This year’s Maroon vs Gold scrimmage

Here’s my very amateur take on some of the players at the scrimmage. Keep in mind I once thought Biggs was going to be a good player after watching him at a scrimmage (he was there today with Nate Mason):

Stockman: Biggest surprise. He looked very comfortable on the court, both receiving and passing the ball as well as offensive moves. He even caught and finished one of Jelly’s wild drive and dish moves in the lane. That pass would have hit poor Bakary in the mouth. Defense might be an issue with how skinny he still is, but I was impressed today.

Coffey: Probably the best player on the court. He looked good running the point, but I’m still not sure his handles are good enough against smaller, quicker guards. His drives to the hoop were almost unstoppable. The best thing about him playing point is that the ball will be in his hands more.

Carr: He looked like a starting D-1 point guard. Great handles, good -looking shot, confident, good passer. One of the best 5guys on the court today.

Washington: He played more controlled. Nice overall performance. He still had a few “I’m going to the hoop no matter what” drives, but they were more successful than not.

Gabe K: I liked what I saw. He didn’t look overmatched to me at all. He will get minutes.

Jarvis O: Similar thoughts. He looks ready to give minutes. He made some nice moves offensively, but couldn’t really contain Murphy on defense. Then again, what 6’6” guy can? He had some crazy slams during warm-ups.

Stull: He seems to be a guy that lets the play come to him. He was pretty quiet most of the game. He has a quick release on his shot, but he missed all his threes. He had one nice drive in the lane that he finished.

Hurt: More aggressive. Played well.

Oturu: Just what I hoped to see. Blocked shots. Nice touch inside. Seemed to be a smart player. Hurt his leg or ankle as he fell after blocking a shot, but seemed ok. Super excited about him.

Willis: Similar report as Stull. Quiet game from him, but he had more touches and took more shots. I honestly don’t know how many of them fell. Not sure what I think about him yet.

Murphy: He was Murphy. No more needed. A beast.

Nate Mason: Looked good as ever sitting with Buggs.

Only a hand-full of fouls called as the guys were obviously trying to avoid hammering one another, so it is a little tough concluding too much from a scrimmage. I will say, though, that it seemed to me that there were more players who belong in D-1 basketball on the court for one of there events than I can remember for a good while. And that was without Curry and McBrayer! I’m super excited about this season. I’m also glad the Gopher won!







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You are a saint for posting the report BG. Encouraging to hear what people said about Stockman as I was someone who was critical of the move. Maybe we’ll flash some zone at times to hide him as a defender. Really hoping Carr gets that waiver....with him it’s hard not to feel this roster would be very complete. It’s going to be a fun year regardless. Can’t wait.
 

A few more highlights:

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What? No mention of how the newly painted court looked? Remember how everyone thought it was too grey or the Maroon was too red, or the ...etc, etc, etc....
 



What? No mention of how the newly painted court looked? Remember how everyone thought it was too grey or the Maroon was too red, or the ...etc, etc, etc....
I liked it, but the stats on the scoreboard look they're going to hard to read/follow.
 

Only a hand-full of fouls called as the guys were obviously trying to avoid hammering one another, so it is a little tough concluding too much from a scrimmage. I will say, though, that it seemed to me that there were more players who belong in D-1 basketball on the court for one of there events than I can remember for a good while. And that was without Curry and McBrayer! I’m super excited about this season. I’m also glad the Gopher won!







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Good one! Thanks for the great report.
 

Thanks a ton for the update. Much appreciated.

Go Gophers!!
 



What? No mention of how the newly painted court looked? Remember how everyone thought it was too grey or the Maroon was too red, or the ...etc, etc, etc....

While my son got RP's autograph an old tymer asked him why he changed/painted the floor and let him know he didn't care for it.

Classic Pitino, told the guy; I didn't paint the floor.

Matz had a good night, but he did Kontae a couple of passes.. and shots.

Carr is damn good. Gabe is going get solid mins.
 
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A bit concerning that Pitino doesn't know if Eric Curry will be available for the opener. I hope they take it slow with him in recovery as he's had a calf strain and now knee swelling since he got back on the court from his initial knee injury.

