Zags Blog: Stakes Are Huge as Pitino, Minnesota Go All Out for ‘Big 3′

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per Zags:

Even if he lands just one of them, that would be a huge victory.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had three [Minnesota] guys in the Top 25,” USA Midwest and Howard Pulley coach Antwan Harris told SNY.tv. “We’ve had guys from Minnesota be in the Top 100 tons of times. But this highly rated with the skills that they’ve had, I don’t think we’ve had that.”

Asked what it would mean to the state school and the Gopher State itself if Pitino got at least one of them, Harris said: “It would be tremendous to the fanbase to get one, two or even three of these guys. They’re so skilled, they’re so talented, so well known across the country, it would boost the recruiting at University of Minnesota.”

And if Pitino is unable to land any of them?

“It’s one of those things to where the new coach would get a pass on that,” Harris said. “He just got there, it’s kind of tough to get guys at the last minute. But he’s rebuilding over there, so I feel good about the program.”

Still, Vaughn knows exactly what it would mean — both to the state of Minnesota and to himself — if he stayed home to play for Pitino.

“I think it would mean everything,” Vaughn told SNY.tv. “I don’t think a day goes by where a Minnesota Gopher fan doesn’t Tweet one of us [Vaughn or Jones] so it would mean a lot.”

He added: “I know if I stay home I’ll be the superstar and the city will love me.”

The 6-7 Travis is another situation altogether. He is being recruited to play both football and basketball.

He recently picked up basketball offers from Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa State, Washington State, Colorado, Lehigh and Harvard.

And while he seems undecided on his future path, he, too, knows the appeal of staying at home to play hoops.

“I haven’t really thought that far, but I would always consider the “U” on the top of my list, no matter what,” he told GopherHole.com.

http://zagsblog.com/articles/stakes-are-huge-as-pitino-minnesota-go-all-out-for-big-3/

Go Gophers!!
 

The bolded statement is the biggest thing I take out the article. It sounds like Rashad is very interested, and we all know how big of a get it would be for us.
 


Good thing Minnesota is now the "it" school for recruits.

Looking forward to seeing these 3 young men wear maroon & gold.
 

I kind of read Rashads bolded comment like he was rolling his eyes as he was saying it. Like he knows the significance of staying home but really could care less. Hope I'm wrong.
 




I think Rashad or Tyus could really make Gopher basketball a huge deal. In some ways, either player could have a bigger national profile playing for Minnesota (with the excitement it would create) versus playing at a school like Duke or Kentucky. If Tyus goes to Duke, they've seen him (or something similar) for years. Duke, having an elite recruit is nothing new: is he Bobby Hurley? Will Avery? Jason Williams? Kyrie Irving? etc, etc. That story doesn't have the same sizzle as it does Tyus staying home and playing in a large media market where he is already a big name and could become a bigger name.

Obviously a great case could be made for Tyus going to Duke or Kentcky as well, but I think the story line at Minnesota is special.

The same is true for Rashad, but arguably more so because he's a scorer. The Gophers haven't had a real scorer since Quincy Lewis (? maybe Andre Hollins changes that,I think Grier was too inconsistent to qualify). There's a real chance that Rashad could end up being a second/third option at Kentucky or UNC given who's currently on their rosters and who they have commitments from. It's great to compete, but the great scorers in the NBA (for the most part) have been "the man" on their NCAA teams: Durant, Carmelo, Wade, James Harden, Steph Curry. None of those guys played at what are normally considered the blue bloods of college basketball (though Syracuse is certainly close to that distinction). The other great scorers (Kobe, LeBron, Dirk) came to the NBA from being "the man" at other levels of play. If Rashad sees himself as a scorer in the NBA, then the "U" should hold all the same appeals it should for Tyus, plus the added benefit of allowing him to take a similar path to many of the elite scorers currently in the NBA.

Again, plenty of arguments could be made as to why Kentucky/UNC would be a great choice for Rashad, but there's a strong appeal for the home state school too and I'd love to see him blaze that trail.


It goes without saying that Reid Travis is a tremendous player and seemingly says all the right things. 8/10 years, he's likely the number one in state target on everyone's list. We have a huge need for a physical player who can score/rebound and Reid would be the perfect fit. I think he's a great fit anywhere, but if he's truly thinking life after basketball, Sid Hartman can tell him where he can (and cannot) get a job (j/k).
 

BieberHole69 said:
I kind of read Rashads bolded comment like he was rolling his eyes as he was saying it. Like he knows the significance of staying home but really could care less. Hope I'm wrong.
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I guess one sees what they want to see...
 



EG#9 said:
\If Tyus goes to Duke, they've seen him (or something similar) for years. Duke, having an elite recruit is nothing new: is he Bobby Hurley? Will Avery? Jason Williams? Kyrie Irving? etc, etc. That story doesn't have the same sizzle as it does Tyus staying home and playing in a large media market where he is already a big name and could become a bigger name.
Click to expand...

The problem with that logic is you were able to rattle off those names off the top of your head, while the rest of the country would have trouble naming one Golden Gopher from the last 10 years.

Just being on the bench at Duke or Kentucky has more sizzle than suiting up for Minnesota.
 

Maximus said:
The problem with that logic is you were able to rattle off those names off the top of your head, while the rest of the country would have trouble naming one Golden Gopher from the last 10 years.

Just being on the bench at Duke or Kentucky has more sizzle than suiting up for Minnesota.
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Who were Duke's bench players? What you say there is not accurate. A few years back Kris Humphries sure got a lot of press. So have past highly regarded Gopher players- when we have had them. The problem isn't that our players can't get "sizzle" - they just have to be good enough. We haven't had any to compare to the Duke players mentioned. If Pitino gets some big time recruits- there will be a TON of sizzle here- it will be a big national story.
 


Pitino will give all he's got to get any or all of these guys, but I don't think the stakes are high for him. He is going to get highly ranked players that fit his system from somewhere. The stakes are high for us, the fans. We all want our local great athletes to stay home and win for us. We want these young men badly in Maroon and Gold. And we should.
 



diehard said:
Pitino will give all he's got to get any or all of these guys, but I don't think the stakes are high for him. He is going to get highly ranked players that fit his system from somewhere. The stakes are high for us, the fans. We all want our local great athletes to stay home and win for us. We want these young men badly in Maroon and Gold. And we should.
Click to expand...

I think this is a pretty accurate way to describe it, yeah. I'll be pleased if Pitino gets good players from anywhere, and I think he will, but we've all been following the Big 3 for three or four years now -- hoping, cheering, looking for any positive news, etc. -- and feel a lot more invested in them than in other national players that we just heard about a couple months ago.
 

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