PJS: Minnesota Golden Gophers Sports

Minnesota's Perimeter Defense Carries Gophers Past Northwestern

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 18:11:00 +0000

On multiple, crunch-time second half possessions, Northwestern got the matchup it wanted. Running a high pick and roll for star guard Bryant McIntosh, the Wildcats forced a switch that found McIntosh on the wing one-on-one with Minnesota's power forward Jordan Murphy.

Advantage McIntosh, NU Coach Chris Collins must have thought. Wrong.

Murphy showed just why this Minnesota team is so dangerous. The first time McIntosh squared up on Murphy, the Minnesota's sophomore power forward kept NU's guard in front of him, behind the three point arc and forced a contested three pointer. McIntosh missed.

The second time Murphy found himself in space against McIntosh, NU's guard used a quick first step to penetrate. But Murphy was game here too. He moved his feet, regained defensive position and blocked McIntosh's layup attempt.

Minnesota's ability to defend the perimeter was why it won at Welsh-Ryan arena on Thursday night and it's why the sky is the limit for the Gophers in the Big Ten conference.

Northwestern shot 23 percent from three on the night and a dismal 6.7 percent (1-15) in the second half. This wasn't a case of a capable NU team simply missing open looks. The Gophers' perimeter defense was excellent. And it was excellent because of its versatility.

Think of Minnesota's versatility a bit like you'd think of Golden State's defensive versatility in the NBA. Draymond Green at the 4 or 5 can capably play against smaller, quicker guards when forced into the situation. Same here.

And credit Coach Richard Pitino for using his team's athleticism and length to his team's advantage defensively. It wasn't just Murphy. Pitino occasionally went small in the second half, playing freshman forward Eric Curry alongside Murphy, giving Minnesota 5 players on the floor who can capably defend the perimeter.

Minnesota's defensive fundamentals, especially on the close out at three point line, have also been excellent. Players are closing fast but getting into defensive position, with short, choppy steps to stay under control as they close, and challenging with their hands up. Good close-out technique isn't sexy to discuss, and it doesn't show up individually in a box score, but it makes a world of difference defensively. And when combined with a long, athletic, versatile roster, it can stifle good-shooting teams.

That's why Minnesota won 70-66 for its second consecutive Big Ten road win.

Offensively, Minnesota was balanced. After a scorching hot start to begin the game, Minnesota cooled off. Nate Mason, a game after catapulting himself into All Big Ten conversations, was quiet. But to his credit, he didn't force his shots and he came up huge with 8 consecutive free throws in the final seconds. Yes, 8. He finished with 12 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds to only 1 turnover.

Amir Coffey's 17 points paced Minnesota offensively. Reggie Lynch added 12 points and 8 rebounds. Coffey's play on both ends of the floor -- his length and anticipation defensively and his ability to finish in transition and create his own shot offensively -- was fun to watch. He's looking increasingly like a star in the making as just a freshman.

For Gophers' fans shrugging their shoulders at a win over Northwestern, don't. Collins' Wildcats are 12-4 and will, at worst, be on the bubble come March. Other Big Ten teams will fall in Weslh-Ryan arena.

Other notes:

How good must have it felt for Michael Hurt to hit that impactful second half three? Hurt has played meaningful minutes but had went just 1-12 from 3 before his make Thursday. Big time confidence boost for a needed bench contributor.
A game after almost single-handedly carrying the Gophers in overtime at Purdue, Eric Curry was quiet. He didn't score. But he played 16 minutes and helped the Gophers field an athletic defense that helped Minnesota defend the perimeter.
I thought Bakary Konate's 8 minutes were again very good. He rolled on high screens twice and presented himself for Nate Mason to find for easy dunks. Konate as a back=up big man is pretty good.
Dupree McBrayer struggled from the field. 3-10 and 0-3 from 3. McBrayer forced his offense a couple times and he occasionally gives me Carols Morris flashbacks.
Free throws. Ugh. Minnesota didn't get to the line at the rate it has during the first two Big Ten games, but when it did the Gophers shot 14-22. Prior to Mason's 8 straight to ice the game Minnesota was a ghastly 6-14.Gotta make FTs.
Minnesota won the turnover battle again, this time just by a 9-8 margin. But winning that battle on the road is always a win. On the season Minnesota has 255 assists and 191 turnovers.

A Program WIth A Black Eye Needed A New Leader

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 23:39:00 +0000

It's not every day a Governor weighs in to the goings-on of a college football program.

But there we were on December 16th, Minnesota's Governor Mark Dayton was forced to make a statement. The Gophers football team had given the state a "bad black eye."

And he was right.

So on Tuesday, Athletic Director Mark Coyle and University President Eric Kaler dismissed Head Coach Tracy Claeys.

Upset players took to Twitter and other platforms as the news of Claeys' dismissal became public. They weren't a happy bunch. The Daily Gopher has a number of reactions posted here.

It's no surprise that players are rallying around their just-fired coach. It was the Gophers players, after all, who made national news -- and not the kind a University or state wants -- during their misguided boycott over what they perceived as a lack of due process.

The players didn't have all the facts. And perhaps neither did Claeys when he Tweeted out his pride for his boycotting players. Those facts later trickled out to KSTP, and they were awful.

But there are times and places to take stands. It's understandable the teammates will be inclined to charge mountains for their brothers. But adults, and especially leaders of young men, which is what the head coach of a college football program ought to be, needs to set an example both on an off the field.

Tracy Claeys led the Gophers to a 9-4 record and an upset victory in the National Funding Holiday Bowl over Washington State. On the field, all things considered, it was a pretty good season for the maroon and gold.

Off the field, both Claeys, and the players he's charged to lead, gave the state and its flagship University one big, unexcusable self-inflicted black eye. The players can be excused for taking an ill-advised stand too far with their public-facing boycott. But Coach Claeys either acted without the facts or failed to lead his players. Neither is excusable.

And that gave Coyle no choice.

Claeys had to go.

Mason, Gophers Thrive Under Pressure In Upset Over Purdue

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 17:46:00 +0000

They could have come out flat days after letting a win slip away in overtime against Michigan State.

They could have lost confidence on New Year's Day as Purdue erased an early 13 point deficit and took a second half lead.

They could have surrendered when both Jordan Murphy and Bakary Konate fouled out with 4 minutes left in the game.

And they could have wilted in overtime.

Instead, the Gophers responded. Time and again. In doing so, the Gophers earned what national pundits are calling Richard Pitino's marquee win as head man at Minnesota in a 91-82 overtime win over Purdue at raucous Mackey Arena.

Winning on the road in the Big Ten is no easy task. But the Gophers didn't just win on the road Sunday, they beat a Boilermakers team with Big Ten title hopes. And there was nothing random or fluky about the win.

Nate Mason was brilliant.

Still checking records. But so far I believe Nate Mason is the first player in @GopherMBB history with 30 points and 10 assists in a game.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) January 2, 2017

31 points. 11 assists. 6 rebounds. 2 steals. 11-18 from the field. Only 1 turnover in 38 minutes.

