Gophers officially announce additions to 2014 class

So all 3 are officially signed. That means if we add anyone else, it will come with a transfer.

Good to see that. Very impressive description of Diedhiou, perhaps he is more ready than some think. It's going to be interesting to watch these guys develop- so many X factors.

Roster balance needs a wing/scoring threat. Hopefully Pitino cashes in on his previous relationship with Justin Martin.

SelectionSunday said:

Need a wing in the worst way. Hopefully Pitino cashes in on his previous relationship with Justin Martin.

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Would probably require forcing Buggs out. I'm a big Buggs fan, but at this point I'd probably do it to get Martin.

Gaston was a "necessary addition," while Bakary has "tremendous potential".

From that, I think we'll see Diedhiou next season and Konate redshirting.

Now that it is oficial, I want to hear from the naysayers about all things negative.

MadtownGopher said:

Would probably require forcing Buggs out. I'm a big Buggs fan, but at this point I'd probably do it to get Martin.

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I hate big bugs.

Dr.Don said:

Now that it is oficial, I want to hear from the naysayers about all things negative.

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For somebody that routinely blasts other posters for offering opinions on a public message board, you sure spend a bunch of time on this site. Now you are setting the stage to blast the opinions that haven't even been offered yet?

Welcome to the team gentlemen. I look forward to watching you play and beating up on the Big Ten - especially Bucky.

U of MN press release:

Gophers Add Three to Complete 2014 Signing Class



University of Minnesota head men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino is pleased to announce the signing of three student-athletes, Gaston Diedhiou, Bakary Konate and Zach Lofton, to National Letters of Intent. Diedhiou and Konate will join the Golden Gophers on the court for the upcoming 2014-15 season, while Lofton will redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules.



Diedhiou, a native of Senegal, is a 6’9” forward who most recently played at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain under head coach Rob Orellana. Diedhiou is an athletic, physical big man who has the potential to impact both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Extremely versatile both on and off the court, he can play multiple positions and even more impressively, he is fluent in three languages (French, Spanish, English).



“We are excited about signing Gaston,” said Pitino, who recently completed his first year at the helm of Gopher basketball. “He brings a necessary addition to our frontcourt. His size and potential will be a great asset to our team.”



A 6’11” center, Konate will join the Gophers following a standout career at the Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. Under the tutelage of head coach Kyle Lindsted and assistant coach Luke Barnwell, Konate is praised by the Minnesota coaches for his strong work ethic and athleticism. The Mali native can shoot from distance, but is also lauded for his rebounding and shot blocking ability.



"Bakary has tremendous potential – the sky is the limit for him,” Pitino said. “He's a great athlete and shot blocker which is vital in our system. His best days of basketball are certainly ahead of him."



A St. Paul native, Lofton returns home to the Twin Cities following a standout season at Illinois State University, where the 6’4” guard was second on the Redbirds averaging 11.3 points per game. Lofton also contributed 3.0 rebounds per game, 46 assists and 31 steals during his time at ISU. He spent his freshman season at San Jacinto College in Texas, averaging 16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. In high school, Lofton helped guide Columbia Heights to the Minnesota Class 3A state championship game.



"Zach is a very talented player and has been a proven scorer in a very competitive basketball conference,” added Pitino. “He has great size and athleticism. He grew up loving the U and will wear the Minnesota jersey with pride."



The trio adds to the Gophers’ 2014 signing class, which includes guards Nate Mason (Decatur, Ga./Arlington Country Day) and Carlos Morris (Apalachicola, Fla./Chipola College) along with forward Josh Martin (Bothell, Wash./Bothell).



“With this signing class, we feel like we have added a great deal of athleticism,” added Pitino. “That is extremely important with our style of play and as we continue to build this program.”



Along with the newcomers, Minnesota will return four starters and eight letterwinners from the 2013-14 squad which won a school-record 25 games en route to the National Invitation Tournament title.

Impressive that Konate, speaks three languages, guessing he could pick up Italian pretty easily as well, if he's fluent in the other romance languages, wouldn't be shocked if he was all big ten academic. As for on the court doesn't hurt to have a big man who can rebound, block shots and stretch the floor on offense, not to mention he'll be in his mid 20's as an upperclassmen.

MadtownGopher said:

Would probably require forcing Buggs out. I'm a big Buggs fan, but at this point I'd probably do it to get Martin.

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I'd do it too, although I really like what Buggs could become, but at the same time will he ever reach that level? If Buggs were to go there wouldn't be a single Tubby recruit left in the 2015-2016 season

bemidjigopher said:

Impressive that Konate, speaks three languages, guessing he could pick up Italian pretty easily as well, if he's fluent in the other romance languages, wouldn't be shocked if he was all big ten academic. As for on the court doesn't hurt to have a big man who can rebound, block shots and stretch the floor on offense, not to mention he'll be in his mid 20's as an upperclassmen.

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I think you mean Diedhiou. It isn't very surprising, or even really that impressive that he knows three languages if you think about it. Senegal's official language is French and the official language of the Canary Islands is Spanish.

Gopherguy0723 said:

I think you mean Diedhiou. It isn't very surprising, or even really that impressive that he knows three languages if you think about it. Senegal's official language is French and the official language of the Canary Islands is Spanish.

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I thought about it, and as someone who barely knows one language, I'm impressed.

bemidjigopher said:

I'd do it too, although I really like what Buggs could become, but at the same time will he ever reach that level? If Buggs were to go there wouldn't be a single Tubby recruit left in the 2015-2016 season

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I hate the idea of losing Buggs because he's been a remarkable glue guy and energy guy - and good citizen. He continues to have good potential. But if it were a matter of bringing Justin Martin in... Let's just put it this way: I think the staff has a plan on how to deal with the good fortune of landing a transfer like Martin.

Gopherguy0723 said:

I think you mean Diedhiou. It isn't very surprising, or even really that impressive that he knows three languages if you think about it. Senegal's official language is French and the official language of the Canary Islands is Spanish.

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Konate grew up in Mali, whose official language is French, and played high school basketball in Spain, so he should be fluent in both as well as Diedihou.

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Gopherguy0723 said:

I think you mean Diedhiou. It isn't very surprising, or even really that impressive that he knows three languages if you think about it. Senegal's official language is French and the official language of the Canary Islands is Spanish.

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Probably right about Diedhiou, although could've sworn the article said Konate, but I'll re read it. If it's not impressive than I hope you know more. My Spanish and French is very limited I know basic sayings, but that's about it. Guessing you can speak about 12 languages mister big shot

Maybe it's just because I want it so bad, but I really feel like Richard has a plan not unlike Jerry. Obviously both coaches will take top-end talent any day of the week, but Jerry has proven that he really recruits a "type" as opposed to just chasing any highly-ranked player. He wants players that fit his system, and I see Pitino doing the same thing. Time will tell if he is successful at it, but let's hope his basketball IQ is what it appears to be, and that he can identify players which he can coach up and plug into his system.

No plans for anyone to be transferring and the staff is done with the 2014 class and has moved on to the 2015, so you can give up the justin martin dreams. And as for Buggs, think the staff is higher on him than most posters on here. Lets not forget he is just coming off his freshman season. You'll never get anywhere if you give up on developing players early, imagine if Bo gave up on kamisky, or if EE was asked to leave Minnesota. Buggs as tremendous potential and staff is not going to give up on that this early in his college career.

Zach Lofton: November 18, 1992
Charles Buggs: April 3, 1993
Gaston Diedhiou: October 8, 1993
Bakary Konate: December 15, 1993

So if my math is right, for the 16-17 season these guys will be...

