2019-2020 lineup

Very nice team. I believe Omersa shocks most Gopher fans this year. That has us 10 quality deep. We are as good or better next year. We are getting close (finally) to the team Pitino wants to coach.
Day one I think it's between Demir or Curry. Depending on Curry's health. Curry will also get Oturu's back up minutes unless Freeman surprises. I see Omersa as a spark off the bench, like our version of a young Dennis Rodman. Ilhan I see more as a wing, big wild card this year

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Why does everyone have Demir penciled in as a starter? I understand he put up decent numbers last year but that was a Drexel. Much like almost all of our recent small school grad transfers he may not be ready for big boy ball. The way I see it all four of Curry (healthy or not) Omersa, Demir, and Ihnen will have about the same odds of starting at the four game one for us.

I would love to see Curry be healthy and win the position from day 1 this year. That is the highest end potential situation for us. However, with all of the injuries, that is tough to plan for. Ihnen might play some 4, but I think he was recruited as a 3 and I think he is the eventual starter at the 3. Omersa is a guy that I have to believe will come in as a designated defensive, rebounding guy and a guy who will provide energy when it is needed for 15 minutes a game. It is hard for me to see him developing enough offense in one summer, to play big minutes this year. A stretch 4 fits really well with Oturu and that's what Demir is supposed to be. You are right though, at this point, no one really knows. Pencil Carr, Oturu and Gabe in as starters and the rest is anyone's guess. Ihnen and Williams are the two guys that we have to hope Pitino nailed it on.

No one talks about Freeman, but I am really excited to see him play. News from the Italian trip will be interesting.
 

One positive thing about losing 2-3 of the top producers from last season is that uncertainty breeds excitement! :)
 

Why does everyone have Demir penciled in as a starter? I understand he put up decent numbers last year but that was a Drexel. Much like almost all of our recent small school grad transfers he may not be ready for big boy ball. The way I see it all four of Curry (healthy or not) Omersa, Demir, and Ihnen will have about the same odds of starting at the four game one for us.

Because he's healthy, experienced, and skilled. No guarantee that he translates to the Big Ten (though he did have a solid 14 and 8 against Rutgers this year). Curry, if truly healthy, will probably start over him, but he's recovering from surgery and has had 3 surgeries in his short time as a Gopher, so he's hard to count on right now. Omersa had a couple good games defensively, but we play 4 on 5 offensively when he is in the game. He has potential, but is as raw as they come. I'd be shocked if he gets more minutes than Demir. Ihnen could very well start at the 4, but I imagine he will be playing mostly at the 3 since Coffey is gone. If we get Woolridge, it could be fun to put Ihnen at the 4 and press.
 

Starting Wings- Carr, Willis, Gabe
Bench Wings: Inhen, Williams, Woodridge, Hurt

Starting Posts- Demir (stretch 4) and Oturo
Bench Depth: Curry, Omersa, Hurt (stretch 4) and Freeman (spot minutes)

Decent depth, plus I see our offense using a lot of ball screens again, but with more pop actions and less high lows with a more possessions and a little more up tempo. Excited to see this team with some added depth.
 
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Starting Wings- Carr, Willis, Gabe
Bench Wings: Inhen, Williams, Woodridge, Hurt

Starting Posts- Demir (stretch 4) and Oturo
Bench Depth: Curry, Omersa, Hurt (stretch 4) and Freeman (spot minutes)

Decent depth, plus I see our offense using a lot of ball screens again, but with more pop actions and less high lows with a more possessions and a little more up tempo. Excited to see this team with some added depth.
Gotta land Woodridge first. Guessing with move in day coming up that should be soon. Unless he's taking summer school

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If Curry is able to start by mid-season, that would be a big plus for the team. I just think that might be asking too much. With his injury history, I would be happy if he gets back to the point where he can play 10-15 solid minutes a game.

I see the starters as Carr - Willis - Gabe - Oturu - and a mulligan stew for the 5th starter. Depending on the opponent and the match-up, I would not be surprised if 4 or 5 different players rotated into that 5th spot. On any given night, could be Demir, Hurt, Omersa, Curry if healthy - and if one of the newcomers really surprises, maybe Williams or Ihnen.
 