31 and 11. Apparently, the first Gophers player in history to drop 30-plus and record 10-plus assists. Think about that. Not Bobby Jackson. Not Ariel McDonald. Not Mychal Thompson or Flip Saunders. Not Sam Jacobsen. Not Al Nolen.

Let it settle in.

Mason's great game almost wasn't enough. Purdue's Caleb Swanigan looked every bit the part of a dominant Big Ten big man. Swanigan had 28 points and 22 rebounds. And as the game entered its final stretches, Swanigan's dominance forced both Murphy and Konate to the sidelines with five fouls.

That meant the Gophers would have to prevail in overtime with freshman Eric Curry playing alongside Reggie Lynch. Curry stepped up in a huge way. He was active defensively and on the and , scored 7 points, including a clutch three pointer. Curry finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds in his first Big Ten road game.

The Gophers had survived all afternoon without much bench production. Heading into overtime, the Gophers had a whopping 5 points from its bench. Curry alone had 7 in overtime.

Other notes from Minnesota's upset over Purdue:

Lynch's interior presence, while overshadowed by the monster games from Mason and Swanigan, continues to be excellent. 10 points. 6 rebounds. 5 blocks.
17 fouls from Minnesota's frontcourt against Purdue's Swanigan and Haas. 14 fouls from Minnesota's frontcourt earlier in the week against Michigan State. Some of the foul trouble is understandable given the competition. But at least a handful of the fouls for Minnesota's bigs have come 90 feet from the basket. And others have been unnecessary. The Gophers need to keep their bigs out of foul trouble moving forward.
Amir Coffey was quiet most of the afternoon against Purdue. He finished with 8 points, including 2-2 from three, one of which came at a crucial moment down the stretch.
Bakary Knoate fouled out. He didn't score. He had three rebounds. Not a sexy box score. But Konate's minutes were solid and the Gophers needed all 20 of them to stay stout enough against Purdue's interior.
An active defense helped push the Gophers' to victory. The Gophers had 8 blocks. Pudue 0. The Gophers had 9 steals. Purdue had 1. Purdue had 14 turnovers. Minnesota had 7. More times than not, that type of discrepancy will lead to victories.

Finally, Dupree McBrayer gets the highlight of the day:

Up next, the Gophers head to 12-3 Northwestern. These aren't your father's Wildcats. They're 1-1 in the Big Ten and Coach Chris Collins has the program turned in a positive direction chasing its first NCAA Tournament.

What They're Saying About Gophers' Win At #15 Purdue

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 16:29:00 +0000

When you climb to 13-2 with a win on the road at Mackey Arena against the #15 Purdue Boilermakers, the national media types take notice. Here's a round-up of what they're saying about Richard Pitino's Gophers outside of Dinkytown.

Richard Pitino has an intriguing team. Aggressive guards that can score, tough, physical post players & a couple of very impressive freshman
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) January 1, 2017

Hardest thing to do as a coach is to get your team to respond to adversity. Huge program win for @GopherMBB
— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) January 2, 2017

Big win by the Gophers in OT at Purdue. Huge! Finally the breakthrough that Richard Pitino needed.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 2, 2017

Usually when #Purdue's Swanigan piles up points and rebounds, opponents wilt. Not Minnesota, and not Nate Mason. https://t.co/kOQFINKfcU pic.twitter.com/hKPF7Jv3J0
— Nathan Baird (@nbairdjc) January 2, 2017

Eric Curry is an Arkansas kid who befriended Amir Coffey during recruiting process. Good 1-2 punch for Gophers in future.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) January 1, 2017

If you missed Minnesota at Purdue yesterday, you missed a great game. Nate Mason is a stud (31 pts, 6 reb, 11 ast). Nobody could guard him.
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) January 2, 2017

Interesting team to watch..Minn.guarded the heck out of Purdue late..luv frosh Coffey/Curry..Mason making plays..most improved team n USA
— Dan Dakich (@dandakich) January 2, 2017

Reggie Lynch's importance for Minnesota can't be understated. Changes so much defensively at the rim. Blocked five shots against Purdue.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 2, 2017

Another surprising Big Ten result. Minnesota, as a 14-point underdog, wins in OT at No. 15 Purdue. Richard Pitino’s Gophers are now 13-2.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) January 1, 2017

I didn't really believe Richard Pitino when he told me this was his best team since arriving at Minnesota. Gophers tied in OT at Purdue now.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) January 1, 2017

Improved Gophers Team Runs Into Tom Izzo

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Fri, 30 Dec 2016 16:38:00 +0000

Credit where credit is due: Richard Pitino's Golden Gophers were the superior team on Tuesday night at Williams Arena.

For the first time in who knows how long, the Golden Gophers appeared to be the more talented basketball team during a matchup with the Michigan State Spartans. Pitino's staff deserves credit for recruiting a roster that looks to be one of the more balanced, athletic and talented rosters in recent memory.

Credit where credit is due: Tom Izzo outcoached Richard Pitino on Tuesday at Williams Arena in a game the Spartans, from an on-the-court talent perspective had no business winning.

The first half of Tuesday's B1G opener featured an aggressive Golden Gophers team taking it to Sparty. Dupree McBrayer, Nate Mason and Amir Coffey slashed their way into the lane, pushed tempo (while at times out of control) and created efficient offense by getting to the charity stripe. Defensively, the Gophers rotated, closed out under control, challenged Sparty on the interior. Reggie Lynch and Jordan Murphy demonstrated they're B1G caliber rim protectors and rebounders.

Sparty was on its heels and all signs pointed to a Gophers victory in the B1G opener.

And then Tom Izzo adjusted, a minor adjustment though it was, and Richard Pitino's Gophers never retaliated. The Gophers entered the locker room at halftime feeling good about themselves, leading impressively 39-26. They shot 54.5 percent and held Sparty to under 35 percent from the field.

Things changed quickly. In an attempt to stymie Minnesota's trio of slashers, Izzo decided to play four guards and switch on all perimeter screens. This simple adjustment kept Minnesota's trio of effective slashers (McBrayer/Coffey/Mason) out of the lane and neutralized Minnesota's high pick and roll.

Whether by design or accident, the Gophers' first two second half posessions saw the maroon and gold dump the ball inside. Neither possession ended in a basket and quickly Sparty was cutting into the lead. But as the half continued, the Gophers attempted to rely on the dribble drive offensive tendencies that led to its first half success.

Problem was Izzo took that away and the Gophers never found an answer. Pitino needed his bigs to roll and seal after setting a pick and post Michigan State's little guards up in the lane.

Pitino could have featured Murphy in the roll part of the pick and roll or simply feature him in the post. Alternatively, Pitino's bigs could have slipped the screens and cut.

No adjustment occurred. And Sparty won a game that, talent-wise, it shouldn't have won.

