I am sure it has been mentioned in this thread, but the Gophers need to plan for next year as if Eric Curry will not contribute and treat any contribution from him as a bonus. They didn't do this with Davonte Fitzgerald and it came back to bite them.
Currently I can count 4 returning players that the Gophers can count on to play some sort of role: Amir, Daniel, Gabe, and Marcus Carr. If Amir decides not to come back for his Senior year, that would obviously really, really hurt.
The next group of 2 is Jarvis Omersa and Payton Willis: Neither of these guys have shown they can be effective high major basketball players, but both had decent recruiting pedigrees.
Then you have the single recruit in Tre Williams: The reports on his Senior year have been encouraging, hopefully he really has turned a corner.
Then you have Eric Curry: Hope for the best for a talented kid, but prepare for the worst from a team building perspective.
Then you have the two expected transfers: Nothing suggests Isaiah Washington or Michael Hurt will contribute to a Richard Pitino team in the unlikely event they do stay around.
That leaves 3-5 open scholarships. A starting power forward is an absolute must. Other needs include another wing with size that can get/make his own shot, another option at point guard beyond Marcus Carr, and another center option behind Daniel Oturu. That's a lot of holes to fill in a full recruiting cycle...trying to do it in just a Spring recruiting cycle is even scarier. I do feel somewhat confident that a decent option at PF can be found just because we will have a clear starting spot available to potential recruits/transfers. That spot should draw interest of immediately eligible transfers and Juco kids. Filling the other spots, especially with 4 year talent, will be very difficult. Really, really need a run in the NCAA tournament to get some momentum for the program to help boost the chances of success on the trail.
