Serious Question about Next Year

SM_25

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I'm reading through all of these comments, and there are a lot of people questioning next years team. What makes next years team different from the team that we had in 16-17? All the same players minus Mason, Springs, Bakary, and Gaston.

We have added: Washington, Oturu, Gabe, Harris, Stockman, and Omersa (Curry also making a comeback)

2016-2017

PG. Nate Mason
SG- Akeem Springs
SF- Amir Coffey
PF- Jordan Murphy
C- Reggie Lynch

BN- McBrayer
BN-Curry
BN- Konate (Kind of)
BN- Hurt

2018-2019

PG- Isaiah Washington
SG- Dupree McBrayer
SF- Amir Coffey
PF- Murphy/Curry
C- Murphy/Oturu

I think it is a toss up who starts between Oturu and Curry. Could make a case for either

BN-Curry
BN-Stockman
BN-Gabe
BN-Omersa
BN-Hurt
BN-Open Spot Grad Transfer guard or Freshman guard
BN-Fitz?

I look at next years roster and the possibilities are very exciting. Baring injuries or other unfortunate events, this will be one of the deepest teams the Gophers have had in awhile. Another guard with that last spot is an absolute must though. My expectations will have nothing to do with how this year went.
 

We will miss Nate more next year than we'll miss Murphy the following year.
 

We will miss Nate more next year than we'll miss Murphy the following year.

No doubt Mason will be missed, but its not like we don't have an exciting young PG in place. Like I said up above, we badly need another PG for next year. Not because Washington can't handle it, but the fact that its Minnesota basketball and there is about 70% something goes wrong.
 

Harris could emerge as a "spark" off the bench. He had some decent stretches, but was largely a freshman with a lot to learn.

Regardless, we need another PG badly as I agree we will miss Mason.

Will Fitz come back? He did not have the season we all had hoped for. We could use that roster spot for a depth at G, perhaps a grad transfer?
 

1: Washington
2: McBrayer
3: Coffey
4:Murphy
5: Oturu/Curry/Stockman

Curry will probably start at the 5 but who knows. We need another ball handler, bad. I like our front court a lot!
 


Harris could emerge as a "spark" off the bench. He had some decent stretches, but was largely a freshman with a lot to learn.

Regardless, we need another PG badly as I agree we will miss Mason.

Will Fitz come back? He did not have the season we all had hoped for. We could use that roster spot for a depth at G, perhaps a grad transfer?

I'd bet that either Harris or Fitz are not on the team next year
 

I'd bet that either Harris or Fitz are not on the team next year

I wouldn't doubt that Fitz won't be on the team next year. To crowded for him to play at the 4. Harris, I don't see him leaving since their will be some guard minutes opening up. I guess it could depend on if we get a high school guard like Ramey or a graduate player/Simmons (One can only hope) only here for one year. I do think by year three, Harris will be a really solid role player for the Gophers. Maybe he develops another part of his game outside of shooting with another year in a college workout program.
 

Reggie Lynch to me is what took the healthy teams the past 2 years from a bubble team to a top 20 team. He made a mediocre/poor defense a very good one. That’s the difference, to me.
 

dont forget that coffey will be a ball handler too next year. You could see a coffey, IW/Dupree, Murphy, Jarvis, Curry lineup.
 



To me it's not about who we have, but how they can be developed. This is what leaves me most concerned. I think Mason's upside was severely limited due to Pitino's lack of effectiveness. I think everything Nate accomplished was done in spite of his coach, not because of it.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

To me it's not about who we have, but how they can be developed. This is what leaves me most concerned. I think Mason's upside was severely limited due to Pitino's lack of effectiveness. I think everything Nate accomplished was done in spite of his coach, not because of it.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Why would Mason need to accomplish things in spite of his coach? Did Pitino tell him he didn't have free reigns of the offense? If the Gophers don't have such a crappy season, Mason is either B1G 1st team or atlas 2nd team.

How do you think Mason's upside was limited by Pitino? Mason has been better each and every year since he has arrived at Minnesota. What do you think should have been Nate Mason's upside? He's not a superior athlete like other guards and he doesn't finish particularly well at the rim. What more could have Pitino done?

Besides Konate and Gaston there isn't one person on the team that hasn't gotten significantly better than before they got here. Dupree was not healthy all year, so its tough to judge his actual play. Coffey raised every shooting percentage this year before he went out with an injury. Washington looked like a different play in the last half of the year compared to the first.
 

I'm reading through all of these comments, and there are a lot of people questioning next years team. What makes next years team different from the team that we had in 16-17? All the same players minus Mason, Springs, Bakary, and Gaston.

