Who plays, sits and red-shirts next year?

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The following is my guess:
Center: Walker (Starter), Eliason & Konate (tied for first off the bench depending on situation)
PF: King (Starter and possibly fill in at SF), Diediou, Buggs (fill in at small forward?), Martin
SF:Morris (Starter and can fill in at SG too)
SG: Andre (starter), McNeil (can fill in at SF too)
PG: Deandre, Mason, Shell
Redshirt: Lofton

I don't see anyone besides Lofton Redshirting this year unless one of the 2 power forwards are open to it and I am guessing they aren't. We are now suddenly deep with the biggies:clap: but true SF are thin to non-existant. I see Konate and Eliason sharing similar minutes off the bench with Eliason having the edge but I see Konate coming in to stretch the defense and Eliason in for a spark, rebounding and defensive presence. I know McNeil can fill in at small forward since he did it last year. I don't know who else to put there besides Morris who I think will play there since I suspect he will be too good to be on the bench. Maybe I should call it a 3 guard lineup but I see too much talent in the PF lineup to see 4 of them playing there exclusively and not trying to move at least one of them to SF some of the time.
 

Ragnor said:
The following is my guess:
Center: Walker (Starter), Eliason & Konate (tied for first off the bench depending on situation)
PF: King (Starter and possibly fill in at SF), Diediou, Buggs (fill in at small forward?), Martin
SF:Morris (Starter and can fill in at SG too)
SG: Andre (starter), McNeil (can fill in at SF too)
PG: Deandre, Mason, Shell
Redshirt: Lofton

I don't see anyone besides Lofton Redshirting this year unless one of the 2 power forwards are open to it and I am guessing they aren't. We are now suddenly deep with the biggies:clap: but true SF are thin to non-existant. I see Konate and Eliason sharing similar minutes off the bench with Eliason having the edge but I see Konate coming in to stretch the defense and Eliason in for a spark, rebounding and defensive presence. I know McNeil can fill in at small forward since he did it last year. I don't know who else to put there besides Morris who I think will play there since I suspect he will be too good to be on the bench. Maybe I should call it a 3 guard lineup but I see too much talent in the PF lineup to see 4 of them playing there exclusively and not trying to move at least one of them to SF some of the time.
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PG-Mathieu/Hollins/Mason
SG-Hollins/Mcneil/Mason
SF-Morris/Mcneil-We could see Pitino go small by playing Mathieu, Mason and Hollins together.
PF-King/Martin/Buggs/Diedihou
C-Walker/Eliason/Konate

I don't see how Konate comes in and gets equal playing time as Eliason.
 

I don't see both Gaston and Konate redshirting. One will play to gain some experience and provide frontcourt depth. My money is on Konate to play but it's hard to say since they're both pretty unknown.

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howieramone said:
I don't recall seeing a Gopher recruit as raw as Diedhiou. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't redshirt.
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Not disagreeing with you, but are you basing this on a couple of YouTube videos?
 


howieramone said:
I don't recall seeing a Gopher recruit as raw as Diedhiou. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't redshirt.
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Having not seen enough of Diehiou (do any highlights/games even exist online from the last 6 months?) to make a statement, I'd be very surprised if he's as raw as Engen Nurumbi was.
 

EG#9 said:
Having not seen enough of Diehiou (do any highlights/games even exist online from the last 6 months?) to make a statement, I'd be very surprised if he's as raw as Engen Nurumbi was.
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So he maybe the rawest recruit since 2006. Can you find any highlights/games of Carlos Morris online from the last 6 months?
 

howieramone said:
So he's the rawest since 2006. Can you find any highlights/games of Carlos Morris online for the last 6 months?
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Haven't checked, but I did watch two full games of his online when his team was playing in their tourney to get to Hutchinson.
 

At least we will have much more depth than last year. If two of these new guys step up we will be good. If three or four step up we will be very good
 



Amazing thing is Mason is our highest rated incoming player and he is discussed much less on this board compared to other players.
 

