Willis to Grad Transfer from Minnesota

[alchemy2u]

Stop and think about this.

If the NCAA approves the rule that would allow players to transfer once with no penalty and not have to sit out a year, what the Gophers are going through this year will be the norm, not the exception.

there will be near-constant roster churn for everyone except the real blue-bloods. And even the Dukes and Kentucky's of the world could be impacted. Some HS hot-shot goes to KY, doesn't get the playing time they want, and boom, there they go.

roster management and managing scholarships will be even tougher.

On the flip side, schools will have opportunities to remake their rosters and improve themselves if they can adapt to the new rules. It all comes down to trying to find a way where the gains outweigh the losses.

It will most certainly help the mid to top P5 schools like Minnesota.

If the Duke and Kentucky like schools pick off a few good players from other colleges, it will leaves some of the top HS players looking for spots. All of the top mid-major players will be looking for P5 spots every year. It basically makes the mid-major or lower programs development schools for the P5 teams. The P5 schools will also be able to cast off players that are not "working out" onto the mid-major colleges.

 

[alchemy2u]

I think it's a combination of a few things:

1. Willis knows Carr will be certainly be back - eliminating a guard spot for playing time
2. Willis knows how the coaches view Ihnen's (and to a lesser extent) Williams' development and growth - playing time already guaranteed to be a challenge for next season
3. Willis sees what other wings/guards the Gophers are still in on recruiting for next year - further confirmation that they don't view him as a lock to start next year

Pitino is just following the PJ model. His job is to recruit better replacements for every player on the team and the players job is to improve so he can keep his spot.

 

[bga1]

This def not a big blow. Williams should have been getting some of those minutes Willis was getting last year and he is probably leaving because he knows his spot may not be solidified

Interesting stat on Willis....He shot 16 free throws all year. That's hard to do in over 800 minutes. We need our 3 man to be able to drive to the hoop a lot more than that. Willis was a solid piece but would have been better off the bench. If Ihnen ends up playing the 3, that's an area he is going to have to take a huge leap - taking guys off the dribble. Ihnen shot 2 free throws....all year.

On the free throw subject- Brandon Johnson goes to the line a ton - 168 last year- 73% shooting.

 

[eker0016]

We have had one situation like this after another. How many scholarship-years have we squandered for guys who only gave us one year of service?

Recently?
Matz Stockman (sit one, play one underutilized year)
Reggie Lynch (sit one, play 1.5, he gave us really good play when he was eligible)
Davonte Fitzgerald (sit two, play 1, transfer down and play 1, injuries derailed him sadly)
Zach Lofton (sit one, play 0, this guy's career is crazy)
Marcus Carr (sit one, play 1, hopefully comes back! He was worth it even if he doesn't)

 

[eker0016]

Interesting stat on Willis....He shot 16 free throws all year. That's hard to do in over 800 minutes. We need our 3 man to be able to drive to the hoop a lot more than that. Willis was a solid piece but would have been better off the bench. If Ihnen ends up playing the 3, that's an area he is going to have to take a huge leap - taking guys off the dribble. Ihnen shot 2 free throws....all year.

71% of Willis' shots all year were 3 pointers. I never really remember him driving to the basket.

That surprises me about Ihnen! Yes he is going to need to get more physical.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Pitino is just following the PJ model. His job is to recruit better replacements for every player on the team and the players job is to improve so he can keep his spot.

God, I really hope that isn't he case with Pitino.

I'm not surprised Willis left and I don't blame Pitino. Willis is looking down the barrel at being a player on an average (at best) team and likely would have lost some minutes to incoming players. It doesn't surprise me when any player in that position transfers to another school for more PT or possibly a better chance at a run.

That said, Pitino should not be forcing players out. I don't think he is, I am just responding to alchemy2u's post. It's one thing if you're a Kentucky or a Duke, but if you're a MN, you can't look disloyal. It'd be a crappy thing to do and it wouldn't benefit the program.

 

[bga1]

God, I really hope that isn't he case with Pitino.

I'm not surprised Willis left and I don't blame Pitino. Willis is looking down the barrel at being a player on an average (at best) team and likely would have lost some minutes to incoming players. It doesn't surprise me when any player in that position transfers to another school for more PT or possibly a better chance at a run.

That said, Pitino should not be forcing players out. I don't think he is, I am just responding to alchemy2u's post. It's one thing if you're a Kentucky or a Duke, but if you're a MN, you can't look disloyal. It'd be a crappy thing to do and it wouldn't benefit the program.

If we get a good wing in here, this won't be an average at best team. This team is forming up nicely.

 

[theczar]

Prep hoops has Kerwin 62 in national rankings.....Gabe had one other high major offer.... not in the same league as far as prospect rating concerned

 

[SixBySix]

God, I really hope that isn't he case with Pitino.

I'm not surprised Willis left and I don't blame Pitino. Willis is looking down the barrel at being a player on an average (at best) team and likely would have lost some minutes to incoming players. It doesn't surprise me when any player in that position transfers to another school for more PT or possibly a better chance at a run.