Murphy was dominant in the paint and finished with 12 points and 21 rebounds. 12 and 21. 12 and 21. He was a monster. And on many of those wasted second half possessions, including the failed attempt in overtime at the buzzer, when Izzo had five guards on the floor, Pitino didn't look inside.

And if not Murphy in the post, Coffey's all-around game could have been featured under the basket.

Minnesota's perimeter-oriented focus contributed significantly to its decidedly awful 25 percent second half shooting.

Despite Minnesota snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in the B1G opener, there's plenty of reason for optimism.

Minnesota's defense is the best I've seen in years. And Pitino and his coaching staff deserve significant credit for putting a team on the floor that is active, rotating well, closing out well, challenging shots and boxing out. This is no small accomplishment, and its aided by the Gophers' length, athleticism and interior girth.

While Pitino was outcoached in-game on Tuesday, the young coach and his staff have done well to put a team on the floor that is playing team defense better than any Minnesota team in years.

But this loss stings. It's not often an inferior Sparty team comes into The Barn. And the Gophers head this weekend to Purdue, where a nationally ranked Matt Painter team awaits.

The Gophers didn't get this one. And they'll be underdogs against the Boilermakers. But I haven't been more excited about a Gophers hoops team in years.

Two BCS Programs Holiday in Sunny San Diego

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 16:49:00 +0000

Late December. San Diego, California. A holiday visit for the University of Minnesota football team to the Holiday Bowl.

And for the Gophers football team, it's neither sunny, merry or festive. An 8-4 record and competitive B1G season seems like a distant memory.

Nearly 1,300 people have signed an online petition at MoveOn.org calling on the University of Minnesota President to fire football coach Tracy Claeys.

Ten players are suspended, with five facing expulsion after an alleged September sexual assault. You know the details.

From the Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins:

The Gophers football team will play a game here Tuesday night, which can be viewed as either a relief or a meaningless diversion given all that has transpired the past 14 days.

From the Star Tribune's Joe Christensen:

Coach Tracy Claeys spoke openly about his uncertain job status last week. Athletic director Mark Coyle has remained mum. About 2,600 fans purchased Holiday Bowl tickets through the Gophers’ ticket office, compared with about 7,800 for Washington State.

“This feels like it could be a step back to 10 years ago, when they hired [Tim] Brewster,” Stepnick said. “We’re going to lose recruits. We’re going to lose everything. I don’t think we look very good on a national scale, but this is our team. What are we going to do?”

Over at The Daily Gopher, there are approaching 200 comments on an excellent post explaining the Title IX process.

Two weeks ago Governor Mark Dayton called this tragic episode a "black eye" on the state of Minnesota.

And the warmth and festivities of a holiday trip to San Diego hasn't reduced the swelling.

-------------------

Late December. San Diego, California. A holiday visit for the Washington State University football team to the Holiday Bowl.

And for the Cougars football team, their 8-4 record is reason for sunny outlook on the season that was.

Coverage in Pullman and across the state of Washington tells the story of a program looking not for diversion, but for the final act in a positive season.

The Seattle Times writes about wide receiver C.J. Dimry fulfilling a childhood dream.

Some speculation surrounds whether today will be the last game as for Washington State's QB Luke Falk, perhaps the most heralded Cougar QB since Drew Bledsoe.

In the Pullman-Review, columnist Vince Grippi believes the Cougars' good season will continue today in sunny San Diego.

The warmth and festivities of a holiday trip to San Diego is a sign in Pullman that Coach Mike Leach has the Cougars and their Air Raid offense headed in the right direction.

Turning The Lights Back On

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 17:22:00 +0000

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, Paging Jim Shikenjanski is back!

Eight years after shuttering the lights here, it's time to re-launch this little maroon and gold outpost.

Running PJS always brought me great joy. Whether it was dissecting Tubby Smith's 5-in, 5-out rotations, sparring with Kentucky-based Tubby bashers, blasting Tim Brewster's inanity or complaining about Patrick Reusse's persistently negative Gophers' coverage, PJS became for me a fun hobby that combined a few of my passions: writing, journalism and Gophers basketball.

I continued those passions along with blogger GopherNation when we launched The Daily Gopher -- on of SBN's fantastic blogs -- in late 2008. But eventually the start of my own business and coaching various AAU basketball teams took up far too much of my time to consistently produce content.

But as 2016 has wound to a close, I've found myself itching to get back to this keyboard on this blog.

So, here we are, PJS is back. Just in time to see if Richard Pitino's 12-1 Gophers can find Big Ten success and if Tracy Claeys' Gophers can ~~win the Holiday Bowl~~ avoid scandal.

The design and look of this site will likely change, but I hope to provide the same coverage that earned PJS a loyal little following back in the mid 2000s.

And for any of you stopping by here for the first time, especially those younger millennials who are wondering who and what Paging Jim Shikenjanski is, here's some background.

Happy Holidays!

A New Home And Partner

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:07:00 +0000

This will be the last post in PJS history. (Tears).

We're ready to launch a new Web site dedicated to Minnesota Gophers sports. It's www.thedailygopher.com.

While I'm pleased to be shedding the aesthetically-challenged Blogger platform, what I'm most excited about is the partnerships that will be on display at www.thedailygopher.com. I'm teaming with Tom from Gopher Nation, who in my opinion does a downright fantastic job covering the Gophers. I believe our differing approaches will bode well for the reader. We have different strengths, weaknesses and writing styles.

The new site will be on the SBN platform. That means we'll be joining talented bloggers like A Sea of Blue, Black Shoe Diaries, Black Heart/Gold Pants, Burnt Orange Nation, and many others, including The Daily Norseman (one of my stops for Vikings coverage). Combine that with our friendships with the Big Ten Bloggers Group, and we should be able to bring our readers the best college sports coverage from around the blogosphere.

The SBN sites allow for tremendous reader interaction with the site, giving you the ability to create your own posts or add video, links or other items you'd like to share with the Gophers community.

We hope you'll join us at www.thedailygopher.com, because Tom and I are both looking forward to analyzing, opining, and even reporting a little on the Gophers at our new site. We've been looking forward to this all summer and it's finally here. Hope to see you over at The Daily Gopher shortly.

Dominic Jones Is A Number

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 22:08:00 +0000

Excellent article today by the Star Tribune's Rochelle Olson on life in prison through the eyes of former Minnesota Gophers defensive back Dominic Jones.

Choice quote from the lede: "Number 00425759. That's my number," Jones said. "My name now is Inmate. It's not Dominic Jones."

I highly recommend you read the entire article. Great reporting by Ms. Olson.

In this case, I believe the punishment fits the crime (though I could argue it could have been more harsh), but I do have one question. Does reducing one's existence to a serial number work towards rehabilitation?

So, How Did Brewster Fare On Media Day?

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:57:00 +0000

Well, Tim Brewster is what he is. There's clearly no changing him. Even after a year of snarky comments from fans, columnists, bloggers and opponents, our young ball coach remains the bundle of unbridled optimism he was all year last year.

