for moolah and playing time- pure and simple. That is not an indictment on Ben in any way. You are quite clearly trying to place the blame on the coach to help justify your dislike of Ben.
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Maybe you should try reading what I responded to.

Ihnen, Carrington, and JOJ aren't leaving to make more money. That's laughable. They also had plenty of opportunities for playing time on a bottom tier B1G team this season.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Maybe you should try reading what I responded to.

Ihnen, Carrington, and JOJ aren't leaving to make more money. That's laughable. They also had plenty of opportunities for playing time on a bottom tier B1G team this season.
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There are about a number of threads over the last couple of days that state that Payne, Ola-Joseph, and Carrington believed that they could make more bank elsewhere. I'm not going to reread all of these threads to find the reference for you.

Players transfer for playing time every year- even prior to NIL. While Payne's primary motivation is financial, he is likely also dissatisfied with not starting early in the year. Ola-Joseph is unhappy with losing his minutes to Fox due to his lack of hustle. Carrington knows that he will be behind Mitchell again next year as his offense is so far behind his defense. Ihnen wisely understands that it is time to transfer down to get some run with a lesser team because he would get limited minutes here. This isn't rocket science.

How convenient indeed.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Maybe you should try reading what I responded to.

Ihnen, Carrington, and JOJ aren't leaving to make more money. That's laughable. They also had plenty of opportunities for playing time on a bottom tier B1G team this season.
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Actually money was half the reason Carrington is leaving. All three sophomores believed they will get more NIL and playing time elsewhere.
 


WriterGoph said:
Actually money was half the reason Carrington is leaving. All three sophomores believed they will get more NIL and playing time elsewhere.
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So they all weren't good enough to play more here, yet they are going to transfer to a better program to get more money and more playing time.

If you actually believe that, I have ocean front property in Shakopee to sell you.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
So they all weren't good enough to play more here, yet they are going to transfer to a better program to get more money and more playing time.

If you actually believe that, I have ocean front property in Shakopee to sell you.
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These kids are 20. You don't think it's feasible they've been fed stuff from the outside and they believe something that might not be logical?

Has your head been that far up OAN's ass the past couple years that you failed to notice that hundreds of college kids between basketball and football have entered the portal and not been able to find new schools? Do you think they entered the portal thinking "I'm gonna find more playing time/money" or "I'm looking to end my college career now"?

It's really not a difficult concept in this day and age - unless you're just being purposely obtuse because that's your bit.
 



Isn't the point what they believe. Maybe they'll be disappointed with reality. But that doesn't stop them from trying.

Was Payne actually capable of playing more minutes and/or having a bigger roll on the team?? Thought he had a back issue.
 

MplsGopher said:
Isn't the point what they believe. Maybe they'll be disappointed with reality. But that doesn't stop them from trying.

Was Payne actually capable of playing more minutes and/or having a bigger roll on the team?? Thought he had a back issue.
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Exactly! Thank you for putting this in plain English.
 

WriterGoph said:
These kids are 20. You don't think it's feasible they've been fed stuff from the outside and they believe something that might not be logical?

Has your head been that far up OAN's ass the past couple years that you failed to notice that hundreds of college kids between basketball and football have entered the portal and not been able to find new schools? Do you think they entered the portal thinking "I'm gonna find more playing time/money" or "I'm looking to end my college career now"?

It's really not a difficult concept in this day and age - unless you're just being purposely obtuse because that's your bit.
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NIL was a thing when these guys signed. NIL is the convenient excuse for the BJ support squad whenever someone leaves. The only player that applies to in this case is Payne.

BJ has a long history of being a loser, that is a fact. He also now has a history of not being able to keep players he recruited bought into his program, or the vision for his program.

It's always an excuse with Ben. It's never his fault. It's NIL, or the players, or the universities fault.

Yet pretty much every other coach who was hired at the same time or after BJ, has inherited the same challenges. Most of them have been more successful than Ben, or have been fired. Maybe your head has been so far up OAN's ass that you failed to notice this.

I also don't even know what an OAN is.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
NIL was a thing when these guys signed. NIL is the convenient excuse for the BJ support squad whenever someone leaves. The only player that applies to in this case is Payne.

BJ has a long history of being a loser, that is a fact. He also now has a history of not being able to keep players he recruited bought into his program, or the vision for his program.

It's always an excuse with Ben. It's never his fault. It's NIL, or the players, or the universities fault.

Yet pretty much every other coach who was hired at the same time or after BJ, has inherited the same challenges. Most of them have been more successful than Ben, or have been fired. Maybe your head has been so far up OAN's ass that you failed to notice this.

I also don't even know what an OAN is.
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It must suck having such a hard-on for our coach that you can't enjoy anything positive that happens.
 




atsgopher said:
So some of us totally know how to use instagram, but don’t think you do…. And want you to post what this is to prove it.😉
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The screenshot from my phone says the file is too large and it won't attach unfortunately.
 

WriterGoph said:
The screenshot from my phone says the file is too large and it won't attach unfortunately.
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Appreciate ya trying.

I was able to poke around a little. Mostly lost. Saw something that me think Fox was back for year 7. I figured I shouldn’t draw conclusions given how foreign Social media is to me.
 

WriterGoph said:
It must suck having such a hard-on for our coach that you can't enjoy anything positive that happens.
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Let us know when you think something really positive is about to happen. I appreciate the information you have given us (really I do love the rumors) but so far the best news I can see is that we might be able to retain 1/2 of the guys that the coach thought could be seen on court this year if we really are fortunate. That should be below the minimum expectation for a builder coach.

