EJ Walker Visit

Donate To GopherHole








I don't want to get in a comparison thing but I'm kind of confused why are we prioritizing this guy who is ranked 2 spots ahead of Jalen Wilson and whose games are eerily similar over Wilson who is from here. It's not like this kid is a game changer any more than Wilson and I thought the point of hiring Ben is to bring in kids from here who are at the top of their class
 

GopherPlaya said:
I don't want to get in a comparison thing but I'm kind of confused why are we prioritizing this guy who is ranked 2 spots ahead of Jalen Wilson and whose games are eerily similar over Wilson who is from here. It's not like this kid is a game changer any more than Wilson and I thought the point of hiring Ben is to bring in kids from here who are at the top of their class
Click to expand...
To be clear, I have no knowledge but there are plenty of reasons i.e. player has little or no interest in playing here or player doesn't seem to have the personality to impact team chemistry the way they need or the strengths or weakness of court play don't match as well as the team needs.
 



GopherPlaya said:
I don't want to get in a comparison thing but I'm kind of confused why are we prioritizing this guy who is ranked 2 spots ahead of Jalen Wilson and whose games are eerily similar over Wilson who is from here. It's not like this kid is a game changer any more than Wilson and I thought the point of hiring Ben is to bring in kids from here who are at the top of their class
Click to expand...
I think the top kids staying home consistently won't happen until the Gophers are relevant in the conference again. It's probably more likely Ben can land an out of state kid looking for new scenery, versus an in state kid who knows definitively how irrelevant the program is currently. He's had a reasonably good start getting in-state kids that probably would have gone elsewhere if the previous head coach were here. He needs to win big before we start getting the attention of in-state players with a serious offer sheet.
 

GopherBlood666 said:
I think the top kids staying home consistently won't happen until the Gophers are relevant in the conference again. It's probably more likely Ben can land an out of state kid looking for new scenery, versus an in state kid who knows definitively how irrelevant the program is currently. He's had a reasonably good start getting in-state kids that probably would have gone elsewhere if the previous head coach were here. He needs to win big before we start getting the attention of in-state players with a serious offer sheet.
Click to expand...
I understand this, but why not offer the in-state kid? I am not even talking about the landing part. Still, after hearing the McAndrews interview about not even receiving an offer and other top kids in the 2024 class not receiving an offer, I would at least think we offer 1 or 2 per year so when they commit elsewhere, they can't pull the bs and say we never showed any interest.
 

GopherPlaya said:
I understand this, but why not offer the in-state kid? I am not even talking about the landing part. Still, after hearing the McAndrews interview about not even receiving an offer and other top kids in the 2024 class not receiving an offer, I would at least think we offer 1 or 2 per year so when they commit elsewhere, they can't pull the bs and say we never showed any interest.
Click to expand...
Maybe he's just a bad fit. Maybe he has no interest in staying home. The possibilities are endless.
 

GopherPlaya said:
I understand this, but why not offer the in-state kid? I am not even talking about the landing part. Still, after hearing the McAndrews interview about not even receiving an offer and other top kids in the 2024 class not receiving an offer, I would at least think we offer 1 or 2 per year so when they commit elsewhere, they can't pull the bs and say we never showed any interest.
Click to expand...
Seems to me they prioritized Asuma over Freitag, Robison was never comming to the U, not sure about McAndrews, he would be a miss to me, maybe they just liked Grove more. Asuma and Grove commited pretty quickly though. Just because the recruiting sites rated other guys higher doesn't mean the Gophers staff rated them the same.
 



GopherPlaya said:
I understand this, but why not offer the in-state kid? I am not even talking about the landing part. Still, after hearing the McAndrews interview about not even receiving an offer and other top kids in the 2024 class not receiving an offer, I would at least think we offer 1 or 2 per year so when they commit elsewhere, they can't pull the bs and say we never showed any interest.
Click to expand...

I agree. I know the Johnson kid from Totino Grace who's deciding this week or next week and has 5 Power 5 schools as a finalist never even heard from the Gopher staff. This doesn't make any sense to me.

Go Gophers!!
 