When Brewster took the podium at Big Ten media day this week, looking rather sharp I might add, Brewster promptly said he had "tremendous optimism" and was "excited." I smiled after hearing his comments, because, well, this is Tim Brewster he is who we thought he was:.

"All in all I couldn't be more excited as we stand here today with the 2008 season getting ready to start," Brewster said.

I'm not going to pick on Brewster for the optimism anymore, but I still don't like the expectations he puts on his players or his position that talent is all that matters and schemes aren't as important.

Anyway, here are some highlights of his speech, followed by video of his address to the media.

*** He admitted the team defense was horrible, and suggested that his highly-ranked recruiting class could shore up some defensive weaknesses.

"We went about correcting that situation," he said.

The defense wasn't just bad last season, it was an embarrassment. Even an OK defense in 2008 would be a huge improvement.

*** Brewster "couldn't be more excited" about having Adam Weber back as the starting quarterback. I disagree with this and don't think this job should be handed to Weber, but I'll talk more about that at a later time.

*** Brewster believes Eric Decker will be one of the top receivers in the country. Not the Big Ten. The NCAA. I like Decker. He's a very nice receiver. But I really wish Brewster wouldn't put that type of expectations on his players. Harold Howell comes to mind.

*** Apparently one of Brewster's favorite things to say to his players is "If you really love football, football will love you back."

*** Asked how style and schemes would change to improves his defense, Brewster instead talked about talent and athleticism. This tells me that Brewster didn't think there were any Xs and Os issues in 2007. Were there talent issues? Yes. Athleticism issues especially at linebacker? You bet. But I would rather see Brewster take a balanced approach here and not state publicly that he is simply relying on talent and "hungrier players."

*** Brewster compared MarQueis Gray to Vince Young. Again, I wish Brewster wouldn't put these types of comparisons out there!!! It only creates unfair expectations.

*** Rivals' Tom Dienhart gives Brewster the "Most Inspirational" award for Big Ten media day. I can't disagree, but think Brewster should also have been in the running for Best Dressed. Dienhart wrote: "His passion and fire had this writer ready to run through the buffet line with gusto. Brewster should be a general."

*** John Lemon and Lindsey Willhite of The Daily Herald have a brief in their media day recap titled "Brewster enthusiastic." I guess that's better than whatever the opposite might be.

*** Before he faced the Big Ten media, Charley Walters asked Brewster what he thought about being picked by the media, and just about everyone with a pen, to finish last in the conference. Brewster doesn't think the media knows what it's talking about: "The writers, they don't have any clue, truly, about these kids. So basically what they're doing is basing their prognostication off of last year."

*** ESPN's Adam Rittenberg put together a nice post on Brewster's strategic decision to add experienced talent that can help right away by concentrating on the JUCO ranks. After talking to Brewster, Rittenberg writes Tramaine Brock will start at safety, Traye Simmons at corner back, Rex Sharpe at linebacker and Cedric McKinley will get some time on the Gophers' defensive line.

*** WNUR noted Brewster's bone-headed comment of the day. In the video above if you watch it, Brewster states "“you need to take 2 steps backward to take one step forward." Ooops. The WNUR staff also felt as if Brewster was "yelling" at them, and suggested motivational speaking for a future endeavor for Brewster. I'm not sure that's funny anymore.

(CLARIFICATION: Upon further review, and as noted by a commenter, Brewster actually said "You need to take two steps backward to take one big step forward.")

*** Instead of making fun of Brewster's optimism or energy, Jeff Rice of the Centre Daily Times reported on the Gophers' highly ranked recruiting class.

Royce White v. Damien Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:30:00 +0000

Royce White, who we're all excited to be donning maroon and gold come fall 2009, has given the punditocracy another reason to question his maturity.

In an item I didn't see until it was pointed out to me today, it's reported that White had a little altercation with Damian Johnson during a summer league game. Now, White insists it was simply competitive sparring. But the funny business got him ejected.

This Star Tribune blog post by Myron Medcalf (after burying the lede) informs us that White was tossed for trash talking and throwing a ball at Johnson's back when he was turned away. Yeah, that's not cool, considering Johnson was arguably the Gophers' MVP last season and was easily the player who grew the most under Tubby Smith. Show some respect, Royce!

Medcalf also decides to paraphrase Tubby Smith second hand. Here's the paragraph that made the editor in me cringe:

Tubby Smith was upset and befuddled when he learned about White’s verbal
sparring session with his future teammate. During a conversation with a
colleague, Smith questioned White’s immaturity.

I believe Tubby would be questioning White's "maturity," and this incident might give credence to those who suggest White is "immature." Whatever.

This little note proves two things to us: 1) Royce White hasn't learned a microscope is on him and 2) the Star Tribune isn't going to save us from another year of questionable reporting and grammar from pup reporter Myron Medcalf.

Tollackson Update

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Blogging continues to be sparse, but there is a good reason. I swear! Should have an announcement in the coming days/weeks that I think many of you will like.

Meantime, check out this article from the Chaska Herald that was sent in by a reader that updates everyone on the status of graduated center Spencer Tollackson. He's going to play pro ball in Europe. Good for him. He wasn't the greatest of centers to grace the Williams Arena floor talent-wise, but he played up to his potential, IMO, and gave us all he had.

Congratulations, Spencer.

Playing Catch Up.... Again

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:32:00 +0000

OK, everyone needs to scold me. Each week I intend to get back into the swing of things here and then either life or the day job keeps me away. I will admit some summertime (read: off season) boredom.

Nonetheless, I'm still here. And a new site is still in the works as I promised months ago. For today, let's catch up again on what has been going on in Gopher Nation.

*** Larry Vought of Kentucky's Scout site sat down with Tubby Smith for a five part interview that is available at the following links and does NOT require subscription.

Part 1: Tubby talks about leaving UK, the reception he received in Minnesota, and Tubby was asked the tired question of the Minnesota weather.

Part 2: Tubby discusses Rajon Rando and the post UK successes of his former players.

Part 3: Tubby discusses his son Saul's progress as a coach.

Part 4: Tubby talks about the differences, or lack thereof, in recruiting in Minny as opposed to UK. He also weighs in on camps recruiting young kids.

Part 5: Tubby tells Vought he "never thinks about retiring." Good to hear!

(HT-A Sea of Blue)

*** Interesting that this week Lute Olson of Arizona comes out and says he will no longer recruit one-and-done players. I'd agree with that perspective if all coaches were on board. As it is, they aren't. In this ESPN piece, Jim Boeheim said "Are you crazy?" when asked if he would follow suit. Our Orlando Tubby Smith? He says "Even it is for one year, they can do a lot for you." I understand Lute here, but see no reason why Tubby should put unnecessary restrictions on the Gophers until the entire college basketball community puts a stop to this practice. How about doing what college baseball does? If you don't go directly from high school to minor league baseball, you have to play at least three seasons of collegiate ball?

