STrib: Kris Humphries talks NBA Draft, Gophers and Amir Coffey

per Marcus:

Q: Did you think after you were drafted out of Minnesota in 2004 there would not be another NBA Draft pick for the program 14 years later?

A: You want to see your school does well. Obviously, a result of that are talented players getting drafted. There should’ve been a first round pick or at least a second round pick since me, given that Minnesota is in the Big Ten. The University of Minnesota has a lot to offer. It’s a two part thing. One is obviously talent. You’ve got to be talented to get drafted. And two, it helps when your team does well. If you struggle getting talent or to have success (consistently) than it’s hard to get that formula.

Q: How much did you consider the prep-to-pros route that was allowed back when you were at Hopkins? Do you think playing for the Gophers for one year helped?

A: I toyed around the idea of possibly going to the NBA out of high school. And it didn’t seem to be a good decision for me. Who knows if it would’ve worked out or not? When you’re a McDonald’s All-American and play in the Jordan (Brand All-American) game and have success in AAU ball, you’re definitely on the map to have that chance to go to the NBA out of high school. But going to college for a year worked out better. If I could’ve helped my team do better or been on an NCAA tournament team that probably would’ve helped me get drafted even higher. It can’t hurt. You definitely have to do more to get drafted on a team that doesn’t go to the NCAA tournament. You have to do a lot more and are under more scrutiny in the draft process. The NBA teams didn’t get to see you go against the best players in the NCAA tournament. They didn’t get a chance to see you on the big stage.

Q: What are your thoughts on the Gophers program under Richard Pitino?

A: I think it’s heading in the right direction. We’ve had some unfortunate situations in recent years with players, but as a fan you want to see us have the best chance out there. We’ve been through a couple tough years. I’ve had the guys out to my house and hung out. I got to know some of the guys. When I grew up, Amir Coffey’s dad (Richard) used to bring me to the gym when I was a kid. I’ve known Amir Coffey since he was born. They lived in the same neighborhood in Eden Prairie when I was growing up.

Q: Was it cool to see Coffey follow in your footsteps from Hopkins to the Gophers?

A: I was happy when he went to the U of M. I was actually at a Gophers football game when he was on a recruiting trip. That was kind of cool. My dad is a big supporter of the program. He was pretty on top of Richard (Coffey) about his son going to the U of M.

Q: What do you think it will take for Coffey to get drafted and play in the NBA one day?

A: I think success for the team will help him a lot. If he plays well the team will also be successful. It goes hand in hand. It’s just about focusing on today. Don’t get too worried about the NBA. You just handle what you have to handle today and everything will take care of itself. That was kind of my approach. I wasn’t even thinking about the NBA. I was about waking up early in the morning and worrying about what I could do to be the best I could be. It would be very, very cool if Amir could be the next guy after me, with the relationship I have with his dad and knowing Amir since he was a baby. If you look at his body, his height and his skills and athletic ability, he has the tools. It just has to all come together.

Q: Do you think the Gophers will be able to break that NBA Draft pick drought soon?
A: I hope so. When you talk about guys getting drafted from the University of Minnesota and me being the last guy, you can be talented, but a lot of things have to go right for you to get drafted. It will be interesting to see.

http://www.startribune.com/kris-humphries-talks-nba-draft-gophers-and-amir-coffey/486164521/

Go Gophers!!

Hope his dad is working on Zeke too. Though we seem to get the Hopkins kids we want

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I don't really agree with the statements about winning being key. If you're good enough, you'll be found regardless. They pull kids out of places like Montenegro and Senegal every year. You're not seeing those kids on national TV at the Sweet 16. The number 3 pick this year was from Slovenia.

You could argue the opposite in some cases, in fact. Unless you're at the upper limits of the top tier, wouldn't it be more beneficial to go somewhere you can play right away? What good would it have done Coffey to go sit on the bench at Duke? What good did it to Trent Jr. to go to Duke?

Also, how many kids from Loyola did you see get picked in the lottery....or at all? Why didn't those great Butler and Wichita St teams have more lottery picks? The kids you see getting drafted out of Duke, etc like Bagley would've likely been drafted no matter where they went. If they were able, they would've been drafted without stepping foot on a college campus. Look at Ben Simmons.

If anyone should know this, it should be Humphries.

Success of your team can help a lot. Just look at DiVincenso with Villanova, but for the most part I agree if you're talented they will find you.

Heracles said:

I don't really agree with the statements about winning being key. If you're good enough, you'll be found regardless. They pull kids out of places like Montenegro and Senegal every year. You're not seeing those kids on national TV at the Sweet 16. The number 3 pick this year was from Slovenia.

You could argue the opposite in some cases, in fact. Unless you're at the upper limits of the top tier, wouldn't it be more beneficial to go somewhere you can play right away? What good would it have done Coffey to go sit on the bench at Duke? What good did it to Trent Jr. to go to Duke?

Also, how many kids from Loyola did you see get picked in the lottery....or at all? Why didn't those great Butler and Wichita St teams have more lottery picks? The kids you see getting drafted out of Duke, etc like Bagley would've likely been drafted no matter where they went. If they were able, they would've been drafted without stepping foot on a college campus. Look at Ben Simmons.

If anyone should know this, it should be Humphries.

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All true. But if they find you no matter whee you go, that does not deter kids from picking their own dream school, their own preference for a brand coach, a better national brand or a far more successful team, a better school, a better climate, more beautiful girls. You name it, there are a ton of reason to pick schools and it is a fact that with the TV exposure nationally that fewer and fewer kids dream of playing for the in state team especially with such a mediocre history.

i have friend who knows zeke and he got the impression that he probably won’t stay but not saying that he’s definitely gone cause he still could