Per Marcus:

For the second time this offseason, Gophers basketball coach Ben Johnson and his staff hosted four-star Kentucky forward E.J. Walker on an unofficial visit.

The 6-8, 220-pound junior at Lloyd Memorial (Ky.) spent last weekend with the Gophers, which included attending the Eastern Michigan football win Saturday.

"I had a good visit," Walker told the Star Tribune. "The football game was a lot of fun. Enjoyed watching practice as well."

After receiving a scholarship offer from the Gophers in October, Walker and his family followed Johnson's program and visited the U for the first time in early June. They were able to spend more time with the staff and players on the second trip to Minnesota recently.

"I got to know [assistant coach Dave] Thorson more and took a tour of the campus," Walker said. "I also hung out with the players this time."

The aspect that most stood out for Walker about the Gophers is Johnson and his staff. That includes assistant Jason Kemp, who flew to Kentucky to see Walker's high school workout this week.

"They're real big on relationships

and family atmosphere," Walker said earlier. "I like what Coach Johnson does with his hybrid [power forward] position."

www.startribune.com

Four-star basketball recruit E.J. Walker talks second Gophers visit

Kentucky junior E.J. Walker visited the Gophers last weekend for the second time. The power forward has offers from Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Tough to offer the in state kids. They are the most likely to have seen the product on the court repeatedly and it's better to not waste the time recruiting them.
 


GopherPlaya said:
I don't want to get in a comparison thing but I'm kind of confused why are we prioritizing this guy who is ranked 2 spots ahead of Jalen Wilson and whose games are eerily similar over Wilson who is from here. It's not like this kid is a game changer any more than Wilson and I thought the point of hiring Ben is to bring in kids from here who are at the top of their class
Click to expand...
I know this can seem frustrating at times when good players from the state seem to be bypassed for others out of state. And while there are many reasons for this, I've seen Wilson play many times, and he's a good all around player. I don't believe at his size and position however, that he has the athleticism and bounce to be an effective Big Ten player. I haven't seem Walker play, but I'm guessing he's more athletic and has a bigger upside than Wilson.

This is all about getting players who fit your system and who have the kind of athleticism and potential to be solid Big Ten players. Not everyone around here fits that mold. I'd like to see really good players here, and I personally don't care if they're from Minnesota or Alaska.
 

GopherPlaya said:
I understand this, but why not offer the in-state kid? I am not even talking about the landing part. Still, after hearing the McAndrews interview about not even receiving an offer and other top kids in the 2024 class not receiving an offer, I would at least think we offer 1 or 2 per year so when they commit elsewhere, they can't pull the bs and say we never showed any interest.
Click to expand...
I can remember when the Gopher coaching staff recruited tall stone masons from Africa.
 

Formerswish said:
I know this can seem frustrating at times when good players from the state seem to be bypassed for others out of state. And while there are many reasons for this, I've seen Wilson play many times, and he's a good all around player. I don't believe at his size and position however, that he has the athleticism and bounce to be an effective Big Ten player. I haven't seem Walker play, but I'm guessing he's more athletic and has a bigger upside than Wilson.

This is all about getting players who fit your system and who have the kind of athleticism and potential to be solid Big Ten players. Not everyone around here fits that mold. I'd like to see really good players here, and I personally don't care if they're from Minnesota or Alaska.
Click to expand...
Im not even saying Wilson is a big ten stud but ive both play and they are fairly similar athletically and neither seem to be Wings. I just don’t understand why we are prioritizing Walker & not even interested in Wilson
 

BleedGopher said:
I agree. I know the Johnson kid from Totino Grace who's deciding this week or next week and has 5 Power 5 schools as a finalist never even heard from the Gopher staff. This doesn't make any sense to me.

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
Why doesn’t it make sense? Gophers don’t see value in him and they’ve seen him play more then any other staff in the country
 

GopherPlaya said:
Im not even saying Wilson is a big ten stud but ive both play and they are fairly similar athletically and neither seem to be Wings. I just don’t understand why we are prioritizing Walker & not even interested in Wilson
Click to expand...
What legit HM offer does Wilson have? Your logic makes no sense… offer Wilson why again?
 