DeathClutch said:
PG-Mathieu/Hollins/Mason
SG-Hollins/Mcneil/Mason
SF-Morris/Mcneil-We could see Pitino go small by playing Mathieu, Mason and Hollins together.
PF-King/Martin/Buggs/Diedihou
C-Walker/Eliason/Konate

I don't see how Konate comes in and gets equal playing time as Eliason.
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This sounds pretty reasonable.

PG- Dre Mathieu is the PG, Dre Hollins is the secondary ball handler, Mason will have a shot to be the secondary ball handler, but at the very least will get minutes so he's ready to take the reigns as the starting PG the following year.

SG- Dre Hollins is the starter, McNeil can fill in some minutes, and Mason will get minutes here as well, again he must get seasoned so he's ready to take the reigns the following year.

SF- After watching the Florida Juco Champ Game, I think Morris is a lot further along than I thought he was. He won't be the star of the team but he'll a solid supporting player. McNeil also gets minutes here.

PF- King's the main man, hands down. Martin will get minutes, but I don't have the same expectations some do for his Freshman year. I think it'll be more of the same for Buggs. A few minutes here & there, but I'll be surprised if Buggs contributes in a meaningful way. I think Diedihou will red shirt, unless someone transfers, is injured or flunks out.

C- Walker & Eliason are interchangeable. They have different skills, but basically the same level of overall play. Personally I'd start Elliot as he's more physical, a better defender & better rebounder. Mo makes more sense coming off the bench to me as he can give us a burst of scoring down low, but we lose a lot in terms of physicality & defense when he takes the floor. I think Konate has to get some minutes next year to be ready to start the following year. I'm highly skeptical of a raw 7' footer who weighs 210lbs being anything other than a warm body next year, but it appears he'll be starting after Elliot/Mo are gone so he has to get game minutes.
 

howieramone said:
So he maybe the rawest recruit since 2006. Can you find any highlights/games of Carlos Morris online from the last 6 months?
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I can't find it now but there was a complete championship game from the Florida Juco league & Morris looked a lot better than I'd imagined he would. He's a major contributor on one of the top 5 Juco teams in the country. Blow is the link to Chipola Basketball where you can browse the Box Scores if you like. Morris puts up pretty solid numbers on a very talented team (although Sammy Cassel Jr is a ball hog).

http://www.chipolaathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2013-14/schedule
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
This sounds pretty reasonable.

PG- Dre Mathieu is the PG, Dre Hollins is the secondary ball handler, Mason will have a shot to be the secondary ball handler, but at the very least will get minutes so he's ready to take the reigns as the starting PG the following year.

SG- Dre Hollins is the starter, McNeil can fill in some minutes, and Mason will get minutes here as well, again he must get seasoned so he's ready to take the reigns the following year.

SF- After watching the Florida Juco Champ Game, I think Morris is a lot further along than I thought he was. He won't be the star of the team but he'll a solid supporting player. McNeil also gets minutes here.

PF- King's the main man, hands down. Martin will get minutes, but I don't have the same expectations some do for his Freshman year. I think it'll be more of the same for Buggs. A few minutes here & there, but I'll be surprised if Buggs contributes in a meaningful way. I think Diedihou will red shirt, unless someone transfers, is injured or flunks out.

C- Walker & Eliason are interchangeable. They have different skills, but basically the same level of overall play. Personally I'd start Elliot as he's more physical, a better defender & better rebounder. Mo makes more sense coming off the bench to me as he can give us a burst of scoring down low, but we lose a lot in terms of physicality & defense when he takes the floor. I think Konate has to get some minutes next year to be ready to start the following year. I'm highly skeptical of a raw 7' footer who weighs 210lbs being anything other than a warm body next year, but it appears he'll be starting after Elliot/Mo are gone so he has to get game minutes.
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Good read. I agree with most of this. You nailed PG-SF. PF I agree other than I think there is a chance Martin really flourishes for us and either takes the starting spot or gets 20+ minutes (playing PF and small stretches at SF). At Center I think Konate will probably get minutes since, like you said, we need him to start the following year, but also because he offers something different at the center spot in terms of his ability to shoot. If Diedhiou isn't as raw as we are expecting and has the ability to play a little center, then I actually could see Konate redshirting since he really needs to add lower body strength. Diedhiou appears to already have enough strength to contribute next year, but his skills may not be ready. This is why I think it will be most interesting to see what Pitino does with Diedhiou and Konate.
 



