UPDATED 6/2: Joey King a Gopher, on full scholarship!

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Never watched King play in high school or college, but how would he compare to a Jon Leuer type player? If I remember correctly, Leuer was a tall, scrawny, jump shooting PF coming out of HS as well, and developed into a very nice player after he improved his play in the post.
 

Can someone tell me how we plan to rebound the ball at a better than mediocre level next season? Isn't King well below average at rebounding for his position?
 


Gopherguy0723 said:
Can someone tell me how we plan to rebound the ball at a better than mediocre level next season? Isn't King well below average at rebounding for his position?
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Didn't he lead Drake in rebounds last year? It's not like he can't grab a single board...

I hope Buggs can earn the starting job if Buckles can't play next year.
 

People vastly overrate height, weight, strength, etc. in determining rebounding ability.
 


dpodoll68 said:
People vastly overrate height, weight, strength, etc. in determining rebounding ability.
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Footwork, technique and desire. I hate to quote the Grinch, but those are the three things he says go into rebounding.
 


No. King did not lead Drake in boards. He is a well below average rebounder. This team is filling up with non-impact players. Just another run-of-the-mill player.
 

BigGopherFan said:
No. King did not lead Drake in boards. He is a well below average rebounder. This team is filling up with non-impact players. Just another run-of-the-mill player.
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Can you please tell me where Mr. Pitino was supposed to find an Impact player at this juncture? Dont tell me "bank the scholarship", because thats ludacris to think we were going to land 5 "impact players" in next years recruting class. Also, it is not a good thing to have that unbalanced of a class breakdown. While I would be concerned if Pitino came out and said with his arms around King in a press conference "prepare to see the new face of Minnesota Basketball, this is my prototype for winning a Big 10 Championship" that is very far from what we are seeing here. Rich is trying to put as close to "His brand" of basketball on the court, and apparently he didnt feel like he could with what he had. Otto was either too slow, or Rich used that new gym that appeared across from his office the other day and had a few shootarounds with some players and realized the guys cannot shoot. So Rich went and got a shooter.

I understand the critique, and the concern, and maybe even some of the worry, but the jabs like "filling up with non impact players" that make absolutely 0 sense are what bother the hell out of me. That and guys like Parski trying to compare everything Rich is doing with what Tubby could have done... Slot machine style eye rolling going on when I read their posts....
 



Winasota Gopher said:
Can you please tell me where Mr. Pitino was supposed to find an Impact player at this juncture? Dont tell me "bank the scholarship", because thats ludacris to think we were going to land 5 "impact players" in next years recruting class. Also, it is not a good thing to have that unbalanced of a class breakdown. While I would be concerned if Pitino came out and said with his arms around King in a press conference "prepare to see the new face of Minnesota Basketball, this is my prototype for winning a Big 10 Championship" that is very far from what we are seeing here. Rich is trying to put as close to "His brand" of basketball on the court, and apparently he didnt feel like he could with what he had. Otto was either too slow, or Rich used that new gym that appeared across from his office the other day and had a few shootarounds with some players and realized the guys cannot shoot. So Rich went and got a shooter.

I understand the critique, and the concern, and maybe even some of the worry, but the jabs like "filling up with non impact players" that make absolutely 0 sense are what bother the hell out of me. That and guys like Parski trying to compare everything Rich is doing with what Tubby could have done... Slot machine style eye rolling going on when I read their posts....
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ludacris.jpg
 

BigGopherFan said:
No. King did not lead Drake in boards. He is a well below average rebounder. This team is filling up with non-impact players. Just another run-of-the-mill player.
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Read that wrong... I think he's going to be a nice roll player. Define well below average rebounder?

Is fourth in freshman scoring and first in rebounding in MVC games ... notched his first double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds at Illinois State ... had a team-high 17 points at Creighton ... is 23-of-44 from the field in the last four games ... matched a career-high with 21 points against Missouri State ... scored a team-high 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Wichita State ... hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds, four offensive, with five points and three assists against NC Central ... had a pair of three-pointers in the loss to Iowa State ... had a team and career-high 21 points in the loss to Xavier on 5-of-7 shooting from the three-point arc ... scored five points through the first two games in Anaheim ... scored eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line with two rebounds at Detroit ... had 12 points with three three-pointers in the opener against William Jewell ... exploded for 22 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the arc with three offensive boards in the exhibition against SBU.

