Wally Ellenson commits

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Great news- a nice get for Tubby. Can never have enough good shooters.
 

I wasn't aware Wally was a good shooter. Mayne he added that to his game this year?
 


Go Gophs eh? said:
I wasn't aware Wally was a good shooter. Mayne he added that to his game this year?
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Wally's best attribute at this point is his athleticism. I think it's fair to say he will come in physically ready to play, but he has a little ways to go in terms of skill development. He's not a great shooter or ball-handler yet, but if he is able to further develop his perimeter skills, he could be a nice wing with all of his athleticism. I would guess he's primarily a SF at the next level. If one of Wally or Joe Coleman are able to handle and shoot well enough to play SG, Tubby could have a very athletic combo on the wings.
 


Not to take away the attention from Wally - happy for him and glad to see him joining the program - but a couple of related thoughts:

1) I need to more fully forgive his dad for leaving MU. Since he was recruited by Majerus, who then left, I am at peace with it. The part about heading west to play for Becky... that may be irreconcilable.

2) We're a long way from 2015, but I think the youngest brother Henry could turn out to be REAL good.
 

Go Gophs eh? said:
I wasn't aware Wally was a good shooter. Mayne he added that to his game this year?
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Probably my bad- thought I had heard that he shoots it really well. Hope he does......
 

Gopher Warrior said:
2) We're a long way from 2015, but I think the youngest brother Henry could turn out to be REAL good.
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Absolutely agree with this. Incoming HS freshman Henry looks like he has the potential to be an excellent player down the road. He is still growing into his 6'5" or so body, so he doesn't move all that well yet, but he has a great looking shot. I will be anxious to see what sort of year Rice Lake has this season with all three Ellensons on the roster. I would assume Henry will get lots of good looks with all the attention focused on Wally's slashing, so it could be a big year for the freshman.
 

I have heard that Henry is already the tallest of the three boys even though he is the youngest.
 



CDH27 said:
I have heard that Henry is already the tallest of the three boys even though he is the youngest.
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Their heights are pretty close, though I would actually guess that Wally is just a tad taller. I would say Henry is the best shooter even though he's just an incoming freshman.
 

bga1 said:
Probably my bad- thought I had heard that he shoots it really well. Hope he does......
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The game tubby watched he hit 6 threes. And had like 30 points. I think his shot is improving, but he is not hoff by any means.
 

One of Wally's family members is the one that told me the youngest brother is now the tallest. I'm guessing if he is taller than Wally, it's not by much as they look very similar in height when they walk together.
 

After reading Chris Monter's article, and seeing that Wally has a brother named Ellwood, it made me think of this possibility: we could potentially have a frontcourt consisting of Elliot Elliason and Elwood Ellenson, two big white guys, now THAT would confuse the announcers.
 





scher215 said:
All part of Tubby's plan to create more Sportscenter comments about Minnesota and thus icrease exposure to recruits ... brilliant
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That and confuse Sid Hartman so badly that he finally can't take it any more.
 


No WVU for Wally. Great to see Wally at the U. He had without question the most impressive dunk of the summer in Ca. Can't believe it's not on youtube somewhere. Going to fun to watch him the next four years. Ellwood is the tallest of the brothers by a bit. Henry is a great (streaky) shooter for a 14 year old. A lot of potential.
 

Mark my words... This is a Mistake... at best he is a poor man's Rodney Williams
 



HavaGo4 said:
Mark my words... This is a Mistake... at best he is a poor man's Rodney Williams
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Not a mistake. I've seen him play a bunch of times. If Sanjay Lumpkin good enough for Northwestern Ellenson is good enough for the Gophers. The comparison to Jacobson is a good one. Not as pure of a shooter as Sam but is not as bad as some people have posted. probably quicker then Jacobson too.
 

A good friend of mine is pretty tuned in to the Cheesehead basketball scene and these were his observations about Ellenson:

1. Ellenson is a fantastic athlete, a 6-10 high jumper in HS, and he can shoot it. He told me the comparisons to Slammin' Sammy make sense to him, but coming out of HS he wouldn't quite put him in Sam's category.

2. The concern that he is a complete head case (along with his father) is legitimate. The "C" word is the word he used. He said there's a reason Bo didn't make him one of his top priorities. Bo was rather indifferent on a pretty good in-state prospect whose father played for the Badgers? That tells me something.

Don't follow recruiting much, but from what I can gather it's a solid signing. Anyone being compared to Sam is a good start. It sounds to me like he could be similar to Rodney, but in the end a better shooter. I'm a little worried about the "C" word thing (see Devoe Joseph's body language for much of his Gopher career), but if Tubby can handle Lawrence (who I liked) and Mr. Westbrook, I'm sure he can handle the Ellenson kid and his father.
 

SelectionSunday said:
A good friend of mine is pretty tuned in to the Cheesehead basketball scene and these were his observations about Ellenson:

1. Ellenson is a fantastic athlete, a 6-10 high jumper in HS, and he can shoot it. He told me the comparisons to Slammin' Sammy make sense to him, but coming out of HS he wouldn't quite put him in Sam's category.

2. The concern that he is a complete head case (along with his father) is legitimate. The "C" word is the word he used. He said there's a reason Bo didn't make him one of his top priorities. Bo was rather indifferent on a pretty good in-state prospect whose father played for the Badgers? That tells me something.

Don't follow recruiting much, but from what I can gather it's a solid signing. Anyone being compared to Sam is a good start. It sounds to me like he could be similar to Rodney, but in the end a better shooter. I'm a little worried about the "C" word thing (see Devoe Joseph's body language for much of his Gopher career), but if Tubby can handle Lawrence (who I liked) and Mr. Westbrook, I'm sure he can handle the Ellenson kid and his father.
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There was a story (I think posted on here) that at his old HS when he'd play basketball and get intentionally hit and injured and fought. Not sure if kids just didn't like him or if he is a "C" word, but I am sure he knows Tubby's coaching style (I don't think he hides it) and Tubby will not put up with a poor attitude.
 

I saw Wally play multiple times this summer for Pump n Run and I never saw any attitude issues from Wally or his family. The entire family was very supportive of Wally and the entire team. Wally's mother in particular was extremely encouraging to all team members (even when there was a mistake made) during both tournaments I attended. If there were issues before, they certainly weren't evident this summer. What I witnessed was a skilled basketball player and athlete that plays the game very aggressively (in a positive way) and gets along with his teammates very well.
 

I'm not as worried as Tubby handling him as I am Wally not fitting in with the team and creating a schism/chism however you spell it. thanks to the 2009/2010 vikes for that one.
 


Transition to college from high school is difficult for every kid. No reason to think Wally will struggle anymore/less than others. The fact he is closer to home should be a benefit to him and his play. As far as his parents are concerned.........we aren't talking Humphries father at all. Comparison to RW is interesting. Some would say he's a rich man's RW cuz he can do a lot of things RW has struggled with so far.
 

HavaGo4 said:
Mark my words... This is a Mistake... at best he is a poor man's Rodney Williams
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I live in Wisconsin and have seen Wally play. He is more of a poor man's Sam Jacobson than Rodney Williams. Wally is a great athlete, but Sam was a much better player at this point in HS. However, Wally is a much better shooter than Rodney Williams. Saying that it is a mistake to sign Wally is unfounded.

Also, I went to HS and graduated with Wally's dad in Menomonie. I would say that calling him a headcase is totally unfair and off base as well. He was a pretty nice guy to everyone and when we talked in college, he was still a great guy and very down to earth.
 

His video reminds me a lot of Sam Jacobson. I'll take that. Welcome aboard Wally!
 

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