*** Chris Diggs' UK blog at the Louisville Courier-Journal asks why Billy Gillispie was savaged for "cradle robbing" when he received a verbal commitment from 8th grade 15-year-old Michael Avery, while Billy Donovan was praised for his recruitment of 9th grade 15-year-old Austin Rivers (son of Doc).

Like the Avery recruitment, I tend to think the Rivers recruitment is a bit of a stretch. But there is one obvious difference. Rivers is in his freshman year of high school. Avery wasn't.

But perhaps one other reason the reaction to the Avery commitment was much more harsh, is the different perceptions of Gillispie and Donovan. Like it or not, Donovan exudes class. Gillispie, in my opinion, comes off as crass. It might not be accurate or fair, but it doesn't mean that personal reputations of coaches doesn't play into the reactions of the punditry in cases like this.

Ken Howlett at A Sea of Blue is also up in arms over the differing takes on recruitment.

*** Excited about Tubby Smith's sophomore season? I am. Incoming JUCO swingman Devron Bostick continues to rack up the accolades. Already the recipient of the National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year award, this week Bostick was named the David Rowlands Male Student Athlete of the Year. For Southwestern Illinois College, Bostick put up 18.2 points and five rebounds per game.

And he's made quite the splash in the Howard Pulley summer league, teaming up with my favorite Gopher Damian Johnson. Per Rivals (subscription), Bostick is sticking it from beyond the arc, against competition like Troy Bell and Kammron Taylor. Against those foes, Bostick scored a dominant 38 points. Rivals suggests he is explosive enough to help the Gophers from day one. Good news!

*** One area where the commenters on the forums are worried concerns Devoe Joseph. The last we reported here, Devoe was going to be on campus this summer, skip the Canadian Nationals and get to school and start working out at the U. Devoe won't be here until the fall now, according to Sid Hartman, who called the development a "blow" to Tubby Smith. It's not ideal. It'd be great of Devoe was playing ball alongside Johnson and Bostick or Sampson and Iverson.

*** KSTP TV has a nice update on Sam Maresh, where the Champlain Park linebacker, talks about dealing with having heart surgery. He wants to come back and play. And also a great move by Tim Brewster here. At the end of the story it is noted that Brewster "has promised Maresh that he will be the one to carry the school's flag as the team runs out of the tunnel in their new stadium in 2009, whether he's wearing street clothes or football pads."

That's all for today. Have a good weekend everyone!

Playing Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:34:00 +0000

The holiday weekend, and a mini hiatus beforehand, has left a lot of catching up to do for those who come here to follow Gophers sports. Here are some of the "need to knows" from the last week or so.

Hope everyone had a relaxing 4th of July weekend.

*** Per Twin Cities Boys Hoops we learn of Scout's updated 2009 high school basketball rankings. Minnesota commit Royce White is ranked #32, up from #38. Rodney Williams drops from #45 to # 57.

*** Incoming freshman guard Devoe Joseph will be on campus shortly, according to Sid Hartman, as he will not be playing with the Canadian National Team in Olympic qualifying games as some had expected. That should leave Paul Carter as the only incoming player to not be on campus or en route. Carter has some classwork to finish reportedly.

*** Marcus Fuller of the PiPress chronicles Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson playing on the same team together in the Howard Pulley summer league. On the floor at the same time together, Iverson played the center position and Sampson the power forward position. Both players seem to like their respective positions. Iverson is a tad stronger (6'11, 250, compared to Sampson's 6'11, 235) and Sampson is known as more of a finesse player. Good article from Fuller.

*** Charley Walters also reports from the Howard Pulley summer league. He quotes former Gophers guard Terry Kunze as calling Devron Bostick "the real deal," and the recruit that will be the team's "top player." A common thread among Fuller's report, and Walters' convo with Kunze is the thought that Sampson needs to either get "stronger" or "more assertive."

*** Something called The Gopher Wagon is touring the state of Minnesota with Joel Maturi.

*** Ohio State blog From the Mind of Minnich suggests Brewster's Gophers will be the "dregs of th Big Ten," and wonders if the Mason firing/Brewster hiring reminds us of the song "Big Yellow Taxi."

*** The Realests offer a Minnesota football preview. If you don't like potshots at Brewster, don't click on the link).

*** In a thorough Big Ten preview, the blog Putting up Bricks pegs the Gophers at 3-9 in 2008. Hey, a two game improvement wouldn't be bad!

*** In this set of Sid jottings, we learn that Joel Maturi is still after Texas for a football home and home and that former Minnesota wide receiver Ernie Wheelright has signed a free agent rookie contract with the Baltimore Ravens. Regarding the Texas home and home, this would be great if it is a few years down the road (and it would be). The Gophers need a couple more highly touted recruiting classes to not get laughed out of the stadium.

Friday Randomness Explains Why The NBA Has Been Dead To Me

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:57:00 +0000

I guess it began around the time it became clear the Timberwolves weren't going to be able to put together sustained success with Kevin Garnett. But, now that I think about it, the NBA has been relatively dead to me for quite some time.

I think the tipping point came when Latrell Sprewell, in one of those never-forget moments made the absurd statement, after turning down a contract that wasn't to his liking, that he had to feed his family. That struck the sports world as one of the most arrogant comments ever uttered by a multi-million dollar professional ball player. For me, I looked at my own family. My father worked in construction and later at the Ford plant in St. Paul. My mother worked in a school kitchen. They had to worry about feeding their blue-collar family.

While Sprewell's arrogance likely pushed me over the edge, I had thought since childhood the college basketball game was the superior game. College basketball is predicated on teamwork. NBA is predicated on one-on-one isolation's. Having been a student of basketball, the former to me has been more appealing.

In watching the NBA draft last night, Dick Vitale went on a rant that made a lot of sense to me. The NBA's decision to force high school players into one year of college ball is hurting the college game, and giving me another reason to look at the pros with disdain. I don't begrudge LeBron James, Kevin Garnett or any other uber-talent from taking the money when they can. But, as Vitale said, forcing some of these talents into the college game is a detriment to the game many of us love. Many of these one-and-doners don't want to be in college. They don't care about academics. Pretty soon, won't some of these kids go to Europe for the early money, not to mention the appreciating Euro versus the depreciating dollar?

Vitale's suggestion was that players could come to the NBA out of high school should there talent merit that. But if they choose college, they ought to stay for at least three years. Baseball forces its amateurs to do the exact same thing.

So it was that I watched the NBA draft last night, hoping to see the Wolves make the right pick. They did, and later traded it (I'm not going to rant about this). But what stuck out to anybody watching was the shear number of college freshman that comprised the first 15 or so picks. This can't be good for anybody.

And it makes me, someone who is having trouble coming back to the NBA, less likely to return. But if I had three years to get to know OJ Mayo at USC or Kevin Love at UCLA, I might be more inclined to follow their careers at the pro level. Those extra years seemed to serve Tim Duncan well.

*** Tim Brewster's prized in state recruit Sam Maresh underwent heart surgery Thursday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. No one knows if Maresh will play ball again, but he certainly has his sights set on it. Our best wishes go out to Maresh, his family and our hopes is for a speedy recovery.

