Pitino Blog: October Update

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MadtownGopher

MadtownGopher

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http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101016aac.html

Good morning Gopher fans,

I felt this morning was a good time to update everyone on how practice has been going. This time of year is exciting because we inch closer and closer to the first game. Hope to see everyone Saturday, October 22nd right after the football game for a first look at the Gophers. It's a totally different team with a lot of new faces!

We were delivered a tough blow last week with Davonte tearing his ACL again. Injuries are an unfortunate part of the game. You hate to see a great kid like Davonte go through that but we all know he will be back better than ever next season. We will have to adjust a little bit with some lineups with the absence of Davonte. I had been using him a lot with some bigger lineups. Ahmad Gilbert and Michael Hurt will have to step up!

Below is a brief update of how everyone looks.

Akeem Springs - Has the chance to be the heart and soul of our team. It's not too often a fifth year senior comes in and takes over a huge leadership role but Akeem has done that brilliantly. His shooting is improving. He plays extremely hard.

Darin Haugh - Has put on 20 pounds of muscle in an attempt to take our strength coach Shaun Brown's job next year when he graduates.

Amir Coffey - Playing at an extremely high level. Poses many problems for the defense because of his length. Needs to shoot more. Needs to be more vocal. That will come.

Eric Curry - Really excited about Eric's potential. Plays hard, runs great. Makes a lot of terrific moves but has struggled to finish them. That will improve. I anticipate him being a major contributor. He is too hard on himself when he makes a mistake.

Gaston Diedhiou - Improving but still making same mistakes as last year. Has to find a way to defend without fouling. Gas is playing hard and competing.

Ahmad Gilbert - Always plays with great enthusiasm and wants to win. We have to improve his lateral quickness. When he stays within himself he can be very effective.

Michael Hurt - Gym rat! Much like JR, Mike needs to improve his foot speed. His shooting continues to be a valuable asset for us. Tough to rival his work ethic.

Bakary Konaté - BK is trending in the right direction. The simpler he keeps it the better. His hands are getting better. Much like Eric, he's too tough on himself. Has become a better shot blocker.

Reggie Lynch - Out a few more weeks recovering from a recent surgery. Was playing extremely well before he had surgery.

Nate Mason - Playing at a high level right now. When he shoots it confidently he's tough to guard. Doing a good job leading.

Dupree McBrayer - Has probably made the biggest jump on the team. Been playing him at the 1 and the 2. He's playing great. I told him he was like a great stock that keeps trending upward. He compared himself to Facebook. I told him not to get ahead of himself!

Jordan Murphy - Murph, like Dupree, is evolving. He's going where his bread is buttered on offense, which would be the block. He's becoming a problem for the defense down there. Love the confidence he's playing with. Also showing terrific leadership.

Brady Rudrud - Has been playing hard and competing well. Needs to continue to improve his foot speed and ball skills.

Stephon Sharp - Doing good things in practice. Still would love to see him improve his perimeter shooting. He will get there.

Overall, after six practices I can truly say I love where this team is headed. Obviously the injuries to Davonte and Reggie have been challenging but it's an opportunity for someone else to step up. This time of year is always fun for the coaches and a bit of a challenge for the players. Games will be here soon enough! The guys have done a very good job on and off the court so far. They are extremely eager to show everyone what we are all about.

Nate, Murph, and myself will head down to Washington, D.C., for Big Ten Media Day on Thursday. That is always a fun time and a great experience for our players. See everyone next Saturday at the Barn!

Go Gophers,

Richard Pitino
Click to expand...
 

Would not be surprised if Gaston transfers after this season. Sounds like he hasn't really improved much and still makes the boneheaded mistakes.
 

MadtownGopher said:
Would not be surprised if Gaston transfers after this season. Sounds like he hasn't really improved much and still makes the boneheaded mistakes.
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I think he would have to forfeit a scholarship in order to do so. Who would want to tie up a scholarship for two years for one year of Gaston Diedhiou?
 

Thanks for posting. I like what we're hearing on Springs, we need that leadership and fire.

It will be interesting to see if Hurt can get more SF minutes from Gilbert.

Really hope Lynch comes back fully healthy and can shake the rust off quickly.

Go Gophers!!
 

Michael Hurt - Gym rat! Much like JR, Mike needs to improve his foot speed. His shooting continues to be a valuable asset for us. Tough to rival his work ethic.

Who is the "JR" he is referring to?
 



Plinnius said:
I think he would have to forfeit a scholarship in order to do so. Who would want to tie up a scholarship for two years for one year of Gaston Diedhiou?
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He wouldn't have to sit out if he transferred to DII and that's where he belongs anyway.
 

BleedGopher said:
Thanks for posting. I like what we're hearing on Springs, we need that leadership and fire.

It will be interesting to see if Hurt can get more SF minutes from Gilbert.
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I kind of doubt it, at least in the early season, given that Pitino has used the same words to describe Hurt a couple of times now. He doesn't describe him as a likely instant contributor.
 

I enjoy these blogs from Pitino as he does seem to mix in some criticism and not just write that everyone is an NBA prospect. I would suggest that we maybe don't copy the entire blog on to GopherHole though... I am sure the "U" keeps track of the clicks the blog generates and GopherHole posters/readers are probably the most likely people to read the content.
 



EG#9 said:
I would suggest that we maybe don't copy the entire blog on to GopherHole though....
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Since I'm not in marketing and don't really care how many clicks the site gets, thanks for posting the whole story.
 

98VQueens said:
Since I'm not in marketing and don't really care how many clicks the site gets, thanks for posting the whole story.
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I think you missed his point... If they aren't getting clicks, they'll stop doing the blog.
 

Do we really think the U is forcing Pitino to do this for clicks? Do they even get ad revenue for this blog? More likely that Richard likes to engage with the fan base and this is his outlet of choice (in addition to twitter).
 




Gold Vision said:
I think you missed his point... If they aren't getting clicks, they'll stop doing the blog.
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Riiight, because that makes marketing sense. Better stop posting the press conference transcripts, don't want them to stop those either.
 

Thanks for posting Madtown, good read.
 


Sparlimb said:
Riiight, because that makes marketing sense. Better stop posting the press conference transcripts, don't want them to stop those either.
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What makes sense about continuing to do something if no one is clicking on it?

What is your point?
 


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