I find it strange that the Gophers are confident that Carr will get a waiver. Hopefully they are right.
 

Great reports from everyone. Is anyone else disappointed Stull isn’t making more of an impact? I really thought he was going to be an impact signing for guard depth.
 



I was a little disappointed in watching him today. However, the scrimmage was a little more like an all-star game with less defense and quite a bit of flashy moves. He seems like the opposite of that. He may be more of a smart gamer of a player, if that makes any sense. I didn’t see anything that really concerned me. He just didn’t stand out. Too soon to tell.


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I liked it, but the stats on the scoreboard look they're going to hard to read/follow.

That is the new format for the scoreboard??? Looked like it was designed by someone that had to much to drink, Yuk
 

A bit concerning that Pitino doesn't know if Eric Curry will be available for the opener. I hope they take it slow with him in recovery as he's had a calf strain and now knee swelling since he got back on the court from his initial knee injury.

I find it strange that the Gophers are confident that Carr will get a waiver. Hopefully they are right.


Who is confident? Carr will be a season changer, if he plays like he did last night.
 

I find it strange that the Gophers are confident that Carr will get a waiver. Hopefully they are right.

I would assume that the waiver is written in a way that plainly satisfies the text of the new rule (the "health, safety, and well being" provision), with details about the nature of things at Pitt. Whether the NCAA will reasonably apply the text of this rule, however, is anyone's guess.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-incentivize-players-to-expose-cfbs-dark-side
 


Five Takeaways: Maroon vs Gold Scrimmage

https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Article/Five-Takeaways-Maroon-vs-Gold-Scrimmage-123938385/

The annual Maroon vs Gold Scrimmage was not only entertaining for fans, it was an encouraging sign of ball movement and high percentage finishing as well as encouraging production from veterans and newcomers alike.

One. The Ball Movement. Sure it's just a scrimmage and of course the team isn't playing Michigan State, but the amount of guys on this team that rapidly move the ball assisting teammates in getting high percentage attempts was very encouraging. There are several guys on this team that seem to understand the value of quickly moving the basketball in order for the offense to create better looks for teammates. Guys like Amir Coffey, Jarvis Omersa, Gabe Kalscheur, Brock Stull, Matz Stockman, and Michael Hurt were all seen quickly rotating or entering the ball and then just as quickly moving off the ball.

Two. Matz Stockman! On his very first play Matz Stockman caught on the block, shifted Daniel Oturu with a fake, and then put the ball on the deck for a quick move to the rim to finish. It was a move that completely caught me off guard as well as a taste of things to come. From there the 7-footer from Norway scored with a dunk in a high-low situation, he moved off the ball to finish, and then in the second half Stockman ran the floor to catch and complete then later scored with his back to the basket multiple times. Seventeen points in all for Stockman plus his size caused some issues in low post defense.

Three. Loving Amir at PG. The sample size is a scrimmage against teammates as well as a box score in a closed scrimmage versus Creighton but the early returns on Amir Coffey at lead guard are really good. Amir had a game high 21 points and never once did he take a quick shot in a halfcourt possession without moving the ball through the offense. Amir opened the game with four assists in the first half and then followed that with his usual high percentage transition production and scores in the halfcourt using a ball screen on the wing to attack and complete. Whenever Amir was the lead guard his team moved the ball in a way that pleased Coach Richard Pitino and that's exactly what they are looking for. Will it work with Coffey playing big minutes at lead guard throughout the season? We need to see him compete against November opponents to make that determination but so far things looks really good with Amir at the one.

Four. Veterans playing like Vets. Jordan Murphy is still the power forward that is going to break records and Michael Hurt is the dependable player he's always been (Dupree McBrayer wasn't available because of a family situation and Eric Curry was held out because of knee swelling precautions). Add in Amir Coffey looking healthy and Matz Stockman surprising and it was a good day for the vets. Jordan had 16 points making nearly all of his high percentage looks and often when he missed, Jordan grabbed his board and finished. Murphy passed the ball really well with Daniel Oturu as his low post partner and you can always expect Michael Hurt to move the ball well. Hurt was more aggressive offensively attempting four long jumpers early (made one) and then attacking the basket four times in the fourth quarter (scoring three times). Marcus Carr added four scores aggressively looking for his shot and wetting the appetite of fans hoping the NCAA clears him to play this year.