*** Tom at Gopher Nation has a poll ongoing asking for your honest opinion about Tim Brewster, Glen Mason and the coaching situation with the football program. Share your opinion here.

*** Victoria's Secret and Goldy aren't friends. Shame.

*** The Big Ten Bloggers teamed up for more fearless predictions. I didn't have time to put significant thought into them, so I passed. But our friends who live and die with Northwestern, Lake the Posts, has the results here.

*** I'm getting some criticism from UK quarters for the most recent guest post I authored at 10,000 Takes. The point I was trying to make was that in the NABC's decision to try and put an end to kiddy-recruitment, Tubby Smith (president of NABC) looks good, while Billy Gillispie (who for right or wrong is the current face of kiddy-recruitment) doesn't look as good. I suggested Tubby might be getting some enjoyment out of this. I shouldn't have applied motives to Tubby, but I do believe Tubby looks like a statesman here and Gillispie looks like he lost a recruiting tactic some see as questionable. Tru at A Sea of Blue is right here, I could have done better.

That's it for now. Have a great weekend. The in-laws are coming to town here. Yikes!

Your New Gophers: Keanon Cooper

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:06:00 +0000

PJS Note: In an effort to prepare you for the myriad new faces on Tim Brewster's 2008Golden Gophers, we're going to methodically brief you on each newcomer. To Brewster's credit the Gophers compiled their best recruiting class in recent memory (17th best in the country by Rivals' rankings).

Your New Gophers: Keanon Cooper

There is no question that one of Minnesota's two primary weaknesses last season was in the secondary. This is nothing new for Minnesota, as the Gophers have traditionally struggled to stop high-flying, spread offense teams. But with Tim Brewster installing the spread offense himself, moving away from the ball control offense under Glen Mason, the secondary needs to be that much better. The quicker the Gophers score, the more possessions the opponent is going to have to exploit a beleaguered secondary. Brewster knew this and addressed it with his 2008 recruiting class.

One newcomer who could have an immediate impact is Dallas Skyline safety Keanon Cooper, a 6' 190 pound athlete who could have went to a number of programs including Michigan, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Miami or Kansas.

But the biggest obstacle in Minnesota's way for Cooper was Texas Tech, where he originally committed. But Cooper decided to drop that commitment and join three of his high school friends who had also committed to the University. We'll get to Cooper's classmates at a later date, but this should indicate one reason why Cooper picked the Gophers.

Cooper is ranked as Rivals' 24th best safety in the country (though he also could be played at outside linebacker, where a lack of quickness was another weakness for the Gophers), and was one of two Gophers to make the site's Big Ten Signing Day Dream Team, the other being quarterback Marqueis Gray.

Academically, Cooper seems to be anything but a problem child, having finished in the top quarter of his senior class. He's described by his coach as an "outstanding student" and "a relentless player."

ESPN.Com's Football Recruiting Blog called Cooper perhaps "the most versatile defensive prospect in this class." By versatile, ESPN means exactly that. They go on to praise him for wreaking havoc at safety, linebacker and even defensive end. That to me sounds versatile! So, while Cooper is listed as a safety, don't be surprised if he is used in all sorts of places. It's up to new defensive coordinator Ted Roof to put him in position to succeed. Let's hope Roof gets creative.

Brewster's Touted Class Could Be OK After All

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:41:00 +0000

The Star Tribune's Sid Hartman continues to keep us posted on the status of Tim Brewster's incoming recruiting class. Sid previously reported that some incoming recruits might be at jeopardy of failing to meet the admissions office's academic criteria. Now, Sid reports that all seems to be going well.

According to Sid, Brewster indicated one or two recruits might not qualify academically. Most recruits are either enrolled for summer school or are expected to be on campus within weeks. Taking out those recruits, that leaves "Traye Simmons, Tim McGee, Vince Hill and Spencer Reeves -- who have schoolwork to complete before they can be admitted."

We previously profiled Hill, a 4-star wide receiver recruit.

It's not good to lose any of these recruits, but at least the list seems to be trimmed dramatically from what some were speculating.

Friday Randomness Thinks About Feeling Bad For Tim Brewster, Reconsiders

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:10:00 +0000

Hey Tim Brewster, still enjoying your tenure as head coach at the U?

First, Tim Brewster embarked on a Minnesota worst 1-11 season, which included an NCAA embarrassment of a defense and a loss to North Dakota State. That couldn't have felt good.

To his credit, Brewster dusted him self off and started anew. He put together a heralded Class of 2008, filled with high-level wide receivers and touted quarterbacks. This looked great on paper until the roof started caving in.

First, Brewster was forced to give up on Harold Howell a would-be sophomore out of Florida that was touted to be a return man with the lightning in a bottle quality of a Devin Hester. Howell was horrible, couldn't catch a punt and obviously couldn't find it within him to excel academically. That couldn't have been fun..

Yesterday, Brewster's own son, Clint Brewster, a one-time verbal commit to Illinois, has decided to leave his father's 1-11 football team behind and pursue other options. Homers can spin this by suggesting that the younger Brewster was expendable because the Gophers have depth. Sophomore Adam Weber poised to return as the starter, veteran backup Tony Mortensen remains and two allegedly talented newcomers in JUCO transfer David Pittman and hyped dual-threat quarterback Marqueis Gray are arriving this fall.

But in all honesty, we can't really know what members of Brewster's class of 2008 will ever wear maroon and gold. It has been reported that Brewster's class, which ranks by most any measure in the upper echelon of the Big Ten, may see it's numbers fall after the academics czars at the U have their say. You see, some of these prized recruits can't pass their entrance exams and can't gain admission by other means. Sid Hartman tells us Brewster isn't too happy about this.

I can't imagine he would be.

Yes, it's been a rocky year-plus for Brewster. But, then again, some of us were convinced Brewster was a public relations disaster last year when he allegedly decided to go on an anti-Notre Dame rant and call Charlie Weis a fat slob. Michael Floyd apparently is more concerned about substantive coaching then waistlines.

Enjoying the Tim Brewster era yet? Despite what he'll say, I'd guess he's not either.

*** I read this as Tubby Smith bitch-slapping Billy Gillispie. Nice. Tubby, as president of the NABC, is saying college coaches should chill on the recruitment of pre-pubescent athletes. I totally agree with this.

*** Congratulations if you have Comcast, you will now be able to watch your favorite Big Ten team on cable.

*** Hawkeye State at Black Heart, Gold Pants, chronicled a recent conversation between Tim Brewster and Ron Zook. Classic.

*** Easy target that he is, Tim Brewster is a recruiting machine. He racked up recruit number six for his Class of 2009 recently in Sartell's Nick Rengel. Minnesota was the only BCS major to offer Rengel. However, North Dakota State made an offer, so at least Brewster was able to out maneuver a DII team.

That's it for today. Everyone have a good weekend!

