Isaiah Ihnen Commits to Gophers

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Go Gophers!!
 

cjbfbp said:
Actually, he does owe the fans something. He hasn't delivered two consecutive good years yet. If he does that this year, he will have made a convincing case that he has turned the corner into a coach who can deliver a quality product with some consistency.

You're almost right about the second point, though. I don't see the wisdom of having unbridled optimism before the fact given this coach's track record for his first six years. But, that's a "trust" issue rather than an "enjoyment" issue. I can enjoy the team because of the new faces and holdovers like Daniel, Gabe, and possibly Jarvis if he can develop a little more in his second year.
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I do! It's Springtime! If this isn't the season for a little optimism what is? Were you one of the guys that called the season over with about half way through the Big Ten? C'mon! Let's go!! :)
 

bga1 said:
I do! It's Springtime! If this isn't the season for a little optimism what is? Were you one of the guys that called the season over with about half way through the Big Ten? C'mon! Let's go!! :)
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Agreed this is a big commitment, gotta get excited about it! Nothing else going on in gopher sports right now.
 

bottlebass said:
Agreed this is a big commitment, gotta get excited about it! Nothing else going on in gopher sports right now.
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Agreed, I'm pumped with this commitment. Now let's get a grad transfer PF (Demir?), and then I'll be cracking a beer in excitement...
 

I love anyone who loves Minnesota. Welcome, Isaiah!!!!
 


cjbfbp said:
Actually, he does owe the fans something. He hasn't delivered two consecutive good years yet. If he does that this year, he will have made a convincing case that he has turned the corner into a coach who can deliver a quality product with some consistency.

You're almost right about the second point, though. I don't see the wisdom of having unbridled optimism before the fact given this coach's track record for his first six years. But, that's a "trust" issue rather than an "enjoyment" issue. I can enjoy the team because of the new faces and holdovers like Daniel, Gabe, and possibly Jarvis if he can develop a little more in his second year.
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Like it or not, everyone knew what we were signing up for when we hired a very young coach with limited experience. If you are going to continue to judge his first "learning years" against his current performance than you are limiting the fun of following the team. He is not the same coach, manager and recruiter that he was his first few years. He is now getting a blend of versatile players that fill his vision of aggressive defense, fast flowing offense and the ability to change on the fly. A good part of the fun of being a fan is to have optimism and hope for the future, don't let some past problems hamper your enthusiasm. This is the start of a series of very good teams that will be perennial top level B1G teams with perennial NCAA tourney runs.
 



In my opinion this kid has a shot to be the next first round nba draft pick from the gophers. Athletic wings with that sort of length who can handle and shoot are uncommon.


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On the video it seems 210 looks more likely than 190 for his weight. Can really hit the long 3 which will get him on the court next year. See him starting our playing mostly the stretch 4 his first year getting used to the u.s. college game. See him playing more positions as he gains experience.
 






Otis said:
If Builtbadgers removed the italicized portion of his name, maybe people would realize how fortunate we are to have a knowledgeable poster on this board.

Try to keep top the subject.

Isaiah Ihnen
6'9"
210 lbs.
7'4" wingspan
Range out to 3 and beyond, decent handle, ability to drive to the hole.
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Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate a lot of the content from Built and would not want him to stop posting. It is just beneath him to take constant jabs at the program. They undermine the his objectivity.

Tickled to death about Ihnen joining the Gophers!


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alchemy2u said:
Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate a lot of the content from Built and would not want him to stop posting. It is just beneath him to take constant jabs at the program. They undermine the his objectivity.

Tickled to death about Ihnen joining the Gophers!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Perhaps he's just a retired WIAC coach looking for something to do. [emoji41]
 

alchemy2u said:
Like it or not, everyone knew what we were signing up for when we hired a very young coach with limited experience. If you are going to continue to judge his first "learning years" against his current performance than you are limiting the fun of following the team. He is not the same coach, manager and recruiter that he was his first few years. He is now getting a blend of versatile players that fill his vision of aggressive defense, fast flowing offense and the ability to change on the fly. A good part of the fun of being a fan is to have optimism and hope for the future, don't let some past problems hamper your enthusiasm. This is the start of a series of very good teams that will be perennial top level B1G teams with perennial NCAA tourney runs.
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What are you talking about? You really think when Pitino was hired we knew and accepted that a couple of years would be "learning experience"?

I think Pitino has earned an extension and I am excited about the Ihnen commitment, but as fans we should always be analyzing our coach. We should always consider the entire body of work.
 