Five. The Freshmen. Gabe Kalscheur and Daniel Oturu started for the maroon team along with Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey showing some trust in the young players replacing Dupree and Eric who were out (Gabe started at Creighton as well). Gabe's first two publicly viewed baskets in a Gopher uniform were cuts behind the defense followed later by a couple threes. Daniel Oturu had 18 points and four blocks using a quickness at 6-foot-9/6-foot-10 to move off the ball and complete physically. Oturu aggressively went after blocks using quickness off his feet that very few players his size have. Jarvis Omersa was at his best rebounding everything he could on both ends of the floor. Jarvis has the look of a player that can come off the bench and give 3-4 very active minutes each rotation.
 

Just on the clips I saw, Stockman might just turn out to be a pleasant surprise. Pitino needs to get Stockman as many minutes as he can during the non-conference games. he's definitely a finesse player as opposed to a power player, but could turn out to be a good complement to the other front-court players.

if Stockman can contribute, that makes this team a lot more interesting.
 

Just on the clips I saw, Stockman might just turn out to be a pleasant surprise. Pitino needs to get Stockman as many minutes as he can during the non-conference games. he's definitely a finesse player as opposed to a power player, but could turn out to be a good complement to the other front-court players.

if Stockman can contribute, that makes this team a lot more interesting.
Should get a chance with Curry out 4-6 weeks.
 

Thoughts - Carr get eligible! orturo will be great - only slight dissapointments were Brock and Kelshire? need them to shoot better..
 

No scrimmage this year? Major bummer if not, great event for the kids.
 


No scrimmage this year? Major bummer if not, great event for the kids.

It appeared to me they were rewarding people based on contributions and support by inviting them to a practice etc. in lieu of a scrimmage.
 

It was cruel to post this old thread. At first glance, I thought they were announcing the event now, and was momentarily excited. Obviously an old thread. Really bummed they are not doing one this year. I went to every one since Tubby started doing them and took all six of my kids, my wife, and dad to the event. While I have been a season ticket holder (two seats), I couldn’t afford to take the whole clan to a game! Even though they weren’t well attended, I think it exposed more people to Gopher hoops. Mistake in my book to cancel this.


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It was cruel to post this old thread. At first glance, I thought they were announcing the event now, and was momentarily excited. Obviously an old thread. Really bummed they are not doing one this year. I went to every one since Tubby started doing them and took all six of my kids, my wife, and dad to the event. While I have been a season ticket holder (two seats), I couldn’t afford to take the whole clan to a game! Even though they weren’t well attended, I think it exposed more people to Gopher hoops. Mistake in my book to cancel this.

My bad, didn't mean to get you excited.

I'm in a similar boat... and don't have time due to coaching youth hoop to make it to many games like I used to. This is one event I really like to bring my kids to, it made it much more interesting for them to watch the games after seeing the players up close and having their autographs on their bedroom wall.
 

My bad, didn't mean to get you excited.

I'm in a similar boat... and don't have time due to coaching youth hoop to make it to many games like I used to. This is one event I really like to bring my kids to, it made it much more interesting for them to watch the games after seeing the players up close and having their autographs on their bedroom wall.

I was just kidding about the cruelty, but I did get temporarily excited. Sounds like similar experiences for us both. Maybe Pitino will read our comments and bring it back next year when we will get our first glance at Garcia in his Gopher uniform! [emoji6]


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I was just kidding about the cruelty, but I did get temporarily excited. Sounds like similar experiences for us both. Maybe Pitino will read our comments and bring it back next year when we will get our first glance at Garcia in his Gopher uniform! [emoji6]


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I am with you both. Introduced my boys to this when they were really young. I always loved going down to get a glimpse of the players before the season got going. I’ve always thought the U came up shortly leveraging this event.


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Womens basketball just did this the other week, somehow I feel cheated...
 




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