Taurus Samuels Commits to Gophers!!

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Bayfieldgopher said:
We have a very small sample size for both players and will have to wait until Fall to see who is the top dog. I watched the Stanford game and Samuels probably had his best offensive game. 22pts, 7/13 FG, 7/8 FT's, 6 Reb, 2 Asst, 3 TO. Its been a while since I watched but I thought his D was solid.

It seems as if the majority assume that Cooper will be the PG. And that could be the case but I guess that Samuel will give it his best shot and make Ben's choice as difficult as possible.
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We have three seasons of college basketball for both players.

Anything could happen, but I think Samuels has a much better chance at starting alongside Cooper than instead of him. I don't think that happens either (I think he comes off the bench).
 

Fleckoff said:
I mean he went 7-11 in said league and was 3-10 before he got some of softer teams on the schedule. Cyclones bid was built on the run they had in the non con and then they got some good fortune in the draw with LSU firing Will Wade the night before and Johnny Davis playing at about half strength for a Wisconsin team that struggled beat Colgate, lost at home to Nebraska and had an early exit in the BTT
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Litany of items to downplay what TJO accomplished.

:(
 

I mean we can all speculate (thats the fun part for most MN teams ha) but you honestly dont ever really know. Look at Mich St last year, Tyson Walker came in to be the answer at PG after a good career at a mid major. He was ok to start, then went into a big funk where he was playing off the bench, by the end he was a big part of the team again. I think we all like Cooper and think hes a great fit but the jump sometimes is tough. To me just reading the tea leaves, I think Ben either promised or REALLY REALLY thinks one of Henley/Carrington is the no doubt answer at the SG spot. We did not get to seem to get much traction on any of the SG in the portal and the ones that visited obviously didnt commit with leads you to believe he told them it was for a smaller role. Relying on freshman makes me nervous, but I will say we now have 2 veteran PG's, 2 elite scoring options and then strong group of bigs should take a lot of pressure off them. Play defense, make 35% of your 3's is about all either should be asked to do. Anything above that feels like a bonus.
 

Fleckoff said:
I mean he went 7-11 in said league and was 3-10 before he got some of softer teams on the schedule. Cyclones bid was built on the run they had in the non con and then they got some good fortune in the draw with LSU firing Will Wade the night before and Johnny Davis playing at about half strength for a Wisconsin team that struggled beat Colgate, lost at home to Nebraska and had an early exit in the BTT
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Give the guy credit or put your head in the sand and move on. Beat Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Gophers played Wisconsin twice and what happened ? We get it you don’t like TJ .
 

Bayfieldgopher said:
We have a very small sample size for both players and will have to wait until Fall to see who is the top dog. I watched the Stanford game and Samuels probably had his best offensive game. 22pts, 7/13 FG, 7/8 FT's, 6 Reb, 2 Asst, 3 TO. Its been a while since I watched but I thought his D was solid.

It seems as if the majority assume that Cooper will be the PG. And that could be the case but I guess that Samuel will give it his best shot and make Ben's choice as difficult as possible.
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We have a small sample size of games on tape, but we have 3 seasons each of statistics. That's almost as good as you can get.

From an advanced stats perspective, in each of his 3 seasons Cooper has a higher PER (18, 13, 15) and eFG% (56, 50, 49) than Samuels PER (9, 10, 12) and eFG% (45, 45, 44).

They play in similar level conferences, but Samuels was on a shitty 9-16 team while Cooper was on a 23-11 team, and an NCAA tournment team the previous year.

Cooper has a clear PG skill set with his assist numbers (6/game) , while Samuels has never averaged more than 2/game.

And as I replied earlier Ben specifically talked about bringing in a combo guard to take a little pressure off Cooper so he doesn't have to carry the entire load.

I do really like that Samuels has a lot of experience and is as old as a 5th year player. I hope he comes off our bench and provides veteran leadership like Akeem Springs did for us. Regularly plays 15-25 minutes and can step into the starting lineup if necessary.
 


eker0016 said:
We have a small sample size of games on tape, but we have 3 seasons each of statistics. That's almost as good as you can get.

From an advanced stats perspective, in each of his 3 seasons Cooper has a higher PER (18, 13, 15) and eFG% (56, 50, 49) than Samuels PER (9, 10, 12) and eFG% (45, 45, 44).

They play in similar level conferences, but Samuels was on a shitty 9-16 team while Cooper was on a 23-11 team, and an NCAA tournment team the previous year.

Cooper has a clear PG skill set with his assist numbers (6/game) , while Samuels has never averaged more than 2/game.

And as I replied earlier Ben specifically talked about bringing in a combo guard to take a little pressure off Cooper so he doesn't have to carry the entire load.

I do really like that Samuels has a lot of experience and is as old as a 5th year player. I hope he comes off our bench and provides veteran leadership like Akeem Springs did for us. Regularly plays 15-25 minutes and can step into the starting lineup if necessary.
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yeah I don't think this one is real difficult. Cooper was brought in to be the starting point guard and Samuels was brought in to be the backup point guard who may also log some time as the 2 guard alongside Cooper.