Interesting that size-wise Isaiah is comparable to Matthew Hurt. There games are similar as well. Both shoot and can put it on the floor some. Obviously, Matthew more advanced. Just looking at highlight tape, Isaiah might be more explosive.
 

ltf said:
Interesting that size-wise Isaiah is comparable to Matthew Hurt. There games are similar as well. Both shoot and can put it on the floor some. Obviously, Matthew more advanced. Just looking at highlight tape, Isaiah might be more explosive.
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I bet Isaiah could take him 1 on 1!!!

I'll take four years of Isaiah over one year of Matthew.
 

Otis said:
I bet Isaiah could take him 1 on 1!!!

I'll take four years of Isaiah over one year of Matthew.
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You are probably right for a program like Minnesota.
 

Otis said:
I bet Isaiah could take him 1 on 1!!!

I'll take four years of Isaiah over one year of Matthew.
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I certainly would've liked both but I agree with your statement 100%, Otis!
 


Did anyone else notice that ihnen is ranked our eighth best recruit of all time by 247? That’s an interesting list of the top 57 guys we’ve signed since they started ranking prospects. If he performs like the players he’s ranked around, we’ve got a player on our hands.
 

Rouser said:
How about 3 years... that assumes Isaiah's upside was reached!
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"With the first pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select F Isaiah Ihnen from the MN Golden Gophers."
 

At the risk of being called a "hater," I always get a little skeptical when a kid is advertised as a "great shooter."

We've heard that before about a lot of recruits, and most of them turned out to be something other than a "great shooter." I know a guy who saw Michael Hurt play in HS, and he raved about what a great outside shooter Hurt was.

This guy is coming from Germany. all we've seen are some highlight tapes with opponents of uncertain quality. I certainly hope he becomes a solid player for the Gophers, but it's reasonable to expect a learning curve while he gets accustomed to the college game, college life, and tries to add strength and muscle. If he's an immediate contributor, great. I personally will be happy if he's a contributor by year 2.

Not every player has to be - or will be - a star from day 1. give the kid some room to grow.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
At the risk of being called a "hater," I always get a little skeptical when a kid is advertised as a "great shooter."

We've heard that before about a lot of recruits, and most of them turned out to be something other than a "great shooter." I know a guy who saw Michael Hurt play in HS, and he raved about what a great outside shooter Hurt was.

This guy is coming from Germany. all we've seen are some highlight tapes with opponents of uncertain quality. I certainly hope he becomes a solid player for the Gophers, but it's reasonable to expect a learning curve while he gets accustomed to the college game, college life, and tries to add strength and muscle. If he's an immediate contributor, great. I personally will be happy if he's a contributor by year 2.

Not every player has to be - or will be - a star from day 1. give the kid some room to grow.
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There's no "hate" in questioning if a commit is ready to contribute right away and I think your take on this is more than fair. I see "6.9', 210# athletic kid that can run" and I'm ready to anoint the guy as the next Kevin Durant. He certainly has the size and athletic prowess to give the coaching staff something to mold. I would imagine sauerkraut sales on Brats at Williams Arena are about to see a large spike.
 

I think he shot 35% from the longer 3 pt line. They were running him off screens to get 3pt looks in the video's I saw. He also faked the 3 and drove to the basket with ease.
 

Seems like a 4 that will stretch the floor w/ 3-pt shooting and ability to drive around slower 4 defenders. Based on watching the video I'm guessing he was a kid that played a guard position when he was 10-14 years old because he was the most athletic player on the team - looks very comfortable with the ball in his hands. We'll see how he progresses but right now he looks like a really good recruit for the program. Very excited about him joining the Gophers.
 

per the U:

Isaiah Ihnen Inks NLI with Gophers

University of Minnesota head men's basketball coach Richard Pitino announced Wednesday the addition of Isaiah Ihnen, as the 6-9 forward from Boeblingen, Germany signed his National Letter of Intent to join the Gophers next season.

"We are very excited about the addition of Isaiah to our program," Pitino said. "He's extremely versatile on the court and can play multiple positions."

Ihnen is rated the No. 89-ranked prospect in the class of 2019 according to 247Sports, who also lists him as a four-star recruit. He is the second four-star recruit among the Gophers' signing class, joining fall signee Tre' Williams (Dallas, Texas/Wasatch Academy [Utah]).

This past season, Ihnen played for the International Basketball Academy Munich (IBAM) team, where he averaged 13.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Ihnen is the team's top rebounder, second-leading shot blocker and third-leading scorer.

"His potential is off the charts," Pitino added. "We expect Isaiah to come in and make a great impact on and off the court right when he steps on campus."

Ihnen adds to the recruiting class that includes Williams and Sam Freeman (Dallas, Texas/Northwest HS), along with fellow newcomers Marcus Carr (Toronto, Ontario/Montverde Academy) and Payton Willis (Fayetteville, Ark./Fayetteville), who redshirted the 2018-19 season after transferring from Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt, respectively.

Go Gophers!!
 

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