Should Colt have started, should he start next year?

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So colt was the best post player the last 3rd of the season, especially during the post season. Yet Colt only started alongside Sampson. Anyone have a valid reason for this?

1. Potential foul trouble?

2. ?


What will happen next year?
 

Who starts doesn't matter as much as who gets how many minutes. I liked seeing Sampson start so we could get a sense of the refs before Iverson entered. I would hate to see him get two quick whistles and have to sit out the last fifteen minutes of the first half. Sampson does not generally have that issue.
 

That's an interesting way of looking at it, panndder. I hadn't thought about that, and I'm not sure that's why Ralph started over Colton, either. I really don't care who starts. I think it makes it tough for opponents to make the transition from Ralph's skill set to Colton's, and I like it when the Gophers are deep enough to play all sorts of combinations from one game to the next, depending on what type of defenses they're facing, etc. I also like the fact that three of Minnesota's four recruits so far have been 6-9 or taller. All the Gophers need now is a point guard to round out the class. [sarcasm]Does anyone have an idea if the Gophers have a good point guard still on their radar for this year's class?[/sarcasm]
 

I hope he doesn't start next year. If he's the best we got, then we are in for a long year.
 

Both players - Colt and RSIII - are legit centers.

It's a good problem to have, which to start.

RSIII has the edge in offense. Who he'll mature into is still TBA.

Colt plays with a chip on his shoulder, and, at times last year, literally took over games.

Tubby knows more than me, but I would start Colt.

I like his effort, his toughness, his defense, and his ability to run the pick and roll.

That high-low thing he and RSIII have going when they're on the floor together is pretty fun to watch. I wonder if Mbakwe plays this year, if we'll see less of that.

With the addition of Mo and Elliot, we are a much bigger team. That has to be good.
 


Minnie Soda said:
That's an interesting way of looking at it, panndder. I hadn't thought about that, and I'm not sure that's why Ralph started over Colton, either. I really don't care who starts. I think it makes it tough for opponents to make the transition from Ralph's skill set to Colton's, and I like it when the Gophers are deep enough to play all sorts of combinations from one game to the next, depending on what type of defenses they're facing, etc. I also like the fact that three of Minnesota's four recruits so far have been 6-9 or taller. All the Gophers need now is a point guard to round out the class. [sarcasm]Does anyone have an idea if the Gophers have a good point guard still on their radar for this year's class?[/sarcasm]
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Yeah, I think this freshman class frees Tubby up to try different line-ups for his bigs and adapt mid-game(which I thought he did really well during the Big Ten Tourney)
 


beowulftom said:
Yeah, I think this freshman class frees Tubby up to try different line-ups for his bigs and adapt mid-game(which I thought he did really well during the Big Ten Tourney)
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It definitely makes it tougher for opponents to prepare for the Gophers when there's a bit of an unknown quantity as to what combinations Coach Smith will go with. Man, I hope Trevor's trial goes as we hope it will, so that the Gophers have even more depth up front.
 

Minnie Soda said:
It definitely makes it tougher for opponents to prepare for the Gophers when there's a bit of an unknown quantity as to what combinations Coach Smith will go with. Man, I hope Trevor's trial goes as we hope it will, so that the Gophers have even more depth up front.
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Me too, for his sake(most important), and the teams sake, I hope for a good result, though I do hope the truth is found out and the right thing done.

Mbakwe is still our only true PF on the roster.
 




Iverson ended the season strong. Sampson was the better center in the first 2/3 of the year. What will happen this year is anybodys guess. Just have to let things play themselves out.
 

Like others have said, this is a good problem to have. That last bit of the season really cooled a lot of people on Ralph, but he can play. If he improves from his second to third year like he did from his first to second year, he will be a force. Ralph showed his huge upside at times last year (St. Joe's, at Indiana, Purdue, and a few others). He could be the best passing center in the league (only Mirkovic had more assists per game last year for centers), and he's getting better defensively and on the boards. Right now, for Ralph, it's all about developing consistency. In his junior year, it will no longer be good enough to bring it every few games; he needs to bring it every night. Before he's gone, I think Ralph will be a 1st-team All Big Ten player. I really do.

As for Colton, like Ralph, he needs to become more consistent. He outplayed Ralph down the stretch, but I think RSIII is the better player. But when they're on the floor together, they're tough to stop. Could be even better next year if we put another big (like Mbakwe, hopefully) at the 3.
 

I actually like Ralph starting. I think Ralph is a better scorer and it is nice to run a couple plays for him to start the game, and try to get some hoops from the block. However, the biggest reason why I like the idea of Colt coming off the bench is that he is a high energy guy (even when he is playing like a big bear). I like the energy guys coming off the bench.
 



Statistically, Ralph led in scoring, rebounding, assist to turnover ratio, blocks, FG% and FT%.
 

GopherFish said:
I hope he doesn't start next year. If he's the best we got, then we are in for a long year.
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If by "he" you mean Iverson, it seems to me the opposition is not looking forward to handling the guy as a junior and senior. That means either you or they are wrong. I'm voting for you.
 

omniscient said:
Statistically, Ralph led in scoring, rebounding, assist to turnover ratio, blocks, FG% and FT%.
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OMG, another stats guy. Look at Iverson's play the last part of the season. Does the term "development" mean anything to some of you people?
 

panndder said:
Who starts doesn't matter as much as who gets how many minutes.
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Exactly. The starters are completely irrelevant. Both of them will play similar minutes, so why does it matter? If one of them is playing better, they will get more minutes and be in at the end of the game.
 

omniscient said:
Statistically, Ralph led in scoring, rebounding, assist to turnover ratio, blocks, FG% and FT%.
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Colton averaged 16.9 mpg
Ralph averaged 25.6 mpg

Try factoring in minutes per game and they are practically a wash statistically, with Colt playing better at the end of the season when it counted the most.
 

maxwellsmart said:
OMG, another stats guy. Look at Iverson's play the last part of the season. Does the term "development" mean anything to some of you people?
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Yeah, let's look at development. Like development from freshman year to sophomore year. Ralph took some major strides last year, and was a lot improved from his freshman to sophomore year. Colton, not so much. He did look better at the end of the year (and in a couple of games at the start), but even in that 7 game stretch he didn't post near as good of numbers as Ralph did in his solid 18-game stretch in the middle of the season (from Brown to Purdue). Does that type of development not matter to you? Do you prefer to look at seven games rather than entire season? Maybe these are the types of arguments you make when you basically claim stats don't matter.
 