We have added: Washington, Oturu, Gabe, Harris, Stockman, and Omersa (Curry also making a comeback)

2016-2017

PG. Nate Mason
SG- Akeem Springs
SF- Amir Coffey
PF- Jordan Murphy
C- Reggie Lynch

BN- McBrayer
BN-Curry
BN- Konate (Kind of)
BN- Hurt

2018-2019

PG- Isaiah Washington
SG- Dupree McBrayer
SF- Amir Coffey
PF- Murphy/Curry
C- Murphy/Oturu

I think it is a toss up who starts between Oturu and Curry. Could make a case for either

BN-Curry
BN-Stockman
BN-Gabe
BN-Omersa
BN-Hurt
BN-Open Spot Grad Transfer guard or Freshman guard
BN-Fitz?

I look at next years roster and the possibilities are very exciting. Baring injuries or other unfortunate events, this will be one of the deepest teams the Gophers have had in awhile. Another guard with that last spot is an absolute must though. My expectations will have nothing to do with how this year went.

You also left Lynch off you list of missing players from 2017. He was a major imact
 

dont forget that coffey will be a ball handler too next year. You could see a coffey, IW/Dupree, Murphy, Jarvis, Curry lineup.

I think Richard Coffey would be happy about that as he has wanted his son handling the ball more.
 



Why would Mason need to accomplish things in spite of his coach? Did Pitino tell him he didn't have free reigns of the offense? If the Gophers don't have such a crappy season, Mason is either B1G 1st team or atlas 2nd team.

How do you think Mason's upside was limited by Pitino? Mason has been better each and every year since he has arrived at Minnesota. What do you think should have been Nate Mason's upside? He's not a superior athlete like other guards and he doesn't finish particularly well at the rim. What more could have Pitino done?

Besides Konate and Gaston there isn't one person on the team that hasn't gotten significantly better than before they got here. Dupree was not healthy all year, so its tough to judge his actual play. Coffey raised every shooting percentage this year before he went out with an injury. Washington looked like a different play in the last half of the year compared to the first.

Significantly better? I'd have a time agreeing that Hurt, Fitz, or Harris have gotten significantly better. Dupree, Coffey, and Curry all dealt with injuries for most/all of the year, so I think the only fair thing is to put them in the "TBD" category. Stockman also falls in the "TBD" category as we haven't seen him play at all yet.

I'll agree with you that it's questionable to say that Mason's upside was limited by Pitino. I don't think I agree with that, and it would be hard for anyone on here to know unless you are in meetings with coach and Mason. But the only one who I'd say no doubt got significantly better this year was Murph. Washington also showed some improvement toward the end of the year, but I still worry about him jacking up so many shots and going into hero mode as a PG. Throw in the lack of development of Konate and Gas over four years, and I think it would be accurate to say that 1.5 guys improved significantly this year.
 

If you assume the best-case scenario about every new and returning player on the team, sure, it looks promising.

Here is a different perspective:

Murphy is the one player returning with nothing to prove. (which is not to say there aren't aspects of his game that he can't improve on).

Everyone else has at least some question marks:
Washington - consistency
Coffey - health
McBrayer - health
Curry - health (coming off an ACL)
Stockman - transfer sat out a year - will need to adjust to physical nature of B1G
Harris- defense, consistency
Hurt - shooting (has to be more of a threat on offense)
Fitzgerald - consistency
and finally
Oturu - true freshman entering D1 BB - how does he handle transition?
Omersa - same
Gabe K - same

Again, I am NOT saying next year will necessarily be another down year. I am just pointing out there are a lot of question marks. I could easily see this team go through some ups and downs in the non-conference schedule as they work out all of the issues.

If all of the questions are answered affirmatively, then yes, this could be a really fun team to watch. But, you can't count on it. Every player on the roster has something to prove. Let's wait and see if they prove it.
 

We need some time to see how the roster shakes out before getting a true look at next season. No reason not to be excited, though. The rumor mill hints at more than one departure before next season. The biggest one that stands out to me is Fitzgerald, but that's a bit puzzling in his final year of eligibility.

I wouldn't be shocked of McBrayer just stepped away from the game with all his leg issues. The easy speculation is an IW departure, but in today's story in the Strib he talks about wanting to work hard and be ready for next season. If more than one guy leaves, not sure who it is other than Fitzgerald.

If everyone stays put, you've got IW, Coffey, McBrayer, Harris and Gabe in the back court. Your front-court is Murphy, Curry, Oturu, Stockman, Omersa, Hurt and Fitzgerald. There's 10 guys there, not including where the last scholarship goes, that can all play big roles. It will be very interesting to see how things come together. Clearly, need another guard and preferably one that can shoot.
 

Significantly better? I'd have a time agreeing that Hurt, Fitz, or Harris have gotten significantly better. Dupree, Coffey, and Curry all dealt with injuries for most/all of the year, so I think the only fair thing is to put them in the "TBD" category. Stockman also falls in the "TBD" category as we haven't seen him play at all yet.

I'll agree with you that it's questionable to say that Mason's upside was limited by Pitino. I don't think I agree with that, and it would be hard for anyone on here to know unless you are in meetings with coach and Mason. But the only one who I'd say no doubt got significantly better this year was Murph. Washington also showed some improvement toward the end of the year, but I still worry about him jacking up so many shots and going into hero mode as a PG. Throw in the lack of development of Konate and Gas over four years, and I think it would be accurate to say that 1.5 guys improved significantly this year.

