Battle has the pieces!!!

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Day1Fan

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Battle has the pieces. How do we get him to play with the passion and the fire that he did in the last minute of this game all game, every game? Get his grandma to come to every game????
 

Yeah he's gotta be more aggressive taking the ball to the basket or else we'll just continue to ride the jumpshot wave with him. Inconsistent.
 

skiumah1 said:
Yeah he's gotta be more aggressive taking the ball to the basket or else we'll just continue to ride the jumpshot wave with him. Inconsistent.
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Have you not watched what happens when he tries to drive? Hint: It ain't pretty.
 


A few things:
  • He just hasn't been the same this year, and it's hard not to wonder what effect his early-season injury has had on him. I mean, it WAS surgery.
  • I think people would be surprised how things would open up for him if he were playing with a guard who could penetrate and put the fear of God into the defense. It's a team game.
  • There are definitely things he needs to work on.
I feel like a minority voice on this board, but I want Battle back next year very badly. We're better with him than without him.
 


Day1Fan said:
Battle has the pieces. How do we get him to play with the passion and the fire that he did in the last minute of this game all game, every game? Get his grandma to come to every game????
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I don't think you can get anyone to do that and particularly not one who plays between 35 and 40 minutes per game.
 

Bad Gopher said:
A few things:
  • He just hasn't been the same this year, and it's hard not to wonder what effect his early-season injury has had on him. I mean, it WAS surgery.
  • I think people would be surprised how things would open up for him if he were playing with a guard who could penetrate and put the fear of God into the defense. It's a team game.
  • There are definitely things he needs to work on.
I feel like a minority voice on this board, but I want Battle back next year very badly. We're better with him than without him.
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100%
 

Bad Gopher said:
A few things:
  • He just hasn't been the same this year, and it's hard not to wonder what effect his early-season injury has had on him. I mean, it WAS surgery.
  • I think people would be surprised how things would open up for him if he were playing with a guard who could penetrate and put the fear of God into the defense. It's a team game.
  • There are definitely things he needs to work on.
I feel like a minority voice on this board, but I want Battle back next year very badly. We're better with him than without him.
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I 100% want him back. I remember the player he was last year. Solid shooter. Actually drove the ball pretty well...I remember some nice dunks off of the bounce.

Not sure if it was the surgery but he just never got quite right. I think he was definitely improving though late.
 

Bad Gopher said:
A few things:
  • He just hasn't been the same this year, and it's hard not to wonder what effect his early-season injury has had on him. I mean, it WAS surgery.
  • I think people would be surprised how things would open up for him if he were playing with a guard who could penetrate and put the fear of God into the defense. It's a team game.
  • There are definitely things he needs to work on.
I feel like a minority voice on this board, but I want Battle back next year very badly. We're better with him than without him.
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we certainly are better with him....if they are stay around i really like our front court for next year!
Garcia
Battle
Payne
JOJ
and if we can get anything out of Ihnen/Fox/Betts if they are stick around....
 



cjbfbp said:
I don't think you can get anyone to do that and particularly not one who plays between 35 and 40 minutes per game.
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Why? I would think a PG would want to come to a place where playing time in the B10 is seriously wide open...with a chance to feed the ball to:

1. Battle
2. Garcia
3. Payne
4. JOJ/Henley/Ihnen/Christie

A stud PG makes that a borderline tourney team, right?
 

Bad Gopher said:
A few things:
  • He just hasn't been the same this year, and it's hard not to wonder what effect his early-season injury has had on him. I mean, it WAS surgery.
  • I think people would be surprised how things would open up for him if he were playing with a guard who could penetrate and put the fear of God into the defense. It's a team game.
  • There are definitely things he needs to work on.
I feel like a minority voice on this board, but I want Battle back next year very badly. We're better with him than without him.
Click to expand...
Agreed, and I don't think people pay attention to the effort he puts in on defense. Sure, it's easy to see when someone gets beaten...everyone does at some point during a game, but spend some time watching him off the ball and you can see he's working his ass off.
 

Gophs24 said:
we certainly are better with him....if they are stay around i really like our front court for next year!
Garcia
Battle
Payne
JOJ
and if we can get anything out of Ihnen/Fox/Betts if they are stick around....
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If we put in the work and hit the weight room-Garcia/TT. Garcia has to get stronger, he gets mauled on the inside. TT has potential, but doesn't look like he puts in the work, he needs to hang out with Trey Galloway of Indiana, put in the work and is now a more complete player. Find a slashing B1G point guard and we'll be fine.
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
A stud PG makes that a borderline tourney team, right?
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The line I was casting doubt upon was this one:

How do we get him to play with the passion and the fire that he did in the last minute of this game all game, every game?

Who is ever going to play like that for 35 to 40 minutes of every game?

