Gach cleared to play




Very cool! Now, next hurdle: We need a season schedule with the green light to play games!
 




I am real optimistic about this team now! Depth for a change! I think top 5 in Big Ten!
 





Great news! Also, this season will be here in no time.
 






The Gophers are 2-0 on the NCAA Waiver Wheel of Fortune.

What are the odds of that?

Pitino should go out and buy some lottery tickets while he's on a roll.

IF Robbins is up to the challenge of playing in the B1G, and
IF Pitino can integrate all the newcomers into a cohesive roster,
this could be a really fun team to watch.
 

Press release from U of MN:



MINNEAPOLIS
-- Minnesota transfer guard Both Gach (pronounced BOOTH GOTCH) has been granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA, head coach Richard Pitino announced Monday.

The Austin, Minn., native joined the Maroon and Gold this summer after playing two seasons at the University of Utah. Gach will be able to play for the Gophers right away and will have two years of on-court eligibility.

"We are grateful the NCAA made the right decision in granting Both immediate eligibility," Pitino said. "We are also thankful for the hard work our compliance office did in putting together this waiver.

"Both will make an immediate impact on the court and in our locker room. He can play three positions; his versatility will certainly improve our backcourt."

Gach is coming off a standout sophomore season with the Utes, in which he ranked second on the team scoring 10.7 points per game while adding 3.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per outing. He started 25 games, recording double-figure scoring in 12 of those. He shot nearly 40 percent from the field and better than 77 percent from the free throw line.

In his freshman season in Salt Lake City, Gach averaged 7.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 29 games of action, starting 14 of those. His career best performance came against Pac-12 foe Colorado, scoring 28 points, five rebounds and four assists in the overtime win over the Buffaloes. In the season opener against Mississippi Valley State, he became the third Utah player to record a triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists).

Gach spent one season at Arizona Compass Prep school