Brewster's Son To Transfer

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:18:00 +0000

Via the Star Tribune we learn today that Tim Brewster's son Clint is going to transfer. You'll remember that Clint Brewster was a big "get" for the new football coach. The quarterback recruit had verbally committed to Tim's alma mater, Illinois, but withdrew from that pledge to play for his father.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Clint's decision is hopefully based on the fact that the Gophers have become surprisingly deep at quarterback. Sophomore Adam Weber is poised to lead the Gophers under center for the second year of Minnesota's attempt to install the spread coast offense. And Coach Brewster's big get during this recruiting season was MarQueis Gray, a quarterback that is hyped to be a perfect fit for the spread coast. The Gophers are also bringing in JUCO quarterback David Pittman, though it has been speculated he would play a position other than quarterback.

However, losing any 4-star player isn't good. Adding in that it is the coaches son leads me to two thoughts.

1) This might show me that Tim Brewster has been honest with his son. Perhaps Coach Brewster told Clint that Weber is the quarterback of the present and Gray is the quarterback of the future. It would only be natural for the father in this situation to want his son to be in a position to succeed. Because of actual talent at Minnesota (wow, can't believe I said that) the opportunites aren't in maroon and gold for Clint. If this is the case, I applaud the transfer.

2) This might show me that Coach Brewster is worried about the public relations of playing his son over the likes of Pittman or Gray. If Clint Brewster honestly wins a job over his competitors, jerks like Patrick Reusse and me will surely pen an article or post talking about nepotism. Playing Clint Brewster could be seen as a lose-lose situation for the coach, unless of course the son performs above expectations. If this type of thought went into the transfer, or Coach Brewster's decision to anoint an otherwise raw quarterback like Weber to the starting role, then I shake my head at the news of the transfer. After all, Clint Brewster came into to camp last year as the only quarterback with experience in the spread coast.

Personally, I'll remember Clint Brewster for his antics after the Gophers lost to Winsconsin last year. He, according to the Bucky kicker, sprinted across the field and used some naughty words to basically say 'Wisconsin sucks.' Classy.

Other reading: Gopher Nation asks "What was your favorite Clint Brewster moment?"

Lacy Seems To Be Leaning Towards Gophers

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:40:00 +0000

Four-star Milwaukee point guard Johnnie Lacy, who the Gophers officially offered this past week, will be attending the Minnesota basketball camp instead of a similar camp being held at the same time at Marquette, his hometown school.

It has been thought for some time that Marquette was the favorite to land Lacy's services, but after Tom Crean bolted from Marquette to coach Indiana and Buzz Petersen took over, the Golden Eagles' interest in Lacy has reportedly waned. And if that is not the best way to put it, well, Rivals reports that Petersen hasn't really been in contact with Lacy or his coaches.

The Pioneer Press' Marcus Fuller touched on Lacy's recruitment, his decision to attend a U of M camp and the Minnesota offer in a blog post here.

Minnesota is just the second BCS school to offer Lacy (the other obviously being Marquette). Other big names are after the point guard, however, including Purdue and Tennessee. But something, and some have speculated academics, have kept high majors from coming after Lacy en masse.

Lacy is 5'10", 165 pounds and described as a lightning-quick scoring point guard. He's a Rivals 150 player in the class of 2009 and would go along way in Tubby Smith's efforts to shore up the Gophers' point guard situation. The Gophers have also offered Arlington, Tx, point guard Nick Russell, but it seems that almost every high major has offered Russell.

One bit of speculation: Lacy seems to talk very highly of Crean. If Indiana were to make a push for Lacy (and I wonder how Verdell Jones' presence would impact such a decision), I think Crean's relationship might be tough to beat.

Friday Randomness Begins With Joel Maturi

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:46:00 +0000

As his alma mater searches for a new Athletic Director, Joel Maturi is saying all of the right things. Asked by Charley Walters what he would say if the big-wigs at Notre Dame came calling, Maturi responded thusly: 'Thank you, but I love what I'm doing."

Noting the rumors surrounding Maturi, the Minnesota Daily put together a well-done look at Maturi's tenure, beginning with his charge in 2002 to be the first Athletic Director to oversee both the men's and women's departments. Maturi has had some great moments while in his chair and some not so great moments. Here are some highlights.

The Good:

*** Saved men's and women's golf in 2003 thanks to a fundraising effort. Talks of cutting programs has diminished overall, thanks in part to a budget that has remained in the black, if not swimming in cash like, say, Florida.

*** Laid the groundwork for the new football stadium by securing TCF Bank sponsorship and subsequently pushed the stadium package through the state legislature.

*** Hired Tubby Smith

*** Cleaned up the men's basketball program after the Clem Haskins scandal

The Not so Good:

*** Gave Glen Mason a 4-year contract extension in January of 2006. Fired Mason in December of that same year. Mason received a $2.2 million buyout.

*** Was AD when two men's tennis coaches were suspended after committing six NCAA violations. Cheating in tennis?

*** Seemed to have trouble pulling the trigger with Dan Monson. Monson received a $1.1 million buyout in December 2006.

Please feel free to add your own.

My biggest criticism of Maturi probably centers around the handling of the Glen Mason situation. Eleven months after extending his contract, Maturi acted rashly after an embarrassing loss to Texas Tech and fired Mason. Like most of you I rejoiced at the decision, but it was late in coming and it might tell us something about Maturi's decision-making ability.

That said, I hope Maturi lives by his word and tells any potential suitors that he's happy where he is. Maturi deserves loads of credit for bringing an open-air football stadium to the U. He landed Tubby Smith and the men's basketball program is turning around. Maturi hasn't been perfect, but he's done a pretty damn good job.

What do you think?

*** Three members Tubby Smith's incoming class will be at the U for summer school. They are Ralph Sampson III, Colton Iverson and JUCO transfer Devron Bostick. Paul Carter will be finishing up his freshman classes in summer school at his junior college. Devoe Joseph is planning to try out for the Canadian Olympic team. Sounds pretty cool for the kid, right? Tubby's not so sure.

Per Sid Hartman's column, Tubby said: "I looked at that roster, and the people that Canada is inviting, all of them are veteran players," Smith said. "So, he might need to get here. I don't want him to waste his summer if he's not going to be [playing much]."

*** Most of us know that a certain segment of University of Kentucky basketball fans are delusional. When I read the headline of this post from Kentucky Wildcats Blog, I was envisioning a post that would be outlandishly partisan and, of course then, off base. The headline: "U of K Basketball - Is UK Basketball Bigger than the SEC?"

Thankfully the post is coherent and honest about the state of the SEC, noting the recent success at Tennessee and Florida. That success brings in money, which props up programs. If I was asked to answer the rhetorical question, is UK basketball bigger than the SEC, my answer is simple. Not even close.

