Minnesota kids around college basketball

Tywhon Pickford is averaging a double double as a freshman GUARD for a very good UNI team.
 

Tywhon Pickford is averaging a double double as a freshman GUARD for a very good UNI team.

I’m stunned he didn’t end up at a bigger school. Injuries were perhaps the issue but I always really liked his game
 

I’m stunned he didn’t end up at a bigger school. Injuries were perhaps the issue but I always really liked his game

What is the deal with that? Does he play more of a small forward? Or is he just that aggressive when rebounding as a guard? He had 18 boards against NC State which is insane for a 6'4 guard.
 

He's just very aggressive to the ball. Same with Mckinley Wright. Both players rebounded exceedingly well for their positions in HS and its carrying over to the college game.

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McKinley Wright with a near triple-double

Wright goes for 30 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds in Colorado's 112-103 double OT win over South Dakota State.
 


I’m stunned he didn’t end up at a bigger school. Injuries were perhaps the issue but I always really liked his game

I don't recall who it was...and i don't have to the time to look it up but someone did call it out that he would be the best mn recruit of the year if i recall

P.s. here your time to claim your gopher hole shine
 

Wright goes for 30 points, 11 assists, 9 rebounds in Colorado's 112-103 double OT win over South Dakota State.

What McKinley is doing out there is incredible. I know Colorado hasn't really played anyone outside of Xavier yet but these are numbers you would expect out of a seasoned vet. The staff's put such an emphasis on recruiting the East Coast without much to show for it when there's such talent in our own backyard. The Gophers 2018 class guys have had great starts to the season....really hope we see the focus switch to in-state and fill in the gaps out of state.
 

What McKinley is doing out there is incredible. I know Colorado hasn't really played anyone outside of Xavier yet but these are numbers you would expect out of a seasoned vet. The staff's put such an emphasis on recruiting the East Coast without much to show for it when there's such talent in our own backyard. The Gophers 2018 class guys have had great starts to the season....really hope we see the focus switch to in-state and fill in the gaps out of state.

That's why I see the Class of 18 as the real launching pad for this program: they're finally realizing that the non 5-star local talent is underappreciated and can be the foundation of a great program. This is such flyover country that the 3-star players here don't get the credit they deserve. Gabe is going to be a good one.
 

Let's not forget that we got the top 2 Minnesota kids in 2016 and Jarvis Johnson in 2015, not getting Alex Illikainen worked out very, very well for us, and that we only had 2 scholarships for 5 (or up to 7, if you count Goanar Mar and Race Thompson) high major quality 2017 recruits. It's not like there's a long standing pattern of Pitino foolishly passing up on top notch in-state recruits who wanted to be here. McKinley Wright probably could have gotten Washington's spot if he had pulled the trigger sooner, and if he did come here, he would not be getting 30+ minutes a game.

I can see this turning into a Captain Hindsight, second guess Pitino's recruiting thread/why did we recruit Isaiah Washington thread, and I disagree with the notion that the staff are only just now starting to appreciate in-state talent.
 



That's why I see the Class of 18 as the real launching pad for this program: they're finally realizing that the non 5-star local talent is underappreciated and can be the foundation of a great program. This is such flyover country that the 3-star players here don't get the credit they deserve. Gabe is going to be a good one.

Yeah I can't help but agree with that. Now it's a matter of stacking classes similar to this one. Obviously if you can throw in a 5 star that would be great :) I'm not saying we need all Minnesota classes every year but the fact someone like Tyrell Terry doesn't have an offer considering some of the guys we've offered in the Northeast is kinda ridiculous. Gabe's started well and so has Jarvis. He looked like baby Murph against CDH. Oturu had something like 30,20 and 6 blocks last night. Just the quality of HS games in the state so far has been great. If there was a year to get out to the state tournament this would be it.
 