Zach Lofton: 24 (Sr)
Charles Buggs: 23 (Sr)
Gaston Diedhiou: 23 (So)
Bakary Konate: 23 (So)

It's going to be nice having some men in their mid-20's taking on 18 and 19 year olds. Could be a huge advantage for us, especially since 3 of the 4 are low post players.

bemidjigopher said:

Probably right about Diedhiou, although could've sworn the article said Konate, but I'll re read it. If it's not impressive than I hope you know more. My Spanish and French is very limited I know basic sayings, but that's about it. Guessing you can speak about 12 languages mister big shot

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Not even close to 12. I simply don't think it's praise worthy that you learn the official languages of the countries that you live in. If you grew up here and moved to Mexico I wouldn't be impressed if you learned Spanish, I would be unimpressed if you didn't though. Learning the languages of the places you live should be expected, it shouldn't be an accomplishment worthy of praise and adoration.

Sorry, I'm not impressed by feats any normal person would accomplish in a similar situation. I'm not knocking the guy.

Draft Express scouting report on Bakary from September 2010. Keep in mind this is looking at him form the perspective of his NBA potential at a very young age.

adidas Nations Experience: Top African Prospects
by: Jonathan Givony - President
September 15, 2010
Bakary Konate, 6-10, Center, Gran Canaria, Mali

Malian center Bakary Konate, one of the more experienced players on this African roster as a member of Spanish ACB squad Gran Canaria and someone we've seen play fairly extensively at the Euroleague junior tournament level, had just an average showing over the course of the week. His biggest limitations are physical ones. His body is still underdeveloped and his frame does not leave much room for optimism at the moment. His coordination and balance suffer in turn, making it difficult for him to establish himself as a presence in the paint at either end of the floor despite his excellent size and length.

With that said, Konate did drop some intriguing hints of potential. He showed nice timing rotating for emphatic weak side blocks, made some good interior passes and hit the occasional turnaround jumper in the post. He also has some feistiness to him (even if he lacks the strength to take advantage of it at the moment), and he is clearly still in a premature stage of development despite the exposure he received early in his career.


From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz30DVclk30
http://www.draftexpress.com

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MadtownGopher said:

Zach Lofton: November 18, 1992
Charles Buggs: April 3, 1993
Gaston Diedhiou: October 8, 1993
Bakary Konate: December 15, 1993

So if my math is right, for the 16-17 season these guys will be...

Zach Lofton: 24 (Sr)
Charles Buggs: 23 (Sr)
Gaston Diedhiou: 23 (So)
Bakary Konate: 23 (So)

It's going to be nice having some men in their mid-20's taking on 18 and 19 year olds. Could be a huge advantage for us, especially since 3 of the 4 are low post players.

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For years opponents complained that BYU had a significant advantage because many of their players went on two-year missions after their freshman or sophomore seasons. This gave BYU a roster full of 24-year old seniors. I'll take me some "unfair" advantage for the Gophers as well.

Sounds like Gaston can come in right away and be a banger. He and Martin will add some toughness we were missing last season.

golfing18now said:

For somebody that routinely blasts other posters for offering opinions on a public message board, you sure spend a bunch of time on this site. Now you are setting the stage to blast the opinions that haven't even been offered yet?

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If you read GH regularly, you will see there are more and more commentors referring to the "experts" on site. So stick it and go golf 18 and don't fiddle with your putter.

Dr.Don said:

If you read GH regularly, you will see there are more and more commentors referring to the "experts" on site. So stick it and go golf 18 and don't fiddle with your putter.

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For the record, I actually agree with you that we have far too many posters that offer "expert" analysis on players they have never seen before. However, I'm not going to tell people about what they should and should not post.

By the way....I did fiddle with my putter 36 times on Saturday. I do whenever I get the chance.

I also think it is presumptous and rude of us to state on a public forum that we would want a coach to take a way a scholarship from a player that hasn't had behavioral issues just so we can get another player we hope is better.

MadtownGopher said:

So all 3 are officially signed. That means if we add anyone else, it will come with a transfer.

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I don't think signing the LOI necessarily means that the two foreigners are fully qualified and cleared to play yet.

WanderingGopher said:

I don't think signing the LOI necessarily means that the two foreigners are fully qualified and cleared to play yet.

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I don't think they would have signed them if they didn't think they were going to qualify. Look at the way they treated the Piper situation.