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The Good, The Bad and The Interesting: The Season is Finally Here Edition!
By zipsofakron
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/443090?referrer_id=
It’s November, which in my mind officially kicks off college basketball season, the greatest time of the year and one of the only reasons I can actually get through winter without freaking out and buying a Florida time share in the third week of February. There’s something special about the anticipation of college basketball season because of the unknowns. And with so many games, opportunities, and player development, optimism usually abounds. I’d like to say I haven’t been this excited for a Gopher basketball season in quite some time, but I’d be lying. I was pretty jacked for the 2012-13 season. And last season. And the 2011-12 season. In reality, I’m probably equally excited every year and just forget the feeling after seven months off.
But what’s not to get excited about? The Gophers open up with a nationally televised game against Louisville on a neutral court. Sure, visibility for the program is great, but this is an opportunity for a veteran-laden team to knock off a preseason top-10 squad and really set the tone for the season. And the Pitino narrative? The lead up to that game is going to be incredible.
Personnel-wise, the Gophers are in great shape and the excitement from Richard Pitino is palpable. Austin Hollins is gone, but a backcourt of Andre Hollins and Deandre Mathieu is getting plenty of attention. Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason are pushing each other to become better big men. Newcomers Carlos Morris and Nate Mason are doing the right things and look to be key players right off the bat. Even Daquein McNeil sounds like he’s elevated his game.
The schedule? The pieces are in place for great things to happen. The Preseason NIT format didn’t turn out like we predicted and the Gophers play a D-II team during the regular season, but the Big Ten scheduling wonks did Minnesota a couple favors.
But how about the offseason. Let’s recap some highlights:
THE GOOD
Holy cow, we pulled together an entire recruiting class before October
Admittedly, I’m still getting used to how efficient Richard Pitino has been at the helm so far -- the organization, the demeanor, the transparency. It’s a pity that it feels so foreign to have someone in charge who appears so resourceful. And when it comes to recruiting, the proof (so far) has been in the pudding. I mean, when’s the last time you can actually remember having all recruits from the upcoming class locked up in the early signing period? (note: it was 2009) And here we are, barely into his second year and the program is already humming along like he’s been in charge for a decade.
In his first crack at a real recruiting class in a “normal” year, Richard not only went out and grabbed four nationally-rated guys (including two four-star recruits), but nabbed the state’s most sought-after recruit in Jarvis Johnson. It was like he’d barely blinked. This is after a quick-turn assignment in Pitino’s first year where he had to pull together an entire team in about seven minutes, and then went and nabbed two highly-regarded 2014 recruits in Josh Martin and Nate Mason before he even had an office nameplate. It would be one thing if he pulled a rabbit out of a hat with spring signings last season and two fall recruits, but to follow it up with a highly-regarded class? That’s just another indication that Pitino knows exactly what he’s doing.
THE BAD
It wouldn’t be the offseason without some personnel drama
Okay, so I guess the 2015 class isn’t complete, PER SE. We took a year off last year from arrests, dismissals and petty crimes, which was refreshing. Before that, though, it was an annual tradition for at least one Gopher player to be in the news for something other than basketball during the offseason. This year is starting feel like a return to normalcy, with Zach Lofton becoming the first player to be dismissed under Richard Pitino. Unlike past high-profile arrests or domestic disputes, Lofton’s dismissal doesn’t appear to be related to criminal activity or any single major public incident, but rather a continuing failure to meet team obligations and responsibilities.
For a guy who was sitting out a year due to transfer rules, the dismissal doesn’t have a direct impact on playing time or substitution patterns this year. Still, it throws a wrench in things when you think about potential recruits who could have been on the radar without Lofton taking up a valuable scholarship. Now the Gophers essentially throw a scholarship away this year for a player who will yield no dividends. A silver lining? Pitino now has a scholarship to work with for next season or 2016, which makes things interesting.
THE INTERESTING
The mystery of the secret scrimmage
In the age of Twitter and instant news, more of a spotlight has been shed on teams playing in so-called secret scrimmages. And with the Gophers having taken on Iowa State in a secret scrimmage Sunday, suddenly their existence is right in our own backyard. The details from the games are sparse, and that’s by design. In fact, coaches can’t even talk about individual performance without violating NCAA rules. Sound strange? It really is. But there’s more.
Schools can play two preseason games, and since 2004 those games have had to be against actual college teams (not the local men’s league all-star team). But these games can be open to the public only if it’s against a school from a lower division. This is why we’re always treated to exhibitions against Winona State, Augustana or Cardinal Stritch. So, instead of two lower-division matchups, coaches can set up D1-level scrimmages to get some practice in. But you can’t publish the results. Or have people watch. Or post a box score. So it’s almost like it never happened. Why? Who knows. Some random rule created in 1972 said so.