I mean obviously anything can happen and maybe Samuels comes in, lights it up and wins the starting PG job, but at least on paper this one is pretty cut and dried.
 

Blackhammer said:
Give the guy credit or put your head in the sand and move on. Beat Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Gophers played Wisconsin twice and what happened ? We get it you don’t like TJ .
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It's more about crowning him the way many are. He did great last year, but he was one of the last teams to get in the tourney and they had a really rough 2nd half of the season. They earned their spot and a sweet sixteen birth is awesome, but it's not a crime to say they had a good path. Just like when MN lost as the 4 seed when they got a criminally under-seeded Middle Tennessee State team. In truth, its why looking at NCAA tourney results is a terrible measurement for success. The fact that TJ took a 2 win team and got them to the bubble and in the tourney is a great accomplishment and no one should argue otherwise. It's not better than what Tommy Lloyd did at Arizona though and some other turn arounds imo. It also doesn't mean he's a superior or inferior coach yet at this point. It's pretty fair to continue to bring up context when TJ keeps being brought up as the justification to not accepting Ben's last place finish last year.
 


Blackhammer said:
Give the guy credit or put your head in the sand and move on. Beat Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Gophers played Wisconsin twice and what happened ? We get it you don’t like TJ .
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Let it fckg rest! This is not an ISU forum and you have hijacked it long enough....
 
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BarnBurner said:
Do you think the incoming freshmen are dudes? Or will be?
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Admittedly, I don't follow high school basketball or recruiting very much. I know who the elite names are in Minnesota each year (i.e. Tyus, Tre, Suggs, Holmgren, etc.) and that's about it. I have not seen Payne play at all, but my sense from hearing about him is he definitely has a chance to be a "dude". Already having a Big Ten body (reportedly) is a nice start!

Carrington, I've at least seen him play. Solid player, but what I saw I wouldn't put him in the "dude" category. He was kind of invisible in the title game vs. Wayzata, and didn't even look like the best guard on the court. But again, that's a small sample, just my opinion. Ben has seen him play a multitude of times, so I'll put my faith in him that he and staff will develop Carrington and the other frosh.
 

alchemy2u said:
WTF, of course people support our coach!

This is a Gopher fan board.

It is not some wacko conspiracy no matter how your try to label it.
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  1. To bear the weight of, especially from below; keep from falling, sinking, or slipping.
  2. To bear or hold up (an amount of weight).
  3. To keep from weakening or failing; give confidence or comfort to.
1: the act of protecting : the state of being protected
2a: one that protects
b: supervision or support of one that is smaller and weaker

Take your time and understand the difference.
 

I believe Ben will succeed here.
alchemy2u said:
Let it fckg rest! This is not an ISU forum and you have hijacked it long enough....
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Four posts in several pages ,responses and not initiating ? I enjoy supporting Gophers sports so I’ll hijack away.
 



BarnBurner said:
  1. To bear the weight of, especially from below; keep from falling, sinking, or slipping.
  2. To bear or hold up (an amount of weight).
  3. To keep from weakening or failing; give confidence or comfort to.
1: the act of protecting : the state of being protected
2a: one that protects
b: supervision or support of one that is smaller and weaker

Take your time and understand the difference.
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Find your own bit and stop using definitions please.

Definition of cease and desist​


formal
: to stop (doing something) immediatelyThe company was ordered by the court to cease and desist from selling the photographs.
 


Gopherfan84 said:
Find your own bit and stop using definitions please.

Definition of cease and desist​


formal
: to stop (doing something) immediatelyThe company was ordered by the court to cease and desist from selling the photographs.
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jut wanna b lik 84
 

Blackhammer said:
Give the guy credit or put your head in the sand and move on. Beat Wisconsin in Milwaukee and the Gophers played Wisconsin twice and what happened ? We get it you don’t like TJ .
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We lost by a total of 7 points to Wisconsin in two games. If you would have watched the two Gopher/Wisconsin games you would now that both of those games were in serious doubt late in the game. In Wisconsin the game was tied 60-60 with about two minutes left in the game, and was 63-60 in the last 30 seconds. In Minnesota we lost by one point. In the Iowa State game Hepburn missed the last 25 minutes in that game because of a leg injury. The Gophers were not very deep last year, I agree, but it is not like Iowa State was WAY better than the Gophers.
 

Fleckoff said:
I mean he went 7-11 in said league and was 3-10 before he got some of softer teams on the schedule. Cyclones bid was built on the run they had in the non con and then they got some good fortune in the draw with LSU firing Will Wade the night before and Johnny Davis playing at about half strength for a Wisconsin team that struggled beat Colgate, lost at home to Nebraska and had an early exit in the BTT
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There really is no soft team in the Big 12. Last year maybe you could consider WV but with a soon to be HOF coach on the bench WV gave most teams fits. You also realize the ISU was a I believe a top 10 team with wins over 25 Xavier, 9 Memphis, Creighton, Iowa, 25 TT, 21 Texas,

I know a lot of people want to stop with the ISU/Gopher HC comparison's so I will with this last post. I like what I saw last year from Johnson after taking over a shell of a roster. I think the Gopher have a bright future with him at the helm, really bright. However, I don't believe he was anywhere near what Otzelberger did and did it in the toughest conference. Just one mans opinion.