I didn't say anything about a point guard.
 



cjbfbp said:
The line I was casting doubt upon was this one:

How do we get him to play with the passion and the fire that he did in the last minute of this game all game, every game?

Who is ever going to play like that for 35 to 40 minutes of every game?

I didn't say anything about a point guard.
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My bad....I thought you were referring to finding a PG to play 35-40 minutes.
 

Popular opinion on the other board is that Battle may be done playing basketball after this year. If that's the case, I hope he gets to beat the Badgers for his final home game at the Barn!

Obviously I'd love to see him back next year, but definitely not a certainty at this juncture.
 

WriterGoph said:
Popular opinion on the other board is that Battle may be done playing basketball after this year. If that's the case, I hope he gets to beat the Badgers for his final home game at the Barn!

Obviously I'd love to see him back next year, but definitely not a certainty at this juncture.
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thanks for the info
 

WriterGoph said:
Popular opinion on the other board is that Battle may be done playing basketball after this year. If that's the case, I hope he gets to beat the Badgers for his final home game at the Barn!

Obviously I'd love to see him back next year, but definitely not a certainty at this juncture.
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And why pray tell would he be done after this year?
 


Gilthorp57 said:
If we put in the work and hit the weight room-Garcia/TT. Garcia has to get stronger, he gets mauled on the inside. TT has potential, but doesn't look like he puts in the work, he needs to hang out with Trey Galloway of Indiana, put in the work and is now a more complete player. Find a slashing B1G point guard and we'll be fine.
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Getting a point guard solves some big problems for sure, but we've got a long way to go to compete. The team needs to improve defensively and learn how to box out and rebound. On the offensive side, off the ball movement leaves a lot to be desired and the turnovers have to improve. And if the whole team doesn't shoot a million free throws over the summer, god help us.

That said, I'm still optimistic for where this team could go and choose to live in a land is delusion where there is still hope.
 

Batc0017 said:
Getting a point guard solves some big problems for sure, but we've got a long way to go to compete. The team needs to improve defensively and learn how to box out and rebound. On the offensive side, off the ball movement leaves a lot to be desired and the turnovers have to improve. And if the whole team doesn't shoot a million free throws over the summer, god help us.

That said, I'm still optimistic for where this team could go and choose to live in a land is delusion where there is still hope.
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Lately, when they get it into Payne, suddenly the ball movement gets better and everyone is moving because he is learning to pass it. When they don't feed the post, it's not good at all. Free throws? There is no reason that everyone that they are playing shouldn't be able to get to 70% or better.
 

Gopheritnow said:
And why pray tell would he be done after this year?
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It's possible that not every kid that plays college basketball wants to do it for 6 years - especially if they decide they aren't going to pursue it professionally. All speculation on this aspect, it's also possible that his injury struggles and the way the year has played out took some of his joy from the game. Someone needs to really be having fun to want to come back for a 6th year, IMO.
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
Why? I would think a PG would want to come to a place where playing time in the B10 is seriously wide open...with a chance to feed the ball to:

1. Battle
2. Garcia
3. Payne
4. JOJ/Henley/Ihnen/Christie

A stud PG makes that a borderline tourney team, right?
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A stud combo guard is more important than a stud PG as long as Cooper is back. We need to have SG and SF that can drill open 3s. We have not really had that this year and it has really hurt the team way more than Cooper who gets crapped on pretty bad on this board.

We need more guards that can run the point and some speed would be nice as well but more important than any of that is we need to find guys who can play great D and hit clutch 3s.
 

MNVCGUY said:
A stud combo guard is more important than a stud PG as long as Cooper is back. We need to have SG and SF that can drill open 3s. We have not really had that this year and it has really hurt the team way more than Cooper who gets crapped on pretty bad on this board.

We need more guards that can run the point and some speed would be nice as well but more important than any of that is we need to find guys who can play great D and hit clutch 3s.
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Again, the issue with Cooper is not that he is a bad player. He's not. The issue is that in the Big Ten it is huge to get some transition buckets - we get almost none (we got one last night off the Garcia to Payne alley oop). It is crucial to be able to beat someone off the dribble to break down the defense. And it is a big deal to stop penetration by the opposing point guard. Cooper while being a good passer doesn't do any of those because he lacks the quickness. I suppose he could run a winning team with the right guards to team with but they would have to be pretty good and then there is still that defensive issue.
 

bga1 said:
Again, the issue with Cooper is not that he is a bad player. He's not. The issue is that in the Big Ten it is huge to get some transition buckets - we get almost none (we got one last night off the Garcia to Payne alley oop). It is crucial to be able to beat someone off the dribble to break down the defense. And it is a big deal to stop penetration by the opposing point guard. Cooper while being a good passer doesn't do any of those because he lacks the quickness. I suppose he could run a winning team with the right guards to team with but they would have to be pretty good and then there is still that defensive issue.
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Agreed.....I still remember what an impact DeAndre Matthieu had in his first year out of junior college with the Gophers. I really believe that's what this team is missing
 

Unregistered User said:
Agreed, and I don't think people pay attention to the effort he puts in on defense. Sure, it's easy to see when someone gets beaten...everyone does at some point during a game, but spend some time watching him off the ball and you can see he's working his ass off.
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I’m Pollyanish, but Payne went toe to toe last night with Omerui (achieving another doubl double- 15 & 10) who was the 51st overall rated player in his class, per 247, and is projected as a second rounder if he declares after this year, his Jr year and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t make an NBA roster.

