Young Players stepped up!

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Elliott Eliason, Austin Hollins, and Andre Hollins were absolutely huge! I know 'Dre had at least one terrible turnover at the end (and maybe a second if you consider it his fault where he caught the ball), but he was a key reason why we were up by 8 at that point. Can't say enough about Austin Hollins stepping up and hitting that free throw with 4 seconds left, then to go the hoop up 3 late in OT (basically saying, I am going to be the one to be fouled) and making both ft's...clutch. You might not be able to tell by the stat sheet, but this team was infinitely better when Elliott Eliason was on the court tonight. I would add Chip Armelin in to this group, but he had a couple of big errors (including allowing that layup after we tied the game. I think it is a huge positive that guys like Andre, Austin, Joe, and Elliott were all on the court in crunch time in a must win game.

Negatives: Why can't we close out a game? Two terrible inbounds plays in a row and it's heart attack time for all Gopher fans...again. Ralph Sampson III was absolutely terrible tonight and I don't know why Tubby insisted on getting him post touches (you could audibly hear it on the broadcast). If those possessions that went to Ralph went anywhere else, we likely win in regulation. The 1-11 stretch from the line was effectively a 1-14 stretch because we missed the front end of 3 straight one and ones which was the main reason Illinois went on such a run. I know Gopher Warrior doesn't believe in free thow percentage, but when you struggle to score in the half court like the Gophers do, those missed free throws are enormous.
 

Without Armelins play in the first half they wouldn't have been in a position to win it. They really finished tonight, encouraging to see.
 

You also forgot Oto who I thought gave us some big minutes as well. He played 17, had 8 points and a couple of nice rebounds.

Very big game for the young guys - so happy to see the young guys developing.

Go Gophers!!
 

Did I or did I not see Oto blow on his hands (as if to cool them off) after he made his 3?
Yes, its exciting that the underclassmen carried their weight and then some in this win.
 

On one of those inbounds Coleman had Andre (I believe) wide open, but for some reason declined passing it to him. Strange. The bench was absolutely fabulous tonight. 39-9 I think on bench points.
 


More and more of EE on the floor is what this fan wants to see. Ralph in spots - EE in spots - it just might work.
 


I tell you what, one thing Coleman has going for him is that he is SUCH a quick leaper! Also, I seen Blake sitting behind the Gopher bench......really a goodlooking woman with him!!!!
 

freshtrout said:
More and more of EE on the floor is what this fan wants to see. Ralph in spots - EE in spots - it just might work.
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Do we win this game if RS3 doesn't foul out and Tubby isn't forced to put Eliason out there?
 



GopherJake said:
Do we win this game if RS3 doesn't foul out and Tubby isn't forced"to put Eliason out there?
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I have been a big Ralph backer, but that sequence was unacceptable. The only excuse I can think of was that he thought there were 2 FTs.

I loved his aggression early taking Leonard off the dribble even though he got blocked. But he seemed to just give up the rest of the game.
 

fan of Ray Williams said:
I tell you what, one thing Coleman has going for him is that he is SUCH a quick leaper! Also, I seen Blake sitting behind the Gopher bench......really a goodlooking woman with him!!!!
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Yeah, she is a looker, that's for sure. Well done Blake.
 


fan of Ray Williams said:
I tell you what, one thing Coleman has going for him is that he is SUCH a quick leaper! Also, I seen Blake sitting behind the Gopher bench......really a goodlooking woman with him!!!!
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Was it his mom?
 




Oto played well, it's sad not many people on here will acknowledge that.
 

zambam said:
Oto played well, it's sad not many people on here will acknowledge that.
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+1

Oto played very well. He looked like a completely different player as most of the second group. Andre was not the same guy.
Much more confidence by all of these players. IMO Tubby should get some credit for this too.
 

2 things I really like about Oto:
1) He isn't afraid to shoot the fast break 3
2) He drives aggressively and is still willing to pass it out.
 

I know people are going to claim that Tubby's substitutions have cost us games in the past. Tend to agree with them even if you can't prove it. But tonight you could see why he does it. I started to bitch when he mass substituted at his usual spot, but those bench players got us back into the game after the poor start. For the rest of the game they contributed big time. Andre handled the ball and got some big points. Chip made those early shots and that assist on that fast break was awesome. As stated, Oto played well. Finally, you can't say enough good things about Elliot and the way he battles. Safe to say those players aren't at this stage without those minutes earlier in the year. I know, I know Tubby doesn't have to do it en masse but he just might know more than any of us here. Great thing is they've got a chance to keep developing for a couple more years. Andre and Elliot might be a pretty formidable pair by the time they're juniors. Throw in Joe and things don't look as bleak for the future as they did about a month ago.
 

Good points on both Chip and Oto. I was mainly focused on what players did well (and were on the floor) during the crucial minutes of that game. We likely wouldn't have gotten to that point without Chip's first half performance which really seemed to wake up a lackluster team that was down 7 early. The most notable improvement I noticed from Oto tonight was how much more comfortable he seemed handling the ball when he was called upon to do so.
 

Gold Vision said:
I have been a big Ralph backer, but that sequence was unacceptable. The only excuse I can think of was that he thought there were 2 FTs.

I loved his aggression early taking Leonard off the dribble even though he got blocked. But he seemed to just give up the rest of the game.
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I sort of feel bad for Ralph because he was never really signed to be an under-the-basket center (imo), but has been forced into the role that he's clearly not comfortable with. We were supposed to have Colt/Royce/Rodney banging & rebounding underneath w/ Ralph floating around the top of the key shooting 12-15 foot jumpers & drawing one of their big men out of the lane, while blocking shots on the defensive end.
 

Mulligan said:
I know people are going to claim that Tubby's substitutions have cost us games in the past. Tend to agree with them even if you can't prove it. But tonight you could see why he does it. I started to bitch when he mass substituted at his usual spot, but those bench players got us back into the game after the poor start. For the rest of the game they contributed big time. Andre handled the ball and got some big points. Chip made those early shots and that assist on that fast break was awesome. As stated, Oto played well. Finally, you can't say enough good things about Elliot and the way he battles. Safe to say those players aren't at this stage without those minutes earlier in the year. I know, I know Tubby doesn't have to do it en masse but he just might know more than any of us here. Great thing is they've got a chance to keep developing for a couple more years. Andre and Elliot might be a pretty formidable pair by the time they're juniors. Throw in Joe and things don't look as bleak for the future as they did about a month ago.
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In two seasons this young nucleus should be pretty hard to beat...

PG-Dre Hollins Jr
SG-Austin Hollins Sr
SF- Joe Coleman Jr
PF- Mo Walker Jr
C- Elliot Eliason Jr

PG- Maverick Sr
SG- Chip Sr
SF- Oto Jr
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
In two seasons this young nucleus should be pretty hard to beat...

PG-Dre Hollins Jr
SG-Austin Hollins Sr
SF- Joe Coleman Jr
PF- Mo Williams Jr
C- Elliot Eliason Jr

PG- Maverick Sr
SG- Chip Sr
SF- Oto Jr
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Mo Williams? :cool:
 




Walker at pf?

I'm not sure I want to see anymore of the double post clogging the lane. It was brutal with both Iverson and Sampson playing together. On offense it was ok, but neither guy can guard a power forward. Think about the big ten, Green is a short but stout pf but a lot of others are mobile and play both inside and out: Hummel, Shurna.

I would be for playing a quicker more athletic lineup where we have more room to drive and its easier for us to press and force the action.
 

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