Let's not forget that we got the top 2 Minnesota kids in 2016 and Jarvis Johnson in 2015, not getting Alex Illikainen worked out very, very well for us, and that we only had 2 scholarships for 5 (or up to 7, if you count Goanar Mar and Race Thompson) high major quality 2017 recruits. It's not like there's a long standing pattern of Pitino foolishly passing up on top notch in-state recruits who wanted to be here. McKinley Wright probably could have gotten Washington's spot if he had pulled the trigger sooner, and if he did come here, he would not be getting 30+ minutes a game.

I can see this turning into a Captain Hindsight, second guess Pitino's recruiting thread/why did we recruit Isaiah Washington thread, and I disagree with the notion that the staff are only just now starting to appreciate in-state talent.

I just think Pitino should have pulled harder to get Washington and Wright in the same class and fore go Harris, timing wasn't there but if it could have happened it would have been ideal, Wright is way more athletic than Harris and seems to be shooting the ball well.
 

What McKinley is doing out there is incredible. I know Colorado hasn't really played anyone outside of Xavier yet but these are numbers you would expect out of a seasoned vet. The staff's put such an emphasis on recruiting the East Coast without much to show for it when there's such talent in our own backyard. The Gophers 2018 class guys have had great starts to the season....really hope we see the focus switch to in-state and fill in the gaps out of state.

Get real, quit acting like we didn't Wright he had first crack to commit on his official before Washington and didn't pull the trigger. He knew as he spent his entire Dayton visit wondering was going on here
 

Let's not forget that we got the top 2 Minnesota kids in 2016 and Jarvis Johnson in 2015, not getting Alex Illikainen worked out very, very well for us, and that we only had 2 scholarships for 5 (or up to 7, if you count Goanar Mar and Race Thompson) high major quality 2017 recruits. It's not like there's a long standing pattern of Pitino foolishly passing up on top notch in-state recruits who wanted to be here. McKinley Wright probably could have gotten Washington's spot if he had pulled the trigger sooner, and if he did come here, he would not be getting 30+ minutes a game.

I can see this turning into a Captain Hindsight, second guess Pitino's recruiting thread/why did we recruit Isaiah Washington thread, and I disagree with the notion that the staff are only just now starting to appreciate in-state talent.

Not passing judgment on any staff in particular; this is a pattern going back at least to Haskins. I knew Jake Sullivan was going to be something special; why didn't they? Similarly, it offended and frustrated me to read the posters on the board point out Wright's shortcomings over the past few years and declare he wasn't good enough to play for Minnesota. Same thing with Gabe: people claiming he wasn't a good enough shooter or athletic enough, when my eyes told me different. So glad he's signed up here, especially now that his shot is being recognized as one of the best in the state.
 



Get real, quit acting like we didn't Wright he had first crack to commit on his official before Washington and didn't pull the trigger. He knew as he spent his entire Dayton visit wondering was going on here

In my comment I wasn't talking about McKinley's recruitment and was more using him as an example to the good amount of talent we have in state considering he was probably the 4th or 5th best prospect in that class...I'm well aware of what his situation was and also that Isaiah was always first priority to the staff. My comment is more about the emphasis we put on Northeast recruits in offering them early and the amount of time spent out there while struggling to even get them to visit. It's an uphill battle getting those kids to get excited about playing in the Big Ten let alone coming here. We are a Midwest program in a Midwest conference and if the majority of the offers are going to kids from the Northeast (9 already in the 2019 class) you are going to have hard time sustaining a high level of success.
 

Its somewhat hindsight but I wonder why we couldn't have taken both Wright and Washington. Harris is supposed to be a great shooter and a smart player but undersized. The fact that he can barely get on the floor right now is a bit concerning. He's never going to be bigger but his shooting could've been used right away. Even though he's also a point guard supposedly its hard to argue that Wright wouldn't be contributing far more than Harris at this point with likely more potential too
 



Its somewhat hindsight but I wonder why we couldn't have taken both Wright and Washington. Harris is supposed to be a great shooter and a smart player but undersized. The fact that he can barely get on the floor right now is a bit concerning. He's never going to be bigger but his shooting could've been used right away. Even though he's also a point guard supposedly its hard to argue that Wright wouldn't be contributing far more than Harris at this point with likely more potential too

It's not just a matter of the Gophers wanting them both. I'm guessing it would be extremely hard to convince two point guards to commit to the same program in the same year, especially when you already have an all-conference PG on the team.
 

http://m.espn.com/ncb/playercard?playerId=66430&src=desktop

He's no kid, but Mn 25 year old Zach Lofton is still playing...

