Ben Needs To get a Top 25 Recruit Difference Maker

How many top 25 recruits are even in the B1G? Develop the talent you have. It's what guys like Bo Ryan did at Wisconsin. Purdue did and does the same.

Great question! According to 247 for the 2023 recruiting year (current freshmen), only two: Indiana's Mgbako (#8), who had his career high to that point against us, and Michigan State's Xavier Booker (#14).

6 went to the Pac 12, 5 went to the SEC (mostly to KY), 6 went to the ACC (mostly to Duke), 3 went to the Big 12 (to three different schools), 1 went to the Big East (CT), and 2 went directly pro.
 

SON made me look - McAndrew is currently #36. He was not interested.
 

I did a quick check and it looks like Wisconsin has not had a top 100 recruit since 2020.

I did a quick look on Sports Reference for Wisconsin. They use RSCI Top 100 which is a consensus index (combines multiple indexes).

This year's team has AJ Storr (#89 for 2022) and Nolan Winter (#90 for 2023).

The 2023 and 2022 teams didn't have a Top 100 RSCI player.

The 2021 team had Reuvers (#89 in 2017).
 


https://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings

Lot of Big 10 in next year top 100 except the Gophers.

Rutgers - 3
Mich St - 3
Purdue - 2
Iowa - 1
Michigan - 1
Indiana - 1
Illinois - 1
Ohio St - 1

Still some unsigned so could be more. Just saying if he could land a top recruit difference maker even if one and done next year to complete this team would be a huge win for him.
AND OTHER TEAMS THAT DIDN’T SIGN ANY -

Michigan
Wisconsin
NW
Nebraska
PSU

There are 14 teams in the B10 this season; 8 signed one and 6 didn’t.

You need to troll 🧌 harder, getting basic facts correct is a requirement 🤦‍♂️
 



They won because they were moving the ball, getting good shots, the last couple of games that hasn't happened at the same pace. I still believe basketball is a team sport and with good players, they don't have to be great you can win.
 

for the purposes of this discussion - 247 Sports has Asuma ranked #121 nationally.

I agree that he has talent, and can be a good player. but that just points out the difference between a top-25 player and the level of player that MN has actually been able to attract.

for the people saying MN needs more talent - I agree. but how does a program like MN bring in that talent? you either have to buy it, or have some other sales pitch. MN can't promise winning a conf title - or going to the Final 4, or playing in all the big-time TV games. So what does MN offer to bring in all of this great talent?
Mn offers nothing. Fold the program.
 

They won because they were moving the ball, getting good shots, the last couple of games that hasn't happened at the same pace. I still believe basketball is a team sport and with good players, they don't have to be great you can win.
You can’t defend good passing. You can defend hero dribbling.
 



He has a good point. I was thinking along the same lines...but it can be a transfer...I don't care who it is. But yes, we're about 1 player away from possibly being really good next year. If everyone returns.

A Vincent Greer type would be nice. Or even another Garcia or Hawkins.
I agree in principal. However, like you my caveat is that player is possibly already here. I know you’ve seen it and so have I - whereby someone no pne expects shows up and just is a star after a summer of working.

The point remains; we are a star player away from being a really good team.
 

They won because they were moving the ball, getting good shots, the last couple of games that hasn't happened at the same pace. I still believe basketball is a team sport and with good players, they don't have to be great you can win.
Excellent points and all true. Our bad spots on O this year seems to be when we are taking shots two passes top early… usually those are bad threes.
 

I agree in principal. However, like you my caveat is that player is possibly already here. I know you’ve seen it and so have I - whereby someone no pne expects shows up and just is a star after a summer of working.

The point remains; we are a star player away from being a really good team.
Battle?
 

Betts has had a redshirt season and is still getting zero minutes in anything other than blowout wins. At best he appears to be a giant project that may end up average at best but for now we need someone that can play not 4 year projects. Fox is proving to be undersized. Ihnen is about as useless as it gets despite Ben saying he was the best player on the team. I see absolutely nothing in Ihnen.
We do need projects like Betts and Kienys as we don’t have the draw like top programs do. Need them to stick with the program and develop into BIG players in a year or two.
Christie is up and down as a FR and as he grows into his body more, he’s going to be a scoring machine from all over the floor.
Don’t understand why so many are down on Fix and Ihnen, since neither have played in two years due to injuries. They aren’t superstars. They don’t play a ton of minutes, but they do provide some minutes each game - some games they are better than others - giving our top players some quality rest so we’re not having to play guys 35+ minutes a night. That is going to help as the season goes on and I believe both will play some quality minutes helping us get some victories.
 




We do need projects like Betts and Kienys as we don’t have the draw like top programs do. Need them to stick with the program and develop into BIG players in a year or two.
Christie is up and down as a FR and as he grows into his body more, he’s going to be a scoring machine from all over the floor.
Don’t understand why so many are down on Fix and Ihnen, since neither have played in two years due to injuries. They aren’t superstars. They don’t play a ton of minutes, but they do provide some minutes each game - some games they are better than others - giving our top players some quality rest so we’re not having to play guys 35+ minutes a night. That is going to help as the season goes on and I believe both will play some quality minutes helping us get some victories.
It's an interesting roster and Ihnen and Fox provide size and continue to work their way back. I feel like Christie is similar to Eli Rice at Nebraska. True FR who looks like he'll be really good in another year. If Gophers can keep Hawkins next year to run things, they should be better in the same way Huskers showed positive movement late last year, and now are looking good, exception a couple of ridiculous losses. Ola Joseph, Payne. . .Gophers aren't that far off.
 