While the other Fr. Probably don’t have Payne’s ceiling, there is talent there and with other pieces.

I hope we win at least the next 2 and carry some mo and give portal players a reason to come here.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
I’m Pollyanish, but Payne went toe to toe last night with Omerui (achieving another doubl double- 15 & 10) who was the 51st overall rated player in his class, per 247, and is projected as a second rounder if he declares after this year, his Jr year and I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t make an NBA roster.

While the other Fr. Probably don’t have Payne’s ceiling, there is talent there and with other pieces.

I hope we win at least the next 2 and carry some mo and give portal players a reason to come here.
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Payne could be special, he has to get his free throw percentage up closer to 60% so that he is not a complete liability in that regard but if he can do that the sky is the limit. Most important thing is he already has the size to compete so he just has to work on strength and technique.

Will be fun to see how he progresses along with the other freshman.
 

Batc0017 said:
Getting a point guard solves some big problems for sure, but we've got a long way to go to compete. The team needs to improve defensively and learn how to box out and rebound. On the offensive side, off the ball movement leaves a lot to be desired and the turnovers have to improve. And if the whole team doesn't shoot a million free throws over the summer, god help us.

That said, I'm still optimistic for where this team could go and choose to live in a land is delusion where there is still hope.
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The minutes the freshmen have gotten, basically thrown into the fire, will pay dividends next season. Beat the Badgers!
 

MNVCGUY said:
Payne could be special, he has to get his free throw percentage up closer to 60% so that he is not a complete liability in that regard but if he can do that the sky is the limit. Most important thing is he already has the size to compete so he just has to work on strength and technique.

Will be fun to see how he progresses along with the other freshman.
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Having watched Payne since last year, it's becoming apparent that the guy has some passing skills as well as unbelievably good hands and feet for a guy his size. He made some left-handed catches on balls thrown into the post last night that were amazing. He has also cleaned up his turnovers a bit and improved his free throw shooting, but still has a ways to go. And I'm not suggesting he would be running the offense next year, but I hope they can surround him with 4 shooters and get him the ball down low, because he's very skilled at skipping passes to outside shooters when he's doubled. And if he's not doubled, he can go to work.

Imagine if Payne before next year puts on another 15-20 lbs (he's got the frame and work ethic to do it) and gains confidence in his jump shot from 15 feet and in-the guy does have some touch, and he's shot 3's before in AAU and HS ball. I think this will happen, and we may be seeing an all big ten performer by his junior year. I'm not saying who needs Evans, but we're going to be OK at center, except for the fact that there right now isn't a legit backup!
 

Formerswish said:
Having watched Payne since last year, it's becoming apparent that the guy has some passing skills as well as unbelievably good hands and feet for a guy his size. He made some left-handed catches on balls thrown into the post last night that were amazing. He has also cleaned up his turnovers a bit and improved his free throw shooting, but still has a ways to go. And I'm not suggesting he would be running the offense next year, but I hope they can surround him with 4 shooters and get him the ball down low, because he's very skilled at skipping passes to outside shooters when he's doubled. And if he's not doubled, he can go to work.

Imagine if Payne before next year puts on another 15-20 lbs (he's got the frame and work ethic to do it) and gains confidence in his jump shot from 15 feet and in-the guy does have some touch, and he's shot 3's before in AAU and HS ball. I think this will happen, and we may be seeing an all big ten performer by his junior year. I'm not saying who needs Evans, but we're going to be OK at center, except for the fact that there right now isn't a legit backup!
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I was surprised to see that he is just 6'9", he plays bigger than that. TV commentators have been really impressed with his footwork. Will be fun to see how he develops.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I was surprised to see that he is just 6'9", he plays bigger than that. TV commentators have been really impressed with his footwork. Will be fun to see how he develops.
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His freshman year numbers per 40 minutes in terms of points and rebounds are not quite as good as Daniel Oturu's and, of course, he has been a poorer free throw shooter to date but, when he puts up his shot, he's a a surer thing than Outuru (.545 2-point percentage in-conference for Outuru as a freshman vs. .659 for Payne). Oturu as a sophomore took a fair amount of 3 pointers but very few as a freshman.
 

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