Was This a Breakout Game For Iverson Sampson and Bostick?

Iverson doesn't need any more praise from me. He was surely the player of the game for the Gophers. But. Sampson and Bostick should not go unnoticed. Sampson played only 16 minutes. Yet, he went 4 for 7 for 9 points. Most importantly, he lead the team with 9 rebounds (with some nice put-backs). Bostick played 18 minutes. He went 4 for 4 (3 for 3 from 3pt. land) and he added 4 rebounds.

It's easy to forget that Iverson & III are 18 & that it's still November. Bad games are all about learning and good games aren't against B10 competition. Both will be just fine, but let's be a bit patient.

It gives one hope after seeing them play solid games rather than having Colt struggle against the likes of EW. I feel better about their play after watching a 5-7 guard have his way against our guards.

I couldn't resist watching a bit of the late night replay of the game after getting home from the Barn. Trent Tucker was saying that Valentine could play anywhere in major college basketball and compete with the best. He claimed that the Gophers will not face a better point guard this season. High praise from Tucker. Apparently, Valentine was already the conference player of the week last week.

Iverson didn't play like a freshman last night. His footwork was excellent and as Tubby said when they get the ball down low, good things can happen. When he was in the game he held his ground
and allowed the entry pass to come to him. Sampson on the other hand still gets pushed out of position which stalled the offense at times. Not knocking Ralph he just doesn't appear to be as strong as Colton and tends to like playing away from the basket. Colton also is an excellent screener which gave some nice looks for our shooters. Both are going to be pretty special players IMO.

9 points, 7 rebounds for Sampson. They had a great game, but EWU is incredibly short. We will know more next Tuesday.

You can tell from watching Sampson that he is used to being the biggest player on the court. He doesn't block out well, and he reaches for rebounds instead of going after them aggressively. In time Tubby will get him playing more aggressively and using his body more. Sampson looks like he will probably always be a little more finesse player that faces the basket more. That is fine but we have to work with his shot to make him dangerous from 15 feet which will open the high-low game with Iverson.

I was really impressed with Iverson last night. That is the first time I have seen him utilizing his full suite of post moves. His game is a lot further along than I expected. It was good to see him have success against a weaker opponent and hopefully that will give him more confidence as the season progresses.

I still think Iverson & Sampson are going to get pushed around when we get in to the Big Ten season. They definitely need to get stronger in the offseason which will help them to be more physical. But they both have good hands, can pass, and good basketball IQ which is not that common in big guys when they come in as freshman. Both are going to be very special but we will have to be patient because they are not going to get there overnight.

A lot of folks malign big Jon, but it will help during the B10 season to have him avlbl to spell Colton and Ralph. He is not the offensive player that either one is, but he can push and shove at the B10 level, and eat up 3 or 4 fouls a game....

Anderson8284 said:

A lot of folks malign big Jon, but it will help during the B10 season to have him avlbl to spell Colton and Ralph. He is not the offensive player that either one is, but he can push and shove at the B10 level, and eat up 3 or 4 fouls a game....

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Talent-wise the two freshman are superior but we will need Big Jon badly when we get in the to Big Ten. He is going to be a more physical presence that the two frosh offer. Without that presence we will get killed on the boards against a team like MSU.

Agreed, jr. However, I have to say Sampson is quite a bit more engaged than I saw him at the beginning of the season. He's hustling more and expending more energy. And I like that he looks to pass as soon as he's secured the rebound.

Anderson8284 said:

A lot of folks malign big Jon, but it will help during the B10 season to have him avlbl to spell Colton and Ralph. He is not the offensive player that either one is, but he can push and shove at the B10 level, and eat up 3 or 4 fouls a game....

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I think you described JW's role perfectly.

Anderson8284 said:

A lot of folks malign big Jon, but it will help during the B10 season to have him avlbl to spell Colton and Ralph. He is not the offensive player that either one is, but he can push and shove at the B10 level, and eat up 3 or 4 fouls a game....

Click to expand...

As Clem Haskins once said about John Thomas & Trevor Winter ... they give us ten hard fouls a game. So Big Jon, make sure those 3 or 4 fouls are HARD ones!