Starters by conference play
Carr
Gabe
Ihnen
Curry
Oturo
Book it!!

I really dont care who starts as long as it gives us a line up that can shoot and score.

I loved Jordan Murphy as much as anyone. However, he prevented us from really having a prolific offense. Having him and oturo on court meant that 40% of our starters couldn't shoot outside 10 ft and opponent knew that.

We need to have a 4 or our 5 man be able to shoot from outside. Carr needs to be prolific in the high ball screen offense, and Willis, William's, ihlen and hurt all need to be able to shoot 3s off carr penetration. I actually hope omersa rediscovers his love to shoot from outside and works on his pick and pop plays. He is is quick and could be great in that offense if he works at it
 



I really dont care who starts as long as it gives us a line up that can shoot and score.

I loved Jordan Murphy as much as anyone. However, he prevented us from really having a prolific offense. Having him and oturo on court meant that 40% of our starters couldn't shoot outside 10 ft and opponent knew that.

We need to have a 4 or our 5 man be able to shoot from outside. Carr needs to be prolific in the high ball screen offense, and Willis, William's, ihlen and hurt all need to be able to shoot 3s off carr penetration. I actually hope omersa rediscovers his love to shoot from outside and works on his pick and pop plays. He is is quick and could be great in that offense if he works at it

Did Omersa shoot it much from the outside in HS? Only saw him once in HS, and he didn't shoot much outside 8 feet from the hoop in that game. I have never heard that he was a pick and pop guy, and his FT% (though a very small sample size) tells me he doesn't have the ability to do that right now. Do you mean Curry?
 

Did Omersa shoot it much from the outside in HS? Only saw him once in HS, and he didn't shoot much outside 8 feet from the hoop in that game. I have never heard that he was a pick and pop guy, and his FT% (though a very small sample size) tells me he doesn't have the ability to do that right now. Do you mean Curry?
I wouldn't call him a pick and pop guy either. I saw a few of his hand games, I've seen him and take and knock down the open three. He was an okay free throw shooter the times I saw him as well. I would expect that to get better with more minutes and chances

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I wouldn't call him a pick and pop guy either. I saw a few of his hand games, I've seen him and take and knock down the open three. He was an okay free throw shooter the times I saw him as well. I would expect that to get better with more minutes and chances

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Omersa will probably never be a "shooter". He'll take end of shot clock open threes, but he's going to be an energy guy who gets his buckets attacking the boards and rim. This idea that he had a "love" to shoot prior to his gopher career is hilarious. Bemidji is right that he should continue to improve however and hopefully can be serviceable.
 




I wouldn't call him a pick and pop guy either. I saw a few of his hand games, I've seen him and take and knock down the open three. He was an okay free throw shooter the times I saw him as well. I would expect that to get better with more minutes and chances

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I also saw him play. I thought at the time, it was a recruiting mistake. Not sure what the Gopher staff saw in him. The Tribune got him his scholarship.
 



My general feeling about the Gophers lineup/playing time for next season?

Oturu, Kalscheur, and Carr (there is no other point guard) will gobble up major minutes. The rest of the minutes? I have no idea. ... there are so many new faces that don't know what it's like to go up against Big Ten competition night in & night out. That'll be the intriguing thing this season, figuring out which guys can handle that.

It's a free for all who gets the remaining minutes. I trust Pitino will give minutes to the guys he thinks deserve 'em. He's proven he's willing to bench guys that were highly regarded recruits (Jelly), local kids that have produced little (Hurt), and grad transfers that he thought could help team but didn't pan out (Stull).
 
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Obviously the lineup starts with Oturu, Kalesheur, Carr and Willis. These guys have played Power 5 basketball and started in the past and are most ready to absorb the punishment of the B1G.

Next most ready:
Hurt - although limited he has experience
Curry - If he recovers sufficiently
Demir - Big body and hopefully can handle it.
Omersa - Hasn't developed yet but can handle physicality
Tre Williams - played in the highest leagues of High School

Unknowns:
Ihnen
Freeman
 

My general feeling about the Gophers lineup/playing time for next season?