We do need projects like Betts and Kienys as we don’t have the draw like top programs do. Need them to stick with the program and develop into BIG players in a year or two.
Christie is up and down as a FR and as he grows into his body more, he’s going to be a scoring machine from all over the floor.
Don’t understand why so many are down on Fix and Ihnen, since neither have played in two years due to injuries. They aren’t superstars. They don’t play a ton of minutes, but they do provide some minutes each game - some games they are better than others - giving our top players some quality rest so we’re not having to play guys 35+ minutes a night. That is going to help as the season goes on and I believe both will play some quality minutes helping us get some victories.
Ihnen goes 1 for 1 from the three and the other Gophers go 2 for 19 against Indiana. He gets pulled and doesn't see the floor much again. See if he has the hot hand, run some plays for him. If it's a one off take him out but see if he can get a run first. Sure won't be any worse than what was happening.
 

Ben has got more depth then ever and now would be the time to get a top 25 recruit difference maker. I know the transfer portal is key too, but Rutgers has 2 top 5s coming next year so far and 3rd inside the top 100. Can't all just be transfer portal every year. Ben has to use his team all potentially coming back next year and bring in some top recruits. I know landed 2 from MN so far, but I think still needs more. Like to find a Center to allow Payne to play the 4. Ben needs to sell the national difference maker that turns this program around will make a lot of NIL nationally. Just look at Caitlin Clark with Iowa women's ball.
What Ben really needs is to be relieved of his duties. Then go find a national coach who might hire him as an assistant of some kind. From there Ben needs to become a sponge, soak up as much as possible on how to truly be a winning, talent developing HC at the division 2 level of mens college BB. Then maybe after that he can start at a low mid major D1 campus. Then maybe if he shows promise and success there maybe he can take the reigns again of a power 5 school.

Right now however he is in way over his head and gets schooled on most nights.
 



I agree in principal. However, like you my caveat is that player is possibly already here. I know you’ve seen it and so have I - whereby someone no pne expects shows up and just is a star after a summer of working.

The point remains; we are a star player away from being a really good team.
No we are not. However, if you choose to look at it that way I will add this, a star player along with a star coach.
Switch the coaches at the Gopher and the Badger. No way the Badger sits on top of the conference with the Boilermaker. Coaching matters, the current Gopher coach proves it game in and game out he can't make the adjustments to help his team win.
 

Ihnen goes 1 for 1 from the three and the other Gophers go 2 for 19 against Indiana. He gets pulled and doesn't see the floor much again. See if he has the hot hand, run some plays for him. If it's a one off take him out but see if he can get a run first. Sure won't be any worse than what was happening.
Ihnen is a complete waste of space. He does nothing.
 


With a name like that you would think MN based Dairy Queen would be able to pony up some nice NIL $ and get creative with commercials in order to have him come here.

is that really going to cause an increase in sales?

If this is such a good idea, then why hasn’t it been done before by other large MN companies with other athletes?

Most of the people, in my experience, who work in C-Level at those types of companies, gave graduate degrees in business.

FYI - DQ’s parent company is Berkshire Hathaway
 


I think OP needs to email Ben. Let him know getting better players is good. I’m sure he takes a look at the top guys but doesn’t know he can sign them. You could be the change this program needs.
 

How many top 25 recruits are even in the B1G? Develop the talent you have. It's what guys like Bo Ryan did at Wisconsin. Purdue did and does the same.
Per 247…

In 2022:
0. Indiana had the 26th ranked guy.

In 2023:
2. Mbagko #10 to IU, Xavier Booker #11 to MSU.

In 2024:
4 (maybe 5?). #2 Harper and #3 Bailey to Rutgers, #12 Queen to Maryland (maybe), #15 McNeely to IU and #22 Catchings to Purdue
 

FYI - DQ’s parent company is Berkshire Hathaway
I own about 10 shares, let me see what I can do 😎. Just in case that doesn't work, does Warren Buffet have a great great grandson we can offer a scholarship to?
 

Ihnen is a complete waste of space. He does nothing.
He hit 1 for 1 on three's against Indiana, that is not nothing. He's got flaws but everyone on the team has flaws. He can be a spark plug at times.
 

He hit 1 for 1 on three's against Indiana, that is not nothing. He's got flaws but everyone on the team has flaws. He can be a spark plug at times.

Ihnen is not in the rotation of any good team in the country. And by rotation i mean he is only getting DNPS
 

He hit 1 for 1 on three's against Indiana, that is not nothing. He's got flaws but everyone on the team has flaws. He can be a spark plug at times.
He catches the ball on the wing, arm fakes once, passes back out to the point. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Adds nothing.
 




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