topos said:
Well considering Lofton will sit out a year regardless, chances are slim he will beat out Andrea Hollins...

You think the new guys would win?? Did we recruit the fab 5 +1? Let's be real.....
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Gotta agree although I think in a game between the new guys vs Malik, Mav, Austin, Wally and Oto, I'll take the new guys every time
 

bemidjigopher said:
Gotta agree although I think in a game between the new guys vs Malik, Mav, Austin, Wally and Oto, I'll take the new guys every time
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Well, OK, but I'd bet that Austin would still be the best player on the floor in that game.
 


GophersOnTheRise said:
Exactly. Not sure why some people don't consider that. If you already have two established centers with two more coming in, why not save a year of eligibility for one of them?
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The big problem with this line of reasoning is that the fallowing year, after EE and MO graduate, we will have 2 extremely untested individuals being expected to be starters. It makes no sense to redshirt either of these guys, Patino can always find similar talent to these two again (im not saying they are bad, simply that they are not considered high end talent in the recruiting world at this point, their rawness could prove otherwise of course if they develop)

We need both of these guys to play at least some meaningful minutes next year, so once Mo and EE are gone these two can slide in and at least have some confidence going into the 2015-16 season where one will be a starter and the other will sever solid minutes at the 5 in all likelihood. Giving these two a feel for the Big Ten and a sense of what it is like to play in a big college atmosphere is way more important for this team than redshirting them, just so they have 1 more year to develop.
 

Is it possible that Gaston may not even sign with us now that Konate has? I thought I heard something like this, and it does make a little sense, since Pitino and crew were somewhat worried if Konate would come to Minnesota, plus his becoming elgible was up in the air for a while. It will be real interesting to see how everything works out, Gaston in particular.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
This sounds pretty reasonable.

PG- Dre Mathieu is the PG, Dre Hollins is the secondary ball handler, Mason will have a shot to be the secondary ball handler, but at the very least will get minutes so he's ready to take the reigns as the starting PG the following year.

SG- Dre Hollins is the starter, McNeil can fill in some minutes, and Mason will get minutes here as well, again he must get seasoned so he's ready to take the reigns the following year.

SF- After watching the Florida Juco Champ Game, I think Morris is a lot further along than I thought he was. He won't be the star of the team but he'll a solid supporting player. McNeil also gets minutes here.

PF- King's the main man, hands down. Martin will get minutes, but I don't have the same expectations some do for his Freshman year. I think it'll be more of the same for Buggs. A few minutes here & there, but I'll be surprised if Buggs contributes in a meaningful way. I think Diedihou will red shirt, unless someone transfers, is injured or flunks out.

C- Walker & Eliason are interchangeable. They have different skills, but basically the same level of overall play. Personally I'd start Elliot as he's more physical, a better defender & better rebounder. Mo makes more sense coming off the bench to me as he can give us a burst of scoring down low, but we lose a lot in terms of physicality & defense when he takes the floor. I think Konate has to get some minutes next year to be ready to start the following year. I'm highly skeptical of a raw 7' footer who weighs 210lbs being anything other than a warm body next year, but it appears he'll be starting after Elliot/Mo are gone so he has to get game minutes.
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I agree with much of what you have to say. I have been real hesitant to claim Josh Martin the starter or to be a big contributor next year. I think King will start as well and be fairly solid. We really need a solid SF though next year, hoping we can bring one in to insert once Morris leaves.
 

