What is wrong with this picture?

[AuggieGopher]

Ok I am a big advocate of how underrated Minnesota Basketball has been as a whole for the past few years, but this is something I can't understand. Saint Thomas wins a DIII National Championship 2011 with mostly Minnesota kids, Minnesota State-Mankato is in the Elite 8 for DII with mostly Minnesota kids, SCSU goes to the Championship game last year in DII with mostly Minnesota kids. I realize you will all say that its a totally different level but when you are winning national championships there is no denying that these kids can play.

Yet, our beloved Gophers cant sniff the NIT.

Moral to the story is that if the Gophers would recruit any of these kids to go along with the Minnesotans that we have we would definitely be playing this late in March.

I for one would love to have a coach that can realize what he can do with the players in his own backyard and not some third rate prospects in California or Georgia.

 

[Rosemountian]

If Minnesota and Mankato State traded schedules the gophers would have had at worst 2-3 losses even with the injury problems.
If Mankato State traded schedules with the gophers they would not have likely have gone winless in Big Ten play.

Granted that is just my opinion.

 

[DontHassleTheHoff]

If Minnesota and Mankato State traded schedules the gophers would have had at worst 2-3 losses even with the injury problems.
If Mankato State traded schedules with the gophers they would not have likely have gone winless in Big Ten play.

Granted that is just my opinion.

Agreed. I understand your point that obviously there is a lot of good talent here in MN, but the fact of the matter is there is a significant talent gap between a solid DII program and a Big Ten program.

 

[From the Barn]

And Idaho has super power juco programs. What is your point?

 

[GopherFan75]

If Minnesota and Mankato State traded schedules the gophers would have had at worst 2-3 losses even with the injury problems.
If Mankato State traded schedules with the gophers they would not have likely have gone winless in Big Ten play.

Granted that is just my opinion.

MSU-Mankato is no longer known as Mankato State.

 

[Go Gophs eh?]

so recruit zach lofton over andre hollins? yea ok there bud

 

[GopherFan75]

I was just thinking the other day that this team needs some D-3 caliber players to turn things around.

 

[matt]

I was just thinking the other day that this team needs some D-3 caliber players to turn things around.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I think it shows that there are a lot of good b-ball players in the state of Minnesota. Doesn't mean that they are all Big Ten caliber players however. But it is pretty cool to have so many local kids doing so well.

If the Gophers can keep the top in-state guys home for the most part, and sprinkle in some good players from around the country, we can be very good. 3 out of the top 6 players for wisky including the best 2 are MN kids.

 

[EG#9]

The JUCO comparison doesn't work, because the Idaho JC's are not made up of Idaho kids. Indian Hills in Iowa used to be the dominant JC in basketball and they would never have an Iowan in their starting lineup.

The Gophers could "sniff" the NIT, saying that they couldn't "sniff" it implies that they were not close to a bid. Nobody cares about the NIT though, it is embarrassing enough missing the NCAA's.

I don't think anyone could argue that a team of all Minnesotans would do well this year, provided you picked the right guys. I think we've seen some guys stand out that nobody on this board ever insinuated that the Gophers missed out on. I'd much rather recruit nationally than take a local kid out of fear that he might be better than expected.

 

[millions2spare]

mark Dienhardt is the AD at St Thomas. Imagine if he still had the job at Minnesota. We would not be in the mess we are in now. That is the real story here..

 

[jovs]

Some of the players that got away could have helped the Gophers this year, I'm thinking Rundles at Wofford.

 

[Rosemountian]

mark Dienhardt is the AD at St Thomas. Imagine if he still had the job at Minnesota. We would not be in the mess we are in now. That is the real story here..

He is actually the president of St. Thomas....he was the AD for the U of M at the end of the Haskins era.......That went well.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

While I wouldn't want the DII and DIII players Auggie mentioned...but there are a number of D1 players that are from Mn still playing in the NCAA that would have been a great addition to our team...even beyond the ones at Wiscy.

 

[fryguy22]

The JUCO comparison doesn't work, because the Idaho JC's are not made up of Idaho kids. Indian Hills in Iowa used to be the dominant JC in basketball and they would never have an Iowan in their starting lineup.

The Gophers could "sniff" the NIT, saying that they couldn't "sniff" it implies that they were not close to a bid. Nobody cares about the NIT though, it is embarrassing enough missing the NCAA's.

I don't think anyone could argue that a team of all Minnesotans would do well this year, provided you picked the right guys. I think we've seen some guys stand out that nobody on this board ever insinuated that the Gophers missed out on. I'd much rather recruit nationally than take a local kid out of fear that he might be better than expected.

This.

It's easy to say after the fact that Player X from MN could have helped us....but we can't give a scholarship to every MN kid that has any type of D1 offer. If a better national recruit is there it makes sense to take him.