GopherPlaya said:
I understand this, but why not offer the in-state kid? I am not even talking about the landing part. Still, after hearing the McAndrews interview about not even receiving an offer and other top kids in the 2024 class not receiving an offer, I would at least think we offer 1 or 2 per year so when they commit elsewhere, they can't pull the bs and say we never showed any interest.
Click to expand...
McAndrews made it perfectly clear he wasn't coming to the U. I do understand your point, but I also don't understand why we even offer these guys we know aren't coming here. I'd rather Grove think/know we liked him more than McAndrews.
 

GopherBlood666 said:
I think the top kids staying home consistently won't happen until the Gophers are relevant in the conference again. It's probably more likely Ben can land an out of state kid looking for new scenery, versus an in state kid who knows definitively how irrelevant the program is currently. He's had a reasonably good start getting in-state kids that probably would have gone elsewhere if the previous head coach were here. He needs to win big before we start getting the attention of in-state players with a serious offer sheet.
Click to expand...
The theory of Ben Johnson from those that even moderately supported his hiring was that he would clean up on in state recruiting. He'd never coached a game, he'd never been part of a winning program, his supposed deep connections to recruiting Minnesota were his selling point. I hate when people post things like a player "made it clear he wasn't coming to Minnesota" Players commit to coaches. The player made it clear he wasn't going to play for Ben Johnson. To use the most recent example, plenty of kids made it clear they weren't coming to Colorado before Prime Time showed up now all of a sudden they are.

As for the reasonably good start getting in-state players that would have gone elsewhwere if the previous coach was here, I am not sure who you would be referring to? Asuma could have gone to Nebraska but Iowa State (who we had never lost a player to previously) had filled up before he made a decision with 3 guys who are (or were last I checked) rated ahead of him. None of the kids on the current roster from in state had a single Big Ten offer.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
McAndrews made it perfectly clear he wasn't coming to the U. I do understand your point, but I also don't understand why we even offer these guys we know aren't coming here. I'd rather Grove think/know we liked him more than McAndrews.
Click to expand...
McAndrews and Freitag both felt slighted because the Gophers weren't there first. I doubt either would have been here regardless but it further pushes the narrative that is floated around, especially in the Metro. I do agree with the statement in bold
 

GopherPlaya said:
McAndrews and Freitag both felt slighted because the Gophers weren't there first. I doubt either would have been here regardless but it further pushes the narrative that is floated around, especially in the Metro. I do agree with the statement in bold
Click to expand...
I do get your point but I just don't believe there was ever any interest from them. They wanted Gopher offers for the sole purpose of rejecting us. To hell with that, we're not here to get their announcement more local publicity. Prior to offers, if Frietag or McAndrews would have given any inclination they were interested, I have no doubt we would have offered. Frietag and Asuma could play together and McAndrews and Grove could play together.

For me, their criticisms feel a little like the BS by guys like Jalen Suggs who were 100% not going to come here. There is an obsession with telling people you were somehow slighted (even when you're the one doing the slighting).
 


Really you feel slighted cause we aren’t your first offer. Geez you have multiple D1 offeres and you feel slighted because we weren’t first. What a crock, be happy your talented enough to get more then one. Oh the humanity, what happened to this society that it’s all about me.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I do get your point but I just don't believe there was ever any interest from them. They wanted Gopher offers for the sole purpose of rejecting us. To hell with that, we're not here to get their announcement more local publicity. Prior to offers, if Frietag or McAndrews would have given any inclination they were interested, I have no doubt we would have offered. Frietag and Asuma could play together and McAndrews and Grove could play together.

For me, their criticisms feel a little like the BS by guys like Jalen Suggs who were 100% not going to come here. There is an obsession with telling people you were somehow slighted (even when you're the one doing the slighting).
Click to expand...
Right now they only have two scholarships for 2024, I know you can assume a couple more are going to open up and over commit or wait until t happens and fill from the portal which is what I believe the Gopher staff is doing. If they aren't going to over commit with high school kids grab the ones you want and who cares about the rest.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom