STrib: Pitino: It's the little things that have brought Malik Smith success

per the STrib:

"At FIU, he was not a great defender," Pitino said. "And honestly a lot of that had to do with he knew he wasn’t coming out. So I could yell and scream at him as much as possible but then I couldn’t take him out. So he had me. But now he knows if he doesn’t do those things, that leash is a little bit shorter ...

"Now, he’s defensively pressuring a lot better. He really wasn’t a great leader at FIU. You’re hearing him a lot more in time outs, so I’m proud of him. I think he’s understanding that he needs to bring those things or he’s going to sit."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/234263901.html

Go Gophers!!

Malik has gotten better every game this year. Excited for him to be a legitimate contributor. He was extremely valuable off the bench in Maui.

FSN: Gophers transfer Malik Smith embraces new role as leader, defender

"Over the last three or four games, I've pretty much adjusted well to my teammates and embracing my role and pretty much knowing when to attack and when not to," Smith said. "The first couple games for me were pretty rough. I was pretty hard on myself, got in the gym as much as possible after practice, before practice, getting up shots. I just came into Maui with the mindset that I'm going to be aggressive no matter what. That's just what I tried to do."

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/colle...-Smith-embraces-ne?blockID=969911&feedID=3590

Go Gophers!!

I think having a solid leadership voice on the team can go a long way. I hope we have found that voice for when we are in those high pressure situations that requires a clutch performance.

A strong voice of leadership makes a confident team. And we know any one of our guys can make the big shot.

Example of lack of leadership in the final
hour: Michigan @ home last year.