Updated Big Ten Projection (Post NBA Draft Decisions)

He certainly has not recruited like he is worried.
How would a worried guy recruit? Would such a person not recruit the 2 Minnesotans? That's what he was hired to do. You could be right... perhaps he has been assured of 4 years if scandal free. I will say this- all of the guys he has brought so far have been of good character to the best of our knowledge. So..maybe that is something he leans on. I like that part of his approach.
 

How would a worried guy recruit? Would such a person not recruit the 2 Minnesotans? That's what he was hired to do. You could be right... perhaps he has been assured of 4 years if scandal free. I will say this- all of the guys he has brought so far have been of good character to the best of our knowledge. So..maybe that is something he leans on. I like that part of his approach.
Compare Ben's recruiting to Rick Pitino at St Johns...turned the roster completely over and added 11 new guys...they'll likely be a top 25 team. ALL his guys shoot better than anybody we have.

Butch Beard Ole Miss - completely turned over the roster keeping a few guys....they will be twice as good.

Fred Hoiberg Nebraska - won 9 conference games and added 5 better players....won't be bottom 4. Guys who can shoot again.

Richard Pitino New Mexico - won 20 games his second year and and has a much improved roster heading into his third year...they'll likely be a top 25 team. Added like 6 guys.

Indiana, Ohio State, Arkansas, Kansas, West Virginia, TCU, Villanova, Texas, Penn State ...on and on Top Portal Teams Minnesota is ranked at 82 and with 3 low level commits. That ain't a guy worried about getting fired. Ben recruits two high school developmental players like he's going to be here for the next 5 years. EVERYBODY including Ben says older is the way to go. Ben is developing freshmen into sophomores. Freshmen. No freshmen started in the Final Four. Somewhere I read 23 freshmen averaged double figures in scoring in all of DI ...13 of those were Top 25 recruits....some similar numbers to that.

The approach is not a guy worried about getting fired or winning now....he's building for year 6.
 

Compare Ben's recruiting to Rick Pitino at St Johns...turned the roster completely over and added 11 new guys...they'll likely be a top 25 team. ALL his guys shoot better than anybody we have.

Butch Beard Ole Miss - completely turned over the roster keeping a few guys....they will be twice as good.

Fred Hoiberg Nebraska - won 9 conference games and added 5 better players....won't be bottom 4. Guys who can shoot again.

Richard Pitino New Mexico - won 20 games his second year and and has a much improved roster heading into his third year...they'll likely be a top 25 team. Added like 6 guys.

Indiana, Ohio State, Arkansas, Kansas, West Virginia, TCU, Villanova, Texas, Penn State ...on and on Top Portal Teams Minnesota is ranked at 82 and with 3 low level commits. That ain't a guy worried about getting fired. Ben recruits two high school developmental players like he's going to be here for the next 5 years. EVERYBODY including Ben says older is the way to go. Ben is developing freshmen into sophomores. Freshmen. No freshmen started in the Final Four. Somewhere I read 23 freshmen averaged double figures in scoring in all of DI ...13 of those were Top 25 recruits....some similar numbers to that.

The approach is not a guy worried about getting fired or winning now....he's building for year 6.
Today I learned a 4 star transfer is a low level commit.
 

Compare Ben's recruiting to Rick Pitino at St Johns...turned the roster completely over and added 11 new guys...they'll likely be a top 25 team. ALL his guys shoot better than anybody we have.

Butch Beard Ole Miss - completely turned over the roster keeping a few guys....they will be twice as good.

Fred Hoiberg Nebraska - won 9 conference games and added 5 better players....won't be bottom 4. Guys who can shoot again.

Richard Pitino New Mexico - won 20 games his second year and and has a much improved roster heading into his third year...they'll likely be a top 25 team. Added like 6 guys.

Indiana, Ohio State, Arkansas, Kansas, West Virginia, TCU, Villanova, Texas, Penn State ...on and on Top Portal Teams Minnesota is ranked at 82 and with 3 low level commits. That ain't a guy worried about getting fired. Ben recruits two high school developmental players like he's going to be here for the next 5 years. EVERYBODY including Ben says older is the way to go. Ben is developing freshmen into sophomores. Freshmen. No freshmen started in the Final Four. Somewhere I read 23 freshmen averaged double figures in scoring in all of DI ...13 of those were Top 25 recruits....some similar numbers to that.

The approach is not a guy worried about getting fired or winning now....he's building for year 6.
I like Hawkins and Mitchell a lot. They are not low level.

Of course Ben assumes he will be here- you have to recruit like that, talk like that and think like that.
Ben is smart to prepare for future success, because he has to plan for the idea that he succeeds this year. As I have posted in the past- I think that the 9 frosh (including Evans who left for $$$) that Ben has been able to sign are the best signs that he could succeed. I think that the 7 that are still on board are a good foundation to build off of.

To get there he has to win enough this year. I can't believe he hasn't been told that.
 



Today I learned a 4 star transfer is a low level commit.
Cute, I'm happy for you. Here's where we rank with our portal additions....Screenshot 2023-06-02 at 3.38.15 PM.pngTell 247 you think we should be ranked higher. Mitchell's Pepperdine teammate, Maxwell Lewis is going to be a 1st round NBA Draft pick. Defenses concentrated on him...not Mitchell. We don't have that guy to make Mitchell's job in the Big Ten an easier transition.
I agree Mitchell is a nice player but he has won 25% of his games at Pepperdine and he had an NBA 1st round teammate? Mitchell shot 40% from 3 but averaged 11 points.
Hawkins is nice too but we lost a 4 star among our 2nd and 3rd leading scorers. We won two games.
 
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Cute, I'm happy for you. Here's where we rank with our portal additions....View attachment 25569Tell 247 you think we should be ranked higher. Mitchell's Pepperdine teammate, Maxwell Lewis is going to be a 1st round NBA Draft pick. Defenses concentrated on him...not Mitchell. We don't have that guy to make Mitchell's job in the Big Ten an easier transition.
I agree Mitchell is a nice player but he has won 25% of his games at Pepperdine and he had an NBA 1st round teammate? Mitchell shot 40% from 3 but averaged 11 points.
Hawkins is nice too but we lost a 4 star among our 2nd and 3rd leading scorers. We won two games.
You should email 247 and tell them to rank the other 2 commits the Gophers got. The reason they're ranked where they are is because the rankings only count 1 player the Gophers got.
 

You should email 247 and tell them to rank the other 2 commits the Gophers got. The reason they're ranked where they are is because the rankings only count 1 player the Gophers got.

Any bump we get with Hawkins is outweighed by the fact that Wilson is a zero star walk on equivalent.
 




You should email 247 and tell them to rank the other 2 commits the Gophers got. The reason they're ranked where they are is because the rankings only count 1 player the Gophers got.
You follow the intricacies way closer than I do....likely you are correct. For me, we finished last...we lost two main stay players. We think we added two that fit the roster better. But, one, most of the other teams got better...it's pretty easy to think we are the same unless somebody from the Christie, Betts, Fox, Ihnen group is outstanding or at least they equal one really good addition together. Then we are better but it's still marginal unless one is sensational. We need a best player addition. We won two games with Garcia and two good players....with the additions that's the best anyone can argue we have equaled....and that was good enough to be on the bottom.

I would like us to be good. I think it is possible but odds are much against it.
 





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