High School -- King averaged 23.9 points and six rebounds as a senior
 

Joey will help us. He is a willing if not spectacular rebounder, and he will get better at it. He will be a great pick and pop guy from the start, he demands attention out on the floor because he can shoot.

In the worst case scenario that people are imagining, (how will he match up with Payne and the like) they will have to guard him out on the floor...thus unclogging the inside. If they put a smaller guy on him, he can take advantage down low.

He is a gym rat, and a 4 year player and will get better, and I don't mind that kind of player at all.
 




HOOP DREAMS said:
Read that wrong... I think he's going to be a nice roll player. Define well below average rebounder?

Is fourth in freshman scoring and first in rebounding in MVC games ... notched his first double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds at Illinois State ... had a team-high 17 points at Creighton ... is 23-of-44 from the field in the last four games ... matched a career-high with 21 points against Missouri State ... scored a team-high 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Wichita State ... hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds, four offensive, with five points and three assists against NC Central ... had a pair of three-pointers in the loss to Iowa State ... had a team and career-high 21 points in the loss to Xavier on 5-of-7 shooting from the three-point arc ... scored five points through the first two games in Anaheim ... scored eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line with two rebounds at Detroit ... had 12 points with three three-pointers in the opener against William Jewell ... exploded for 22 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the arc with three offensive boards in the exhibition against SBU.

High School -- King averaged 23.9 points and six rebounds as a senior
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Bu..bu...but he averages 8pts a game......
 


Also had four 35 pt.+ games as a senior at Eastview...in a pretty darn good high school league.
 

leftyslefty said:
Joey will help us. He is a willing if not spectacular rebounder, and he will get better at it. He will be a great pick and pop guy from the start, he demands attention out on the floor because he can shoot.

In the worst case scenario that people are imagining, (how will he match up with Payne and the like) they will have to guard him out on the floor...thus unclogging the inside. If they put a smaller guy on him, he can take advantage down low.

He is a gym rat, and a 4 year player and will get better, and I don't mind that kind of player at all.
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Agree completely.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Footwork, technique and desire. I hate to quote the Grinch, but those are the three things he says go into rebounding.
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I was going to say "positional awareness and want-to", but yeah, he and I are basically on the same wavelength.

I need to go bathe in bleach now.
 

Mulligan said:
Are you watching Tubby's offense against a zone?
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Parski enjoys a team awkwardly passing it around the perimeter before chucking something up in desperation at the end of the shot clock. It's just aesthetic differences.
 

BigGopherFan said:
No. King did not lead Drake in boards. He is a well below average rebounder. This team is filling up with non-impact players. Just another run-of-the-mill player.
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I know that you don't mean it as a compliment, but dang, I'd be pretty pumped if our bench was filled with run-of-the-mill players.
If Joey King doesn't improve much and he's essentially a stretch 4 who can't rebound. . .he is what we HOPED Oto could have become.
If Dre Mathieu is a decent PG, can handle and allow Dre Hollins to play off the ball a bit. . .he is what we HOPED Mac could be.
Malik Smith is a 1 yr guy, I would have loved to have another good shooter on the bench last year.

Imagine how much better we would have been last year with an Oto who was a good shooter, with a legit backup PG and a legit additional shooter.

I'll take it.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I know that you don't mean it as a compliment, but dang, I'd be pretty pumped if our bench was filled with run-of-the-mill players.
If Joey King doesn't improve much and he's essentially a stretch 4 who can't rebound. . .he is what we HOPED Oto could have become.
If Dre Mathieu is a decent PG, can handle and allow Dre Hollins to play off the ball a bit. . .he is what we HOPED Mac could be.
Malik Smith is a 1 yr guy, I would have loved to have another good shooter on the bench last year.

Imagine how much better we would have been last year with an Oto who was a good shooter, with a legit backup PG and a legit additional shooter.