I agree, my wording of significantly was the word. When I was thinking back on it, I was thinking on how Lynch showed a good improvement from his first year to how he was playing this year. His FG%, Reb, Blks, and Points all went up, and he was fouling at a lesser rate in the 16 games that he played in this year. Coffey was the same story in the 18 games he played in. Small sample sizes though, as it could have changed in B1G play so I agree with you.

Between Hurt, Fitz, and Harris they have all stayed the same. I just don't think there is much room for Hurt to get much better. His shot is very slow and his athleticism doesn't allow him to get a shot on his own. He has beefed up a bit, so maybe he can turn into a stretch four as he maybe puts on more muscle. Good role player is probably his ceiling.

Fitz- Just an overall disappointment. I find it hard to believe that he was the best looking in practice two years ago. Idk if the injuries effective his game that much, but a swing and a miss by Pitino.

Harris- I think a year in the strength and training program will do him some good. All he is at the moment is a shooter. I agree that there hasn't really been a change in his game

I really do think Washington's game has significantly improved. Early in the season he forced a lot of shots, and many bounces just didn't go his way. When he got the ball he looked to do one thing with it and that was put up a shot. It also looked like he was giving about 10% effort on defense. His play looked questionable to say the least. Fast forward to the end of the season, however, he has looked like a different player. There are still times where he looks a little slow on defense, but the effort is much better. As for the shots, that will hopefully improve over time. It looked much better in February than it did November/December. He's from a place where he was suppose to put on a show, so as he becomes more acclimated with team philosophies I believe it will get much better. He is a treat to watch when he gets going though, and it will be blast watching him progress in his time at Minnesota.
 


We’re going to be so deep Pitino might red shirt somebody


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We’re going to be so deep Pitino might red shirt somebody


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Redshirting in basketball is normally not a good thing, unless its a big man that is in desperate need of weight/strength gain. Coaches don't want to commit to a kid on scholarship for 5 years. If our bench was so good (i.e., players 6-9 could easily start if there wasn't someone even better in front of them) then you may consider redshirting a guard or wing who would be truly buried on the bench. But I don't see our bench being "that" good.

Go Gophers!!
 


Huh? McBrayer leaving would be totally shocking to everyone.

He's going to need some time to rest that leg and let it heal. Pitino threw out a month, but whatever it takes. But no, he's not quitting. People recover from these injuries.
 

Curry is the biggest difference. Lynch was really good but we really took a blow when we went from a projected Lynch/Curry at the 5 to begin the season to something else entirely when we started our slide. Also a healthy Coffey will be huge. No idea what Orturu will add but if he can have a freshman season similar to Curry's freshman season We should have a good team. Also I was heartened by Hurts improvement towards the end of the year on his aggressiveness He looks like a much better player when he attacks I'm not saying he'll ever start but he will be a solid backup at the 3 next year. And Mcbrayer hopefully will be able to practice next year.
 

Curry is the biggest difference. Lynch was really good but we really took a blow when we went from a projected Lynch/Curry at the 5 to begin the season to something else entirely when we started our slide. Also a healthy Coffey will be huge. No idea what Orturu will add but if he can have a freshman season similar to Curry's freshman season We should have a good team. Also I was heartened by Hurts improvement towards the end of the year on his aggressiveness He looks like a much better player when he attacks I'm not saying he'll ever start but he will be a solid backup at the 3 next year. And Mcbrayer hopefully will be able to practice next year.
Hurt looked more like a bug being zapped by electricity when he attacked. I don't know if I have seen so many shots swatted away while the offensive player lies splattered on the floor.
Hurt seems like a great kid, but he's only effective against the lower mid-majors we see in preseason.
 

I'm really confident Oturu is going to make a bigger impact than people expect. Every time I've watched him play he's made the game look easy against top competition and he's athletic enough to contribute right away at a D1 level. Wouldn't be surprised if he is a starter or first man off the bench by conference play.
 

Hurt looked more like a bug being zapped by electricity when he attacked. I don't know if I have seen so many shots swatted away while the offensive player lies splattered on the floor.
Hurt seems like a great kid, but he's only effective against the lower mid-majors we see in preseason.

He played a great game against Wisconsin. I’m hoping he can put on a little muscle and play with more confidence next year.
 

He played a great game against Wisconsin. I’m hoping he can put on a little muscle and play with more confidence next year.

Wisconsin not very athletic. Good matchup for Hurt. Makes sense that would be a team he'd have one of his better games against.
 



Gophers will be just the opposite next year as they were this year. They will be loaded with bigs and thin at guard. Need to add a guard (preferably a point) yet this year. If he lands one of the guards he is after, Gophers will be very good next year - may be anyway - but vulnerable to injury at the guard spots.
 




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