Gopher Basketball
Spencer Tollackson Sporting a semi-thick beard and appearing to have just rolled out of bed for the 11 a.m. practice, Tollackson quickly shook off his drowsy appearance and established himself as the dominant low-post presence, scoring at will against Jonathan Williams and Bryce Webster. His trademark fire was apparent in the practice and scrimmage, as he was the most vocal of the Gophers on the floor. He looks poised to have a solid season and be a team leader.
Dan Coleman We’ve all been tantalized by the potential and impressive spurts of play by Coleman in the past, but what he displayed today got me excited-a consistent flow of play, highlighted by a willingness to work his game into the paint and into mid-range shots. I don’t recall a great deal of rebounds from Coleman, but I really liked what he brought to the floor today.
Jamal Abu-Shamala JAS seemed to pick up where he left off last year, his shot consistently falling through the nets (and JAS got his shots during the scrimmage). As my friend who I watched the scrimmage with stated, JAS will get minutes because he knows what he’s doing out there.
Jonathan Williams Williams didn’t do much to stand out today, and seems due to lose any potential minutes to Webster. His conditioning also seems to be a concern. That being said, he’s got a big solid frame, which might garner some minutes, especially when Oden comes to town.
Brandon Smith Smith looks like a player, but he just wasn’t doing much to stand out today. He has impressive athleticism and it seems like he should be able to earn some minutes, but he didn’t do much on offense or defense that was noticeable. At this point, I see him falling behind some others for minutes at the small forward/off guard position.
Lawrence McKenzie Jr. Playing off the ball, McKenzie looked great-he was consistently draining his shots and looks to be the most able three-point threat the Gophers have seen in some time. When he was at the point. . .well, let’s just say, we want to see him at the two guard. His decision making was very questionable from that spot.
Damien Johnson One of the two brightest spots of the day, from my perspective (the latter yet to come). I really liked Johnson’s floor game and particularly his athleticism. It really showed up on the defensive end, as he tipped several passes away and had a couple very impressive blocks. He seems pretty lean to be playing down low, but I think he’s going to be pushing for minutes on this team.
Kevin Payton Payton’s shot wasn’t falling today, he made some bad decisions with the ball, and he’s not a point guard yet-but I think he’s going to be a really nice player for this program. He didn’t do anything spectacular today, but I was impressed with several littler things-the way he snaps off his passes, helping his teammates up when they were cramping, his vocal support, seeming to step into a leadership role as a redshirt freshman. He might be one of those guys that never put up gaudy stats, but does what it takes to win.
Limar Wilson Along with Johnson, the other big bright spot, IMO. He’s very tiny, but as has been stated before on here, as quick a player as this program has seen, getting into the lane with ease and drawing separation from his defenders on a regular basis. On defense, he is going to be a supreme pest to the other team, with quick hands that earned a couple of steals. He was also knocking down the open shot today, which if he can do that will be a big boost to this squad. I see him getting a lot of minutes, being near the top of the Big Ten in steals, and becoming a fan favorite at Williams Arena.
Engen Nurumbi Whatever is the populous stone in Senegal, it appears that Nurumbi is carved from it. In addition to the chiseled body, he can run very well, and leap out of the building. At this point though, he seems pretty overwhelmed by the playbook and was mechanical in the half-court set. Hopefully, that’s due in large part to his unfamiliarity with things, because it would be great to see him earning minutes with the Gophers, he could potentially add a lot to this team.
Bryce Webster As stated earlier, he was getting carved up pretty well by Tollackson and he seemed a bit lost in the mix, which is probably to be expected three days into his college career. He was hustling well though, and I think the coaches like what he brings. I expect him to take many of the minutes that may be available behind Spencer.
Lawrence Westbrook I was surprised at how short Westbrook was, appearing close in stature to Wilson, although he has a thick frame which you could expect to aid him in getting his shot down the road. His shot wasn’t falling today, and he got caught trying to do too much at times, drawing two charging calls while driving the lane with numerous defenders on him. I think he has some talent though, but might be a good candidate for a redshirt, based on what I saw today. Again though, we’re only three days into it, a bit early to speculate on that.
Travis Busch One of the more impressive players today was Busch, even though his shaggy haircut seems a remnant from his California days. He’s going to be a great practice player for the team this year as he’s always hustling and he has a nice shot, knocking down several mid-range shots today.
Ryan Saunders His day was spent on the stationary bike and with his shoulder wrapped. Whatever he did, he did it up good.
Other observations. . . Monson’s coaching can and obviously has been criticized (including by me), but he sure seems like a good guy. His oldest son was behind the bench with a couple of the other coaches’ kids, tossing the football around and having a good old time. After watching Monson a bit, you find yourself really hoping this team does well, because the college basketball scene needs more men like him involved in the game. . .the highlight of practice was watching Molinari work the guys. His demeanor was that of a drill sergeant, with his voice stretched to the edge of his vocal cords. . .Wilson was talking with fans and playing a little basketball with some little ones after the game. He seems like a nice addition, both on the court and off.
Final Thoughts on the Initial Look If the team was to start playing today, here’s what I think the starting lineup would be:
PG Wilson
SG McKenzie
SF Payton
C Tollackson
PF Coleman
Getting significant minutes off the bench:
SF/PF Johnson
SG JAS
PF Nurumbi
PF/C Webster
Fighting to get in the rotation:
SF Smith
C Williams
SG/PG Westbrook
As stated, Tollackson and Coleman looked very solid and consistent, which should be expected of veterans in the program, particularly with such a young team. However, if these two can offer consistency throughout the year, which they seem poised to do, it would go a great way towards a good season for the team. The other big key will be the health of Limar Wilson-I don’t know who will get the minutes at the point when he’s out, but I didn’t see anyone else ready to step up and run the team well. I do think this team could be a very good defensive squad, keyed by the likes of Wilson and Johnson. There’s obviously a long ways to go to the start of the season, but there’s some optimism in watching this team, but things really have to break right, and newcomers to D-1 ball like Wilson, Payton, Johnson, and Nurumbi will be leaned upon heavily. The athleticism seems to have been stepped up and I think they’ll be a fun squad to watch-for Monson’s sake and the health of the program, hopefully that will translate into wins and a reenergization of the fan base.