Florida is the cream of the crop in the SEC. Back-to-back national chippers isn't something that will be easily overcome. The blogger writes this about UK returning to prominence:

U of K basketball is still U of K basketball though. It will just take more time and effort to dominate the SEC like in years past. The name Kentucky on the front of a jersey is still very appealing to many recruits and I’m sure U of K basketball will continue to grow in tradition with many talented players and championships.
I'm not sure the UK brand is as irresistible as some UK loyalists might believe. The UK name is surely appealing, but the days of five to 10 programs across the country dominating are over. The AAU circuit is producing more top-notch talent and the money behind big college programs is propelling many former also-ran programs into prominence. And I'm also not sure Billy Gillispie has the charisma to compete with Billy Donovan and Bruce Pearl. Donovan and Pearl each have established their own personal brands. But the perception of Gillispie is that he's a hot-headed jerk. Just my opinion.

*** A name to watch in the 2009 basketball recruiting wars is Milwaukee Bay View point guard Johnnie Lacy. Marquette seems to be the favorite, per this Rivals article, but the Gophers as well as Purdue and Tennessee are in the hunt. Lacy is one of a handful of point guards Tubby Smith is looking at, in an attempt to shore up one of the team's weaknesses. Lacy is a 4-star product. Snatching a recruit from Wisconsin would be fantastic to send a message to Bo Ryan, even though Bo's 2009 scholarships are all used up.

*** Tim Brewster is taking some heat for his comments that last year's one-win football team "very easily could have been a six-, seven-win season, easily." For more on the same subject, check out Sunday Morning Quarterback's take. It's definitely worth a read.

That's all for today. Have a good weekend!

Football Season Is Apparently Around The Corner

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:11:00 +0000

I did this last year and enjoyed it, so once again I'm going to try and bring you every Minnesota football preview I can find on the Web.

The first installment this year comes from Big Tenet, which compares the current Gophers to the Ron Zook led Illini. Can Brewster turn the program around in Zook-like fashion. Not right away according to this writer. Here's the money graf:

The schedule does them no favors, as after four nonconference games against lower D-I and D-II teams, the conference schedule has the Golden Gophers on the road at Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Ouch. Still—this will be a good year for a rebuilding program in terms of the up and comers learning more about the system and getting experience, but to expect the Gophers to finish with more than 3-4 wins is not going to happen.

Three to four wins. Hmmmm. Can't say I disagree at this point, but there is still time for me to get caught up in the Brewster hype.

Meanwhile, our friend at Lake the Posts hosted the first annual (yes, I know you can't have something be "annual" if it's the first version) Big Ten Bloggers Preseason Picks. While I'm a member of the BTB unholy alliance, I didn't have time to partake with my own rankings. However, even my maroon-colored glasses wouldn't have done much to improve the take on where the Gophers would finish.

That's right, dead last.

Check out the entire set of rankings here.

Reflecting On The Obsessive College Sports Community

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:23:00 +0000

PJS Note: I write a weekly column for 10,000 Takes and this first appeared there this morning. I'm cross-posting it here.

Since the end of last year's Gophers football season, eyes turned to the future. It's only natural that this happens. It's the reason sites like Rivals succeed.

It's why sports columnists, commenters at GopherHole act as if the sky is falling anytime a potential recruit picks school colors that aren't that writer's preferred. I'm not trying to be holier than thou. During the basketball recruitment of Draymond Green, I latched onto a very easy storyline after Green picked Tom Izzo over Tubby Smith. It wasn't my finest moment. I acted silly, took the easy angle and raised bogus concerns that Green's choice might underscore some criticisms wacky Kentucky fans had about Tubby.

I bring this up because of the unfortunate news that Champlin Park's Sam Maresh, one of Tim Brewster's marquee recruits, faces a real life challenge: open heart surgery, according to the Star Tribune, to repair or replace his aortic valve. Maresh's bio is one that has excited Gopher Nation. Brewster has compared him to Brian Urlacher. He was a 4-star Rivals linebacker who bucked the trend of high-profile recruits leaving the state and picked the Gophers over Michigan. That alone endeared him to Minnesota fans.

Thankfully, the reaction of Minnesota fans has been sensitive. It's cliche, but this type of news does put sports into perspective. But for those of us in the peanut gallery, perhaps we can take a look at this situation and keep it in mind when we're writing our columns, posts or comments. Losing out on Michael Floyd to Notre Dame isn't the end of the world. Getting surly because Draymond Green picks the Spartans over the Gophers is hardly an appropriate reaction.

Maresh insists he will play football again, and I will root him along in that effort. But I won't be upset if he doesn't. And I'm going to try not to be upset the next time that recruit I really want in maroon and gold picks some less wonderful colors.

Life Strikes Sam Maresh

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Perhaps Tim Brewster's most prized recruit, Champlin Park linebacker Sam Maresh, had life intervene this week in his quest to help turn the Gophers football program around.

Maresh has a congenital heart defect and will need to have open heart surgery.

You might remember that Sam Maresh, a local 4-star recruit according to Rivals, was compared to Brian Urlacher by Brewster. Whether or not that was a stretch is irrelevant, Maresh was the first big-name recruit to pick the Gophers over powerhouses like Michigan.

While this is certainly bad news from a football perspective, our thoughts at the moment should be with Sam and the Maresh family. The time will come where we can diagnose how this impacts the Gophers. That time isn't now.

I'll bring you more on this as it comes along and as I have time to relay it.

For now, here is the Star Tribune article on the story and the thoughts of Tom at Gopher Nation.

Good Read

noreply@blogger.com (PJS) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:10:00 +0000

If you haven't already, check out Charley Walters' interview with Tim Brewster. Walters did a good job asking the right questions and making the right comparisons.

He noted how different Tubby Smith's public relations style had been, playing down expectations, compared to Brewster. We've touched on that before here too. Walters also asked Brewster about his perhaps over-hyped predictions for last season.

Here's the money quote from the article, but be sure to read it all.

"I don't know that was an overhype at all," he said. "This is who I am, so I've got to be who I am. What I wanted to do was raise the level of expectations of the fans and people of this state. I wanted the people of this state to think, 'hey, yes, we can; yes, we will.' I think they've lost that some. I think people in this state, people who backed the Gophers, had really lost a little bit of their optimism toward winning a championship and taking the Gophers to Pasadena. So I wanted to re-establish that as, hey, this is the mind-set. Now, never one time did I ever say last season we're going to the Rose Bowl, this season we're going to the Rose Bowl. This is what we want to do, this is the expectation level of our team, and I want it to be the expectation level of our fans."
Walters also touches on the difficulty of having his son, Clint, on the roster as a quarterback. Clint Brewster was a 4-star quarterback but finds himself behind Adam Weber on the depth chart and highly recruited Marqueis Gray would seem to threaten the younger Brewster's chances of ever taking the reins.

*** One small housekeeping note, life has been hellishly busy for me the last month or so. I've been working on a heated primary campaign in Virginia and the elections are today. After I unwind tonight and tomorrow I fully expect to get back to regularly scheduled blogging. Thank all of you for sticking with me and making PJS a stop on your bored-at-work Internet tour everyday.