I'll take it.
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I would completely agree with you if it wasn't for the pesky problem that we also need to replace three starters and a couple fairly valuable reserves. The new players definitely should address some of the needs of last year's team.

I have no idea how this will play out. It will be fun to watch.
 


golfing18now said:
I would completely agree with you if it wasn't for the pesky problem that we also need to replace three starters and a couple fairly valuable reserves. The new players definitely should address some of the needs of last year's team.

I have no idea how this will play out. It will be fun to watch.
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I completely understand what you're saying, but I guess I never thought that we were going to find replacements for Mbakwe and Rodney with this recruiting cycle. That's what makes college basketball interesting, players leave and you just can't replace them with free agents. The younger guys need to step up.

Replacing Mbakwe is going to be impossible. I don't think we would have found a replacement with Alex Foster and I don't think we'll be able to just find replacements in recruiting. He was a special player. You can't really blame a coach for a guy of Mbakwe's caliber graduating.

Yeah, losing Joe Coleman hurts because he was a decent player. But I've noticed that some people on here are upset about losing a decent player (borderline starter/bench player) and then upset when we replace that player with another guy who is simply decent. I don't think there is much of a difference in terms of ability between Malik Smith and Joe Coleman. So while I think Joe could play and help us, I don't think it will be statistically much more than Malik Smith will help us. I could be wrong.

Julian Welch? I try not to bash Gopher players, but if Dre Mathieu doesn't do more than Welch, we are in some trouble. He was terrible last year. If Dre Mathieu plays OK basketball (decent Big 10 basketball player level) and takes a large portion of the minutes from Welch and Mav (from last year). . .that's a massive upgrade. Welch was a reserve, the fact that he was playing was a problem.

Andre Ingram? I'm not trying to bash Andre, but he put up under 2 points and under 2 rebounds per game. He had some nice moments and he provided decent depth, but I'd be shocked if we didn't get quite a bit more out of Joey King, heck for as bad as Oto has been, we got about as much out of him as we did Andre.

My main point is that we have been stuck giving minutes to a lot of guys who are not Big 10 caliber basketball players. Malik Smith is an obvious no-brainer, he isn't a gamble at all (he's gone after this year). The people who don't seem to like Joey King don't seem to like him because he won't be a complete basketball player. But if King is simply a big guy off the bench who can shoot and give us some QUALITY depth, I am all for the signing. I also thought we desperately needed a PG, so I can't blame a coach for bringing in a JuCo PG. So to sum up my incredibly long winded point. . .if Joey King, Dre Mathieu and Malik Smith are nothing more than QUALITY reserves. . .the signings make a ton of sense.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I completely understand what you're saying, but I guess I never thought that we were going to find replacements for Mbakwe and Rodney with this recruiting cycle. That's what makes college basketball interesting, players leave and you just can't replace them with free agents. The younger guys need to step up.

Replacing Mbakwe is going to be impossible. I don't think we would have found a replacement with Alex Foster and I don't think we'll be able to just find replacements in recruiting. He was a special player. You can't really blame a coach for a guy of Mbakwe's caliber graduating.

Yeah, losing Joe Coleman hurts because he was a decent player. But I've noticed that some people on here are upset about losing a decent player (borderline starter/bench player) and then upset when we replace that player with another guy who is simply decent. I don't think there is much of a difference in terms of ability between Malik Smith and Joe Coleman. So while I think Joe could play and help us, I don't think it will be statistically much more than Malik Smith will help us. I could be wrong.

Julian Welch? I try not to bash Gopher players, but if Dre Mathieu doesn't do more than Welch, we are in some trouble. He was terrible last year. If Dre Mathieu plays OK basketball (decent Big 10 basketball player level) and takes a large portion of the minutes from Welch and Mav (from last year). . .that's a massive upgrade. Welch was a reserve, the fact that he was playing was a problem.

Andre Ingram? I'm not trying to bash Andre, but he put up under 2 points and under 2 rebounds per game. He had some nice moments and he provided decent depth, but I'd be shocked if we didn't get quite a bit more out of Joey King, heck for as bad as Oto has been, we got about as much out of him as we did Andre.