That said, Pitino should not be forcing players out. I don't think he is, I am just responding to alchemy2u's post. It's one thing if you're a Kentucky or a Duke, but if you're a MN, you can't look disloyal. It'd be a crappy thing to do and it wouldn't benefit the program.

I don't think a2u is suggesting is that he is processing players but rather taking a more aggressive recruiting/program development philosophy (e.g. "I'm going to do my best to find someone who can take your minutes, it's your job to do your best to keep your spot in the line-up")

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

71% of Willis' shots all year were 3 pointers. I never really remember him driving to the basket.

That surprises me about Ihnen! Yes he is going to need to get more physical.

74% of Ihnen's shots last year were 3's. The number of free throws he took does not really bother me. I Ihnen was an effective offensive rebounder, he did not seem overmatched physically to me. I think he was just raw offensively and only felt comfortable with spot up shooting.

I'll say this about Ihnen, he is a really intelligent basketball. On offense, he only does the things that he is comfortable doing. He doesn't put himself in bad situations, so he never really hurts you. On defense, he is our best player at not falling for pump fakes, and not getting lost on different screens. He just has a really good natural feel for the game.

As to your main point, I think the main thing we missed last year was a wing with some athleticism and size. If that player had the same shot profile as Willis, I wouldn't have minded. Willis shot his threes from weird areas (a lot of elbow-extended), but other than that, I didn't have an issue with his shot chart.

 

[skiumah1]

I don't know why we would want Greenlee redshirting this year, unless the staff totally thinks he's a late bloomer with a much higher ceiling than it appears. Half this board wants him out right now, so why would we want him soaking up five years of scholarship?

But I'm also higher on Freeman than most, and think he would improve with a redshirt year. Except, with the way college basketball is right now, that extra year might very well end up being redeemed at another program.

I don't disagree. I would love to have somebody else fill Greenlee's spot but it doesn't look that way. I'm just listing the way it looks right now.

 

[Urbandale]

God, I really hope that isn't he case with Pitino.

I'm not surprised Willis left and I don't blame Pitino. Willis is looking down the barrel at being a player on an average (at best) team and likely would have lost some minutes to incoming players. It doesn't surprise me when any player in that position transfers to another school for more PT or possibly a better chance at a run.

That said, Pitino should not be forcing players out. I don't think he is, I am just responding to alchemy2u's post. It's one thing if you're a Kentucky or a Duke, but if you're a MN, you can't look disloyal. It'd be a crappy thing to do and it wouldn't benefit the program.

I'm not sure that was the point of his post. I think the point was that players should expect improved competition for spots each and every year. Nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I'm not sure that was the point of his post. I think the point was that players should expect improved competition for spots each and every year. Nothing is guaranteed.

I think that is just called recruiting. But yeah, I agree.

 

[Ski-U-Ham]

God, I really hope that isn't he case with Pitino.

I'm not surprised Willis left and I don't blame Pitino. Willis is looking down the barrel at being a player on an average (at best) team and likely would have lost some minutes to incoming players. It doesn't surprise me when any player in that position transfers to another school for more PT or possibly a better chance at a run.

That said, Pitino should not be forcing players out. I don't think he is, I am just responding to alchemy2u's post. It's one thing if you're a Kentucky or a Duke, but if you're a MN, you can't look disloyal. It'd be a crappy thing to do and it wouldn't benefit the program.

So we shouldn't recruit players that are better than players we have? Sounds like a recipe for stagnation. Get the best players you can get.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

If we get a good wing in here, this won't be an average at best team. This team is forming up nicely.

I can't really squint and see this roster finishing better than 5th. I suppose that depends upon Robbins eligibility. Without Robbins, I really am having a hard time seeing a team that finishes better than 10th.

I really do hope I'm wrong.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

So we shouldn't recruit players that are better than players we have? Sounds like a recipe for stagnation. Get the best players you can get.

No, I'm entirely for recruiting the best players you can possibly get. I am not for forcing people out.

I thought (I could be wrong) that Alchemy was talking about essentially forcing a player off of scholarship to make room for another player. By "spot" I thought, possibly incorrectly, that he was referring to scholarship.

If he is just talking about recruiting players to jump people in the rotation, hell yeah, I'm 100% for it. I like Marcus Carr, but I hope Mashburn is so good that he is our starting PG next year. I hope every recruit we land is better than the returning players, every year.

That said, I do not want a coaching staff to push people out. I thought that's what Alchemy was saying. If not, then I don't disagree with him.

 

[skiumah1]

1. I'd love to have Kerwin and believe he'd a very solid backup wing next year. I just don't think he'd be ready to start in the Big Ten over a 5th year senior. Very few non blue chip recruits are.

2. He may be higher ranked that Gabe but Gabe played better on the AAU circuit than Kerwin did and averaged over 17 PPG, and led the EYBL in 3 point makes and percentage I believe and this was on the best regular season EYBL team. I don't know exactly how Kerwin did last year on the circuit but I don't believe he played as well as Gabe did in the EYBL.