Let me ask you a serious question, since you sound like you are pretty plugged in - how do you think the 3 locals heading for the hills sits with the influencers on the basketball scene locally. Is Ben now damaged in the Twin Cities or is this episode not changing anything for future recruiting?
 

WriterGoph said:
Dawson just posted an Insta story with a picture of him and Hawkins together on the court during a game. Take this FWIW
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Hopefully that is a good sign but would be nice if he would confirm he is staying using words :)

Program could use some good news in the form of guys like Fox, Garcia, Christie and Mitchell all publicly confirming they are coming back. Until they do we are all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Hopefully that is a good sign but would be nice if he would confirm he is staying using words :)

Program could use some good news in the form of guys like Fox, Garcia, Christie and Mitchell all publicly confirming they are coming back. Until they do we are all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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I'm sure they will strategically pace announcements out like they did with DTA and the football players, no?
 

bga1 said:
Let us know when you think something really positive is about to happen. I appreciate the information you have given us (really I do love the rumors) but so far the best news I can see is that we might be able to retain 1/2 of the guys that the coach thought could be seen on court this year if we really are fortunate. That should be below the minimum expectation for a builder coach.

Let me ask you a serious question, since you sound like you are pretty plugged in - how do you think the 3 locals heading for the hills sits with the influencers on the basketball scene locally. Is Ben now damaged in the Twin Cities or is this episode not changing anything for future recruiting?
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I'm not anything plugged in unfortunately. Just do a lot of reading from various folks who are.

I think he will continue to build relationships individually and kids making decisions because of other kids' experiences doesn't carry as much weight anymore - obviously we are seeing more of the "me first" generation. Maybe Ben focuses more energy on the portal instead of HS recruiting going forward?

Also, the positives for me are: improving Big Ten win total by 4.5x; beating Michigan State; comeback wins against two other NCAA teams; Hawkins working out well; Dawson reaching his potential; recruiting and developing a potential first-round pick; Asuma looking like he will be a stud PG
 

WriterGoph said:
I'm sure they will strategically pace announcements out like they did with DTA and the football players, no?
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Who knows....so odd when guys make these announcements or jump in the portal anymore. I mean the fact that we have to wait for guys to say if they are coming back is such an odd phenomenon. Used to be if a kid was an underclassman with eligibility left you could pretty safetly assume the would be on the team the next year....but those days appear to be long gone at this point.
 



I wonder if we performed triage with our possible portalers and prioritizes keeping Hawkins, Garcia & Christie - this assumes that those three stay put. With limited resources, I’d rather keep those three than PP, he would have been 4 on my keep list.
 


Gopher_In_NYC said:
I wonder if we performed triage with our possible portalers and prioritizes keeping Hawkins, Garcia & Christie - this assumes that those three stay put. With limited resources, I’d rather keep those three than PP, he would have been 4 on my keep list.
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I really like Payne, but I really don't like his back problems.
 

Just for fun, let’s play “What if?”--What if the mopiness in the locker room from the three portal players is true. Garcia, Mitchell, Hawkins frustrated as the season winds down, knowing Carrington, Payne, and Ihnen are leaving, they go to CBJ with Fox and say,

"Hey coach, we want to play ball. The four of us can compete at a high level, and we are coachable. The three guys left because you told them what they needed to do at this level, and they just didn't have the skills to consistently do what you drove them to do. That doesn't make you an arse-hole, but you have high expectations and believe players should listen and be coached without making the same mistakes repeatedly. Sometimes potential in recruits doesn't reach a ceiling you had hoped. Its too bad Pharrel decided to leave, but if we can get a few better pieces in the portal that want to come in and work with us, we'll stay. Christie is all in too".

I don't know anything except rumors of locker room dissent and pouting about playing time (which is earned), cryptic Instagram posts, and a very close following of the portal as players enter.

BTW, MN recruit Danny Wolff (7-0/265lb) entered the portal from Yale, proving that having a great team, winning in NCAA tournament doesn't mean anything regarding portal status. He was five-time Ivy Player of the Week. Something like him flipping to MN playing in BigTen would create a lot of optimism. Good players want to win, be treated well, and play at a high level. MN is on a good trajectory, but this next season in a critical one for the program's relevance.
 

SplitDecision said:
Just for fun, let’s play “What if?”--What if the mopiness in the locker room from the three portal players is true. Garcia, Mitchell, Hawkins frustrated as the season winds down, knowing Carrington, Payne, and Ihnen are leaving, they go to CBJ with Fox and say,

"Hey coach, we want to play ball. The four of us can compete at a high level, and we are coachable. The three guys left because you told them what they needed to do at this level, and they just didn't have the skills to consistently do what you drove them to do. That doesn't make you an arse-hole, but you have high expectations and believe players should listen and be coached without making the same mistakes repeatedly. Sometimes potential in recruits doesn't reach a ceiling you had hoped. Its too bad Pharrel decided to leave, but if we can get a few better pieces in the portal that want to come in and work with us, we'll stay. Christie is all in too".

I don't know anything except rumors of locker room dissent and pouting about playing time (which is earned), cryptic Instagram posts, and a very close following of the portal as players enter.

BTW, MN recruit Danny Wolff (7-0/265lb) entered the portal from Yale, proving that having a great team, winning in NCAA tournament doesn't mean anything regarding portal status. He was five-time Ivy Player of the Week. Something like him flipping to MN playing in BigTen would create a lot of optimism. Good players want to win, be treated well, and play at a high level. MN is on a good trajectory, but this next season in a critical one for the program's relevance.
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Keep posting please - I like the cut of your gib.

Great points about Wolf.
 



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