My main point is that we have been stuck giving minutes to a lot of guys who are not Big 10 caliber basketball players. Malik Smith is an obvious no-brainer, he isn't a gamble at all (he's gone after this year). The people who don't seem to like Joey King don't seem to like him because he won't be a complete basketball player. But if King is simply a big guy off the bench who can shoot and give us some QUALITY depth, I am all for the signing. I also thought we desperately needed a PG, so I can't blame a coach for bringing in a JuCo PG. So to sum up my incredibly long winded point. . .if Joey King, Dre Mathieu and Malik Smith are nothing more than QUALITY reserves. . .the signings make a ton of sense.
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I think you underestimate what Andre Ingram could do defensively and on the glass. He would have been a lock to start this year IMO if he had another year.
 

Gold Vision said:
I think you underestimate what Andre Ingram could do defensively and on the glass. He would have been a lock to start this year IMO if he had another year.
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Yeah Ingram gave us some nice minutes last year. He was pretty damn good defensively and made some contributions offensively. He just got unlucky being stuck behind Mbakwe and Williams. If he was still with the team he would definately make a run at the starting PF spot along with Buggs.
 

Gold Vision said:
I think you underestimate what Andre Ingram could do defensively and on the glass. He would have been a lock to start this year IMO if he had another year.
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Andre starting or playing significant minutes is a problem, and means you don't have quality Big 10 players.
 


Gopherguy0723 said:
It is sad that you have to point that out.
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Thats the situation our frontcourt is in this year unless we get Buckles and Buggs contributes as a Freshman. If Ingram was on the roster he would probably would be getting 15-20 minutes a game.
 

60's Guy said:
If you are saying Mauer couldn't play basketball...you are an idiot because I did watch him play basketball.
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So did I...Mauer had a great shot...Joe was athletic enough to play hoops and be solid at it if that was his only sport..but obviously his mind was set in two others.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I completely understand what you're saying, but I guess I never thought that we were going to find replacements for Mbakwe and Rodney with this recruiting cycle. That's what makes college basketball interesting, players leave and you just can't replace them with free agents. The younger guys need to step up.

Replacing Mbakwe is going to be impossible. I don't think we would have found a replacement with Alex Foster and I don't think we'll be able to just find replacements in recruiting. He was a special player. You can't really blame a coach for a guy of Mbakwe's caliber graduating.

Yeah, losing Joe Coleman hurts because he was a decent player. But I've noticed that some people on here are upset about losing a decent player (borderline starter/bench player) and then upset when we replace that player with another guy who is simply decent. I don't think there is much of a difference in terms of ability between Malik Smith and Joe Coleman. So while I think Joe could play and help us, I don't think it will be statistically much more than Malik Smith will help us. I could be wrong.

Julian Welch? I try not to bash Gopher players, but if Dre Mathieu doesn't do more than Welch, we are in some trouble. He was terrible last year. If Dre Mathieu plays OK basketball (decent Big 10 basketball player level) and takes a large portion of the minutes from Welch and Mav (from last year). . .that's a massive upgrade. Welch was a reserve, the fact that he was playing was a problem.

Andre Ingram? I'm not trying to bash Andre, but he put up under 2 points and under 2 rebounds per game. He had some nice moments and he provided decent depth, but I'd be shocked if we didn't get quite a bit more out of Joey King, heck for as bad as Oto has been, we got about as much out of him as we did Andre.

My main point is that we have been stuck giving minutes to a lot of guys who are not Big 10 caliber basketball players. Malik Smith is an obvious no-brainer, he isn't a gamble at all (he's gone after this year). The people who don't seem to like Joey King don't seem to like him because he won't be a complete basketball player. But if King is simply a big guy off the bench who can shoot and give us some QUALITY depth, I am all for the signing. I also thought we desperately needed a PG, so I can't blame a coach for bringing in a JuCo PG. So to sum up my incredibly long winded point. . .if Joey King, Dre Mathieu and Malik Smith are nothing more than QUALITY reserves. . .the signings make a ton of sense.
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Well stated. Your argument makes sense. I actually like what I've seen this spring and am curious what he can do when he has a full recruiting cycle next fall/spring.
 

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