3. Even if he did play better than Gabe and is a better prospect than Gabe, that doesn't we should expect him to be just as good as freshman Gabe as that is rather atypical for a freshman in the Big Ten. Many think Steven Ortiz will commit to the gophers tonight but just because he was rated higher than Winfield jr doesn't meant we should expect he will be better than Winfield.

But he could be Let's go! Haha keepin' faith high. The only thing I'd say here is that Winfield is an All-American. Gabe hasn't made any All Big-Ten Teams.

 

[jovs]

I despise this rule, to be honest. It is free agency every single season. I would absolutely hate dealing with this as a coach.

It is going to hurt the mid majors big time, there aren't going to be many making a run in the ncaa tournament anymore. P6 conferences not so much.

 

[skiumah1]

It is going to hurt the mid majors big time, there aren't going to be many making a run in the ncaa tournament anymore. P6 conferences not so much.

NCAAs gotta love that. Major programs, bigger fanbases, making more money. Will be that much more impressive if those smaller schools do make a run, like back in the day.

 

[Ski-U-Ham]

No, I'm entirely for recruiting the best players you can possibly get. I am not for forcing people out.

I thought (I could be wrong) that Alchemy was talking about essentially forcing a player off of scholarship to make room for another player. By "spot" I thought, possibly incorrectly, that he was referring to scholarship.

If he is just talking about recruiting players to jump people in the rotation, hell yeah, I'm 100% for it. I like Marcus Carr, but I hope Mashburn is so good that he is our starting PG next year. I hope every recruit we land is better than the returning players, every year.

That said, I do not want a coaching staff to push people out. I thought that's what Alchemy was saying. If not, then I don't disagree with him.

I guess it's a matter of perception in the end. If Willis transfers and then, let's say Walton, signs, I'm good with it because we had an open spot. Of course, none of us will know what happened behind closed doors between Pitino and Willis, if anything.

I think we'd all agree there would be a bigger problem with signing a, let's say Walton, when we have no open scholarships and then all of the sudden Willis decided to transfer. It wouldn't take a lot of insight there to guess what might have happened, and I don't think many of us would outwardly approve of it. That would send a poor message to current players as well as future recruits.

 

[EG#9]

A little surprised at the amount of interest Willis has received on the transfer market: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn, Xavier and Marquette have all reached out.

From the Gophers side, I think they really need to find a PG now and that's assuming Carr is coming back. Willis was the de-facto backup PG last year and Mashburn is considered more of an off the ball player.

 

[Block M]

Ridiculous. He was a total waste of a scholarship.

 

[gophereric30]

A little surprised at the amount of interest Willis has received on the transfer market: Arkansas, Ole Miss, Auburn, Xavier and Marquette have all reached out.

From the Gophers side, I think they really need to find a PG now and that's assuming Carr is coming back. Willis was the de-facto backup PG last year and Mashburn is considered more of an off the ball player.

Willis will be perfect for alot of teams! 6th or 7th guy giving good minutes that can contribute in alot of ways when healthy. A ton of teams looking for that. I'm sure alot of teams can offer plenty of minutes too. When healthy willis not as bad as most of GH thought.

 

[jblass]

Ridiculous. He was a total waste of a scholarship.

Sorry, I missed something here. Who are you referring to?

 

[jblass]

Willis will be perfect for alot of teams! 6th or 7th guy giving good minutes that can contribute in alot of ways when healthy. A ton of teams looking for that. I'm sure alot of teams can offer plenty of minutes too. When healthy willis not as bad as most of GH thought.

Personally I liked Willis. I hate to see him go.

 

[Block M]

Sorry, I missed something here. Who are you referring to?

He sits a year then takes minutes the Tre Williams or Ihnen could have had, and then he bails for his third school in four years.. He was of no benefit to our program.

 

[LesBolstad]

He sits a year then takes minutes the Tre Williams or Ihnen could have had, and then he bails for his third school in four years.. He was of no benefit to our program.

When you think about it, this is correct. He'll transfer and play 10-15 minutes/game for a mediocre squad.

 

[Keyser Söze]

He sits a year then takes minutes the Tre Williams or Ihnen could have had, and then he bails for his third school in four years.. He was of no benefit to our program.

Seems like a good kid and teammate, didn't get in trouble, and was a major contributor in our big win over Wisconsin. We would have been a much worse team without him and recruiting would probably be more difficult because of it. Not really understanding the resentment here.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Walton played on a great AAU team with Garcia, Ben Carlson, Crowl, and two Eden Prairie kids.
A team that lost one game last summer? I don't have his numbers handy, but they were good.

Walton is much more physically imposing than Gabe....and a better prospect....and I really like Gabe.

Which of the great aau kids did the u sign? Oh none?

 

[Block M]

Seems like a good kid and teammate, didn't get in trouble, and was a major contributor in our big win over Wisconsin. We would have been a much worse team without him and recruiting would probably be more difficult because of it. Not really understanding the resentment here.

Whats done is done. I don't wish him ill. Things open up for the younger players. Gabe, Carr, and Curry the leaders next year.