NurumbiCongo said:
Colton averaged 16.9 mpg
Ralph averaged 25.6 mpg

Try factoring in minutes per game and they are practically a wash statistically, with Colt playing better at the end of the season when it counted the most.
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You think Ralph might have earned the extra minutes?
 

I would like to see them both start. They look for each other. Work the High - Low. The guards sometimes forget about the big guys. Read somewhere (probably on GH) that Tubby liked Blake because he kept working the ball into the big guys. Those guys get hungry and have to be fed often.
 

Gopher in Texas said:
I would like to see them both start. They look for each other. Work the High - Low. The guards sometimes forget about the big guys. Read somewhere (probably on GH) that Tubby liked Blake because he kept working the ball into the big guys. Those guys get hungry and have to be fed often.
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Great point...

One of the most frustrating things from last year was to watch Colt or RSIII go down and establish great postion and the guards not passing them the ball, or worse, passing them the ball late so the defender/defense has adjusted and they had to work hard for their shot. Blake and RSIII were the only guys who seemed to get the timing right.

I would assume that will be a major point of practice with all the bigs coming in...
 

SonOfTheVarsity said:
You think Ralph might have earned the extra minutes?
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Colton was playing poorly in the middle of the season, it wasn't that Ralph was playing exceptional. It wasn't until the Big Ten tournament, where Colton had already been beating him up in practice for weeks prior and finally demonstrated it on the court. The tide has changed. I will take Colton going to the rack over Ralph turning a two foot lay-in into a 5 foot going away from the basket hook-shot.

No, he didn't have a solid 18 game stretch, Ralph only had a few games where he looked like a factor. Mostly he was softer than butter that has been left on the table for a week.
 

Going to the rack like Purdue game that almost cost NCAA tournament. Not to mention the basket interference at end of Indiana game.
 

omniscient said:
Going to the rack like Purdue game that almost cost NCAA tournament. Not to mention the basket interference at end of Indiana game.
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Wow Omni, 3 posts and all about how good RS3 is.

Ralph is the best basketball player ever, we would be lost without him. Is that better?
 

NurumbiCongo said:
Colton was playing poorly in the middle of the season, it wasn't that Ralph was playing exceptional. It wasn't until the Big Ten tournament, where Colton had already been beating him up in practice for weeks prior and finally demonstrated it on the court. The tide has changed. I will take Colton going to the rack over Ralph turning a two foot lay-in into a 5 foot going away from the basket hook-shot.

No, he didn't have a solid 18 game stretch, Ralph only had a few games where he looked like a factor. Mostly he was softer than butter that has been left on the table for a week.
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Alright, let's look at some

Colton's averages in the last seven games of the season, when he started to play well:

9.3 Points
4 Rebounds
.43 Assists
1.7 Blocks

Ralph's averages in the 18 games from Brown to Purdue:

9.9 Points (10.8 if you take away the two two-point games on either side of his injury)
6.4 Rebounds
2 Assists
2 Blocks

Advantage Ralph, in every category. So, are you going to tell me that Colton's seven game stretch counts as solid and good enough to make him the starter, but Ralph's better 18-game stretch doesn't matter? And if you don't think Ralph's 18-game stretch is good, then you better re-think your opinion on Colton.
 

SonOfTheJV; You missed the minutes per game factor , that would give Colton the advantage in both points (12.8) and blocks. Hopefully they can both up their games next season. I cannot say one is exponentially more important to the team than the other.
 

Colton is a much tougher player and more valuable

player.

Ralph turns the ball over all the time. His turnovers are based upon doing stupid things with the ball. Colton's turnovers are for lifting his pivot foot or being profiled by the officials.

RSIII's intensity level is low most of the time, and when he finally turns it up, it makes me wonder where it was the rest of of the time. Iverson always is intense and competitive, but Ralph cannot be counted on at all. He just is not mentally or physically tough. I am ore worried about the mental part.

The officials were taking Iverson out the game for much of the year with a endless series of BS charging and foul calls. The elbow calls in particular were crap. He was slapped at and pushed, then reacted with a full body pivot that happened to result in a elbow to the head. MSU home cooking there, without question!

Ralph is soft and will always be soft, so even if he changes for the better, still may turn soft when he is needed at crunch time.

Colton will be force from here on out now that he has confidence in himself, and that Tubby and staff trust him. Aslo it is important that the officials stop screwing with him now that he is a veteran and is established.

Ralph vs. Colton = Brad Lohoaus vs. Karl Malone
 

GophersOnTheRise said:
I take it you didn't watch the last 3rd of the season.
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Yes, I watched the end of the season. Colton has no athleticism and is a weak shooter with no range. He's a hacker. I love his grit and toughness, but my point if he's our best front court guy then it will be a long year.
 

I recall a couple blocks off the glass and some great footwork/ spin moves that made me rethink Colts athletic ability. Ralph is certainly more athletic, but he's no outstanding stud himself. As for range, I would like to see RS3, work on his short range game.
 

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