We had trouble defending the 3; Mason and Lofton add height and should help on D if they are ready-- We did not rebound that great and Martin and the guys from Africa should help there... We only lost Austin in my view and so I think we will be a much better team. Lofton is going to file a hardship waver so who knows, the two guys from over seas still have not signed. I hope everyone can play... time will tell...
topos said:
Well considering Lofton will sit out a year regardless, chances are slim he will beat out Andrea Hollins...

You think the new guys would win?? Did we recruit the fab 5 +1? Let's be real.....
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Jon said:
We had trouble defending the 3; Mason and Lofton add height and should help on D if they are ready-- We did not rebound that great and Martin and the guys from Africa should help there... We only lost Austin in my view and so I think we will be a much better team. Lofton is going to file a hardship waver so who knows, the two guys from over seas still have not signed. I hope everyone can play... time will tell...
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Not to be a dick but Lofton & Mason are probably not going to help defend the 3 (I presume you mean 3 pointer, not the 3/SF position?) this year. Lofton probably won't be eligible & Mason is generously listed at 6'1", so he's not the ideal height to shut down 3 point shooters.
 

With Diedhiou being the more likely to play both PF and C, I think he'll play right away and Konate will redshirt. Diedhiou seems to be more physically developed, as well.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Not to be a dick but Lofton & Mason are probably not going to help defend the 3 (I presume you mean 3 pointer, not the 3/SF position?) this year. Lofton probably won't be eligible & Mason is generously listed at 6'1", so he's not the ideal height to shut down 3 point shooters.
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Our current starting Pg is like 5'9", Sg is like 6'1" and Austin was only like 6'4" playing sf. We were short and at times teams had record shooting from the 3 point line.

So Mason at 6'1" is 4 inches taller at Pg and Zach would be 3 inches talker at Sg...

Zach, Diedhiou, and Konate have issues with being able to play but I will assume they can until they can't...
 

joshvanklomp said:
With Diedhiou being the more likely to play both PF and C, I think he'll play right away and Konate will redshirt. Diedhiou seems to be more physically developed, as well.
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It's possible he will play some center, but I'm not going to bank on it (like all you others) until I see him play in person or hear it from staff. It's not a forgone conclusion.
 

katze019 said:
It's possible he will play some center, but I'm not going to bank on it like (all you others) until I see him play in person or hear it from staff. It's not a forgone conclusion.
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No $ hit.
 

katze019 said:
It's possible he will play some center, but I'm not going to bank on it (like all you others) until I see him play in person or hear it from staff. It's not a forgone conclusion.
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I said he's more likely to.
I never said I'm banking on it, or that it's a foregone conclusion.
 


Martin

I find it very interesting that you think Martin, who I hear is 6-9 225+ and described as physical, athletic, but a bit raw offensively can play on the wing at SF? You saw how Pitino played 4 guards a bit yet never played the two bigs together (EE and MO). I believe King starts with EE, and Martin comes in at the 4 with MO. Martin's physical play and rebounding offsetting Mo's weaknesses. I do not believe Martin will play a minute at sf.



MadtownGopher said:
PF I agree other than I think there is a chance Martin really flourishes for us and either takes the starting spot or gets 20+ minutes (playing PF and small stretches at SF). QUOTE]
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march madness said:
I find it very interesting that you think Martin, who I hear is 6-9 225+ and described as physical, athletic, but a bit raw offensively can play on the wing at SF? You saw how Pitino played 4 guards a bit yet never played the two bigs together (EE and MO). I believe King starts with EE, and Martin comes in at the 4 with MO. Martin's physical play and rebounding offsetting Mo's weaknesses. I do not believe Martin will play a minute at sf.
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I know you saw my post in the other thread. Pitino said he thinks he can develop into combo forward, but I know you think he is lying. Not sure why you think Pitino would lie to not only Martin, but also the press and fans, but I guess we'll see who is right.
 

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