Zach's playing well too, dropped 23 in a win against University of Illinois on Saturday.
Early favorite to win another Conference Player of the Year...


Brad Davison is also off to a nice start to his college career. Hope that doesn't come back to haunt us for 4 years. The Badgers have a knack for doing that.
 

Lofton was a cancer here. Very low efficiency and poor chemistry.
 

It's not just a matter of the Gophers wanting them both. I'm guessing it would be extremely hard to convince two point guards to commit to the same program in the same year, especially when you already have an all-conference PG on the team.

Didn't we try to get him to go to prep school and commit in 18?
 

It's not just a matter of the Gophers wanting them both. I'm guessing it would be extremely hard to convince two point guards to commit to the same program in the same year, especially when you already have an all-conference PG on the team.

possibly but its not a killer. Kansas was the best team in the country last year with Mason and Graham essentially sharing PG duties. Louisville won a title with Russ Smith and Peyton Silva as lead guards. It can certainly be done. My thing is it ain't like Harris brings athleticism or size so its basically just shooting.
 

Lofton was a cancer here. Very low efficiency and poor chemistry.

Yeah your right. It was him that was accused of rape. Domestic violence. Kidnapping. And posted a sex tape on Twitter... all that shut happened after he left.
But your right he’s cancerous.

Has anyone even been given a reason why he was was booted? I haven’t. Glad he’s doing good.

Anyway he scored 15 in a WIN over 6th ranked Miami last night joker.
 

Minnesota has really been pumping out some nice talent the last couple years, and will be for the at least the next couple years.

Tyus Jones, Rashad Vaughn, Gary Trent, Matt Hurt, Jalen Suggs, Tre Jones. Thats at least 6 players that have or likely will get to the NBA level...then there's guys like Oturu, Coffey, Lynch...maybe Reid Travis who might have a shot at it as well. All this within the last 6 years.
 

Yeah your right. It was him that was accused of rape. Domestic violence. Kidnapping. And posted a sex tape on Twitter... all that shut happened after he left.
But your right he’s cancerous.

Has anyone even been given a reason why he was was booted? I haven’t. Glad he’s doing good.

Anyway he scored 15 in a WIN over 6th ranked Miami last night joker.

You need to be accused of rape or domestic violence to be a cancer?

New Minnesota transfer Zach Lofton has been dismissed from the team -- effective immediately -- for failing to meet the expectations and obligations of the team per a press release issued on Wednesday evening.

The Gophers had their first open scrimmage on Sunday, during which the transfer -- who would have redshirted this season, per NCAA transfer rules -- was seen arguing with teammates and apparently snapped at a couple of times for his poor body language.

Whats he on, like his 5th school now?
 

Minnesota has really been pumping out some nice talent the last couple years, and will be for the at least the next couple years.

Tyus Jones, Rashad Vaughn, Gary Trent, Matt Hurt, Jalen Suggs. Thats at least 5 players that have or likely will get to the NBA level...then there's guys like Oturu, Coffey, Lynch...maybe Reid Travis who might have a shot at it as well. All this within the last 6 years.

Yeah pretty amazing. Wish we could keep em all home. We’d be very good. Davison and Wright sound like they'd be good right now
 


Anyway he scored 15 in a WIN over 6th ranked Miami last night joker.

Just to be clear - it really looks like he labored to get to 15. He shot 4/15 from field and 1/6 from three. He did have 9 rebounds and 0 turnovers, though.


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