Oturu, Kalscheur, and Carr (there is no other point guard) will gobble up major minutes. The rest of the minutes? I have no idea. ... there are so many new faces that don't know what it's like to go up against Big Ten competition night in & night out. That'll be the intriguing thing this season, figuring out which guys can handle that.

It's a free for all who gets the remaining minutes. I trust Pitino will give minutes to the guys he thinks deserve 'em. Even if it makes him look bad (for some recruiting decisions), he's proven he's willing to bench guys that were highly regarded recruits (Jelly), local kids that have produced little (Hurt), and grad transfers that he thought could help team but didn't pan out (Stull).

Pitino makes them earn it, which is great. I'm sure other schools can point out what happened with IW to recruits. (But Pitino can counterpoint with where IW ended up transferring to)

Stull played out of necessity. While I will always be in his debt for his performance at Wisconsin, he didn't play well. Coming in out of shape was not right. But Pitino had no other options.
 

Obviously the lineup starts with Oturu, Kalesheur, Carr and Willis. These guys have played Power 5 basketball and started in the past and are most ready to absorb the punishment of the B1G.

Next most ready:
Hurt - although limited he has experience
Curry - If he recovers sufficiently
Demir - Big body and hopefully can handle it.
Omersa - Hasn't developed yet but can handle physicality
Tre Williams - played in the highest leagues of High School

Unknowns:
Ihnen
Freeman

I think Demir will contribute big time. He may lack athleticism, but he can ball. Just needs to keep TO's limited. Him and Oturu are going to play well together.

Omersa is going to step up this season. Just a hunch.

Love Curry's game, but this team can not count on him at all. He might one of those guys always injured, ruining a very promising career.

Hurt is not going to play much. He's just too timid.

Tre Williams is going to play. Otis (post above) makes a great point about him playing against top competition. That's going to enable him to play right away.

Freeman is not going to play much and Im okay with that. Big men with his athleticism are recruited a lot harder than that if they have some game. He is going to be raw and Pitino/staff will have to develop him, which is great. My only concern with that method is the Konate/Diedhou examples. But not every recruit can be a super star for the non blue blood programs. They have to develop some so they can contribute to good teams as upper classmen.

Ihnen is the ultimate wildcard. You get word that he is on the radar of the NBA scouts. But what does that even mean? They know who he is. I feel like he would have gotten a lot more attention from other schools if he was a legit NBA prospect. At this point, i'm guessing he is raw and wont contribute right away, but with more experience, could really take off and be a good player late in the season or sophomore year.
 

I wonder if Tre Williams will have a bigger impact in his freshman year than Hurt will at Duke.

Williams played the Oak Hills and other bigs of the Prep Academy circuit and excelled. So he should be able to handle the speed and physicality right away.

Hurt excelled against Region 1 Minnesota High School league competition (just like his brother) and failed to advance past the only real high level team in their region in Lakeville North. Yes he had great individual numbers but he was not transcendent enough to get through. He hasn't stood out at any of the practices or the game against the other McDonalds players (Duke recruits). So I wouldn't be surprised at all if he struggles to excel initially.

Then again, Buggs came from a prep academy.
 

I wonder if Tre Williams will have a bigger impact in his freshman year than Hurt will at Duke.

Williams played the Oak Hills and other bigs of the Prep Academy circuit and excelled. So he should be able to handle the speed and physicality right away.

Hurt excelled against Region 1 Minnesota High School league competition (just like his brother) and failed to advance past the only real high level team in their region in Lakeville North. Yes he had great individual numbers but he was not transcendent enough to get through. He hasn't stood out at any of the practices or the game against the other McDonalds players (Duke recruits). So I wouldn't be surprised at all if he struggles to excel initially.

Then again, Buggs came from a prep academy.
There's this thing called AAU where Hurt made his bones. Excited for Tre, but to answer your question no

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I think Demir will contribute big time. He may lack athleticism, but he can ball. Just needs to keep TO's limited. Him and Oturu are going to play well together.