By zipsofakron
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/443090?referrer_id=
It’s November, which in my mind officially kicks off college basketball season, the greatest time of the year and one of the only reasons I can actually get through winter without freaking out and buying a Florida time share in the third week of February. There’s something special about the anticipation of college basketball season because of the unknowns. And with so many games, opportunities, and player development, optimism usually abounds. I’d like to say I haven’t been this excited for a Gopher basketball season in quite some time, but I’d be lying. I was pretty jacked for the 2012-13 season. And last season. And the 2011-12 season. In reality, I’m probably equally excited every year and just forget the feeling after seven months off.
But what’s not to get excited about? The Gophers open up with a nationally televised game against Louisville on a neutral court. Sure, visibility for the program is great, but this is an opportunity for a veteran-laden team to knock off a preseason top-10 squad and really set the tone for the season. And the Pitino narrative? The lead up to that game is going to be incredible.
Personnel-wise, the Gophers are in great shape and the excitement from Richard Pitino is palpable. Austin Hollins is gone, but a backcourt of Andre Hollins and Deandre Mathieu is getting plenty of attention. Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason are pushing each other to become better big men. Newcomers Carlos Morris and Nate Mason are doing the right things and look to be key players right off the bat. Even Daquein McNeil sounds like he’s elevated his game.
The schedule? The pieces are in place for great things to happen. The Preseason NIT format didn’t turn out like we predicted and the Gophers play a D-II team during the regular season, but the Big Ten scheduling wonks did Minnesota a couple favors.
But how about the offseason. Let’s recap some highlights:
THE GOOD
Holy cow, we pulled together an entire recruiting class before October
Admittedly, I’m still getting used to how efficient Richard Pitino has been at the helm so far -- the organization, the demeanor, the transparency. It’s a pity that it feels so foreign to have someone in charge who appears so resourceful. And when it comes to recruiting, the proof (so far) has been in the pudding. I mean, when’s the last time you can actually remember having all recruits from the upcoming class locked up in the early signing period? (note: it was 2009) And here we are, barely into his second year and the program is already humming along like he’s been in charge for a decade.
In his first crack at a real recruiting class in a “normal” year, Richard not only went out and grabbed four nationally-rated guys (including two four-star recruits), but nabbed the state’s most sought-after recruit in Jarvis Johnson. It was like he’d barely blinked. This is after a quick-turn assignment in Pitino’s first year where he had to pull together an entire team in about seven minutes, and then went and nabbed two highly-regarded 2014 recruits in Josh Martin and Nate Mason before he even had an office nameplate. It would be one thing if he pulled a rabbit out of a hat with spring signings last season and two fall recruits, but to follow it up with a highly-regarded class? That’s just another indication that Pitino knows exactly what he’s doing.
THE BAD
It wouldn’t be the offseason without some personnel drama
Okay, so I guess the 2015 class isn’t complete, PER SE. We took a year off last year from arrests, dismissals and petty crimes, which was refreshing. Before that, though, it was an annual tradition for at least one Gopher player to be in the news for something other than basketball during the offseason. This year is starting feel like a return to normalcy, with Zach Lofton becoming the first player to be dismissed under Richard Pitino. Unlike past high-profile arrests or domestic disputes, Lofton’s dismissal doesn’t appear to be related to criminal activity or any single major public incident, but rather a continuing failure to meet team obligations and responsibilities.
For a guy who was sitting out a year due to transfer rules, the dismissal doesn’t have a direct impact on playing time or substitution patterns this year. Still, it throws a wrench in things when you think about potential recruits who could have been on the radar without Lofton taking up a valuable scholarship. Now the Gophers essentially throw a scholarship away this year for a player who will yield no dividends. A silver lining? Pitino now has a scholarship to work with for next season or 2016, which makes things interesting.
THE INTERESTING
The mystery of the secret scrimmage
In the age of Twitter and instant news, more of a spotlight has been shed on teams playing in so-called secret scrimmages. And with the Gophers having taken on Iowa State in a secret scrimmage Sunday, suddenly their existence is right in our own backyard. The details from the games are sparse, and that’s by design. In fact, coaches can’t even talk about individual performance without violating NCAA rules. Sound strange? It really is. But there’s more.
Schools can play two preseason games, and since 2004 those games have had to be against actual college teams (not the local men’s league all-star team). But these games can be open to the public only if it’s against a school from a lower division. This is why we’re always treated to exhibitions against Winona State, Augustana or Cardinal Stritch. So, instead of two lower-division matchups, coaches can set up D1-level scrimmages to get some practice in. But you can’t publish the results. Or have people watch. Or post a box score. So it’s almost like it never happened. Why? Who knows. Some random rule created in 1972 said so.