The Gophers basketball team held media day at Williams Arena Saturday afternoon. It was the first chance media members had to meet the new roster for the 2017-18 season. Expectations are high for a team that finished 24-10 with an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Gophers are ranked 15th in the first USA Today coaches poll.
The team has been focused on the new season, though. Head coach Richard Pitino has been creative with his roster after three injuries limited contact practices this fall. Reggie Lynch, Dupree McBrayer, and Davonte Fitzgerald have all been medically cleared to practice, but Pitino still had to shift his approach.
“It forced me to get a lot of shots up,” he said. “[We] put in our offense and really dummied a lot of that offense without defense. I think our offense has benefited from it.”
The focus on shooting has been something the coach is looking for, specifically from sophomore Amir Coffey. The coveted Minnesota recruit averaged 12.2 points per game last year, but Pitino wants to see more scoring from him. In a closed scrimmage last Sunday, Coffey had two shots in the first few minutes, but did not shoot the rest of the game. Pitino said Coffey must start shooting the ball more within the offense.
“He is shooting in practice in the fall about 67% from the field, but Bakary [Konate] has shot more than he has,” Pitino said. “We need him to shoot more. Part of that is on me to find him more shots, but part of it is on him to find shots within the offense. If he does that, we’ve got a very balanced attack.”
Coffey has been working closely on his shot in the fall and added another six pounds this offseason to handle the physicality of the Big Ten. He knows his performance will be important as the team attempts to achieve balanced scoring.
“I got in the gym way more than I did last year. I took the weight room way more serious,” Coffey said. “After a season of Big Ten, I could tell how physical it was. I had a lot of time to get better this offseason.”
The Gophers not only have a player like Coffey on their roster, but four high-level returning starters back on the floor. Richard Pitino has been impressed with Jordan Murphy and Reggie Lynch this offseason, but he said they must both stay out of foul trouble.
“In our Creighton scrimmage, Murphy and Lynch really played well,” Pitino said. “They would have been on the bench because they would have been in foul trouble. If those guys, if they don’t play smarter, they are going to put us in a bind.”
Lynch averaged 3.4 fouls per game last year and put a strain on a low-post game that lacked depth. He was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season and led the conference in blocked shots. Pitino said many of the fouls weren’t the result of fearsome rim protection, but undisciplined decisions.
“As much as he wants to say that he’s getting fouls because of shot blocks, I don’t think that’s where he’s getting the bulk of his fouls,” Pitino said. “The bulk of his fouls are when he gets tired and a little undisciplined.”
Lynch has been trying to limit “bad fouls” such as illegal screens and offensive fouls. With limited drills to practice this, the senior explained how playing on the floor with more discipline is the only way to improve in this area.
“There’s not really a foul drill that you can do, but it’s really about having a mindset to be able to not go for some blocks that might be unnecessary to go for,” Lynch said. “I’m just trying to eliminate the bad fouls.”
The Gophers will also have a talented backcourt with freshman sensation Isaiah “Jellyfam” Washington joining the team. He will team up with senior point guard Nate Mason, who averaged 15.2 points per game last year. Washington was a coveted recruit from New York and has been relying on Mason for encouragement as he transitions to the next level. Mason sees the potential in his game and knows Washington will be an important piece in the 2017 puzzle.
“I’m going at [Washington] every day practice,” Mason said. “I don’t take any plays off. I go at his head like he’s not a freshman because we are going to need him.”
Pitino has noticed that mentorship of Mason on Washington recently. Washington has been adjusting to a different style of practices and Pitino has been pushing him to play harder. Pitino noted how a conversation with Mason, helped Washington develop more confidence.
“It’s good to see Nate trying to teach him,” Pitino explained. “When those older guys can help the younger guys, it’s important. To Nate’s credit he’s done that, and Isaiah has been very receptive to it.”
Pitino said Washington will play this season and posted 16 minutes in a closed scrimmage against Creighton last week. However, the coach noted playing experience in the Big Ten will dictate his rotation early in the season.
“We’ve got five starters who know how to play in Big Ten games, so once [Washington] learns how to do those things — he’s got the talent to do it — so it’s really good.”
For more notes and recap videos from Gophers media day, visit here: http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?79060-Gophers-Media-Day-Videos-notes-and-tidbits-from-Pitino-Jellyfam-etc