Omersa is going to step up this season. Just a hunch.

Love Curry's game, but this team can not count on him at all. He might one of those guys always injured, ruining a very promising career.

Hurt is not going to play much. He's just too timid.

Tre Williams is going to play. Otis (post above) makes a great point about him playing against top competition. That's going to enable him to play right away.

Freeman is not going to play much and Im okay with that. Big men with his athleticism are recruited a lot harder than that if they have some game. He is going to be raw and Pitino/staff will have to develop him, which is great. My only concern with that method is the Konate/Diedhou examples. But not every recruit can be a super star for the non blue blood programs. They have to develop some so they can contribute to good teams as upper classmen.

Ihnen is the ultimate wildcard. You get word that he is on the radar of the NBA scouts. But what does that even mean? They know who he is. I feel like he would have gotten a lot more attention from other schools if he was a legit NBA prospect. At this point, i'm guessing he is raw and wont contribute right away, but with more experience, could really take off and be a good player late in the season or sophomore year.

If Omersa were to really take a step up, that would be huge. He is a kid that has a toughness and charisma that can really add the X factor to a team. Getting a loose ball, grabbing a rebound or making some energy play and amazing dunk- any of those things can pick a team up and the home crowd as well.

Ihnen:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bED2uwIcKtc Looks good to me!
 

I wonder if Tre Williams will have a bigger impact in his freshman year than Hurt will at Duke.

Williams played the Oak Hills and other bigs of the Prep Academy circuit and excelled. So he should be able to handle the speed and physicality right away.

Hurt excelled against Region 1 Minnesota High School league competition (just like his brother) and failed to advance past the only real high level team in their region in Lakeville North. Yes he had great individual numbers but he was not transcendent enough to get through. He hasn't stood out at any of the practices or the game against the other McDonalds players (Duke recruits). So I wouldn't be surprised at all if he struggles to excel initially.

Then again, Buggs came from a prep academy.

Hurt didn't earn his ranking based on what he did at JM. He earned that from dominating high end competition in the summer. If Tre has a bigger impact here, it is either because Hurt got injured or because Tre exceeded expectations to the point that he is a legit one and done player.
 

I think Demir will contribute big time. He may lack athleticism, but he can ball. Just needs to keep TO's limited. Him and Oturu are going to play well together.

Omersa is going to step up this season. Just a hunch.

Love Curry's game, but this team can not count on him at all. He might one of those guys always injured, ruining a very promising career.

Hurt is not going to play much. He's just too timid.

Tre Williams is going to play. Otis (post above) makes a great point about him playing against top competition. That's going to enable him to play right away.

Freeman is not going to play much and Im okay with that. Big men with his athleticism are recruited a lot harder than that if they have some game. He is going to be raw and Pitino/staff will have to develop him, which is great. My only concern with that method is the Konate/Diedhou examples. But not every recruit can be a super star for the non blue blood programs. They have to develop some so they can contribute to good teams as upper classmen.

Ihnen is the ultimate wildcard. You get word that he is on the radar of the NBA scouts. But what does that even mean? They know who he is. I feel like he would have gotten a lot more attention from other schools if he was a legit NBA prospect. At this point, i'm guessing he is raw and wont contribute right away, but with more experience, could really take off and be a good player late in the season or sophomore year.

I think the greatest indicator of whether Ihnen can have an impactful freshman season will be his defense. If he can/chooses to play good defense, he can be very valuable with his length and reported athleticism, regardless of what he does on the offensive side of the floor.
 

I think many people will be pleasantly surprised how this team plays. The addition of more versatile players allows Pitino to turn up the defense and switch styles on the fly. It all depends upon how maturely the younger players can handle it.

I expect them to be in the tournament.


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I think many people will be pleasantly surprised how this team plays. The addition of more versatile players allows Pitino to turn up the defense and switch styles on the fly. It all depends upon how maturely the younger players can handle it.

I expect them to be in the tournament.


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Same. This should be a competitive squad in the B1G.
 




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