Now let's move on to 2022 and what the new season will bring!!! GO GOPHER!!
 

RockChalk said:
There really is no soft team in the Big 12. Last year maybe you could consider WV but with a soon to be HOF coach on the bench WV gave most teams fits. You also realize the ISU was a I believe a top 10 team with wins over 25 Xavier, 9 Memphis, Creighton, Iowa, 25 TT, 21 Texas,

I know a lot of people want to stop with the ISU/Gopher HC comparison's so I will with this last post. I like what I saw last year from Johnson after taking over a shell of a roster. I think the Gopher have a bright future with him at the helm, really bright. However, I don't believe he was anywhere near what Otzelberger did and did it in the toughest conference. Just one mans opinion.

Now let's move on to 2022 and what the new season will bring!!! GO GOPHER!!
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I would say KSU was pretty soft last year, majority of the league had a losing record in league play. Anyways I just don't see what's so great about going 7-11 in league play. You had Baylor and Kansas with strong seasons, Tech surprised a lot of people, Teas was 10-8, rest of the league 8-10 or worse.
 

Nice write up on Samuels this week on GopherIllustrated. Strong leadership. Getting his body in B1G shape.

Had 2/1 assist/turnover ratio in 2021-22 so can take care of the ball. (Samuels has improved in this stat every year.) Strong FT % and 3 pt shooting began picking up the last three weeks last year closing out the conference winning 4/5.
 

ecoperson said:
Nice write up on Samuels this week on GopherIllustrated. Strong leadership. Getting his body in B1G shape.

Had 2/1 assist/turnover ratio in 2021-22 so can take care of the ball. (Samuels has improved in this stat every year.) Strong FT % and 3 pt shooting began picking up the last three weeks last year closing out the conference winning 4/5.
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Great article. I think Ben hit the nail on the head when he talked about a veteran point guard and bringing another person who is just comfortable with the ball in his hand.

That said, one small nit with the article (only because I see people say it a lot about Samuels), being a career 29% and last year's career high (31%) three point shooter, especially at decent volumes, is pretty bad. I really hope things change on that front, but he has not been a very good career shooter.

That's okay, I like him as a player, but I'm hoping for a good ball handler and best on defense. Anything he brings in terms of shooting will be a plus for me.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Great article. I think Ben hit the nail on the head when he talked about a veteran point guard and bringing another person who is just comfortable with the ball in his hand.

That said, one small nit with the article (only because I see people say it a lot about Samuels), being a career 29% and last year's career high (31%) three point shooter, especially at decent volumes, is pretty bad. I really hope things change on that front, but he has not been a very good career shooter.

That's okay, I like him as a player, but I'm hoping for a good ball handler and best on defense. Anything he brings in terms of shooting will be a plus for me.
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Hopefully he can surprise us from 3pt like Willis last season,
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Great article. I think Ben hit the nail on the head when he talked about a veteran point guard and bringing another person who is just comfortable with the ball in his hand.

That said, one small nit with the article (only because I see people say it a lot about Samuels), being a career 29% and last year's career high (31%) three point shooter, especially at decent volumes, is pretty bad. I really hope things change on that front, but he has not been a very good career shooter.

That's okay, I like him as a player, but I'm hoping for a good ball handler and best on defense. Anything he brings in terms of shooting will be a plus for me.
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We are going to want Battle/Garcia taking the bulk of shots anyway, so I don't care if he ever takes a 3 point attempt as long as he is setting others up for good looks. Hoping he can at least keep the defense honest with a 12-18 foot jump shot.
 




GopherBlood666 said:
Was Willis really a surprise though? I thought he shot around 40% at Charleston and was a big part of his game.
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He was a decent shooter before last year, but he was actually pretty elite last year.

Even if you took his best season 2020-2021, he shot 40% on decent volume (5.7 attempts per game). It's hard for me to say exactly how he got these shots while at Charleston because I didn't watch him, so I'm going to compare his style last year with his previous stop here.

He shot a significant number of his threes last year off the bounce - meaning he created his own 3pt opportunity. Traditionally, people shoot those at much lower rates than off of ball movement. His previous time with the Gophers, I'd guess 80% of 3 pt attempts came as a result of ball movement.

It's (usually) much much more difficult to find someone capable of creating their own 3 off the bounce than it is to find someone you can plop in the corner who can knock down open shots out of rotation.

For me, that jump from 40%-43% with that style of play (which was desperately needed by our team), was a pretty dramatic difference. He was a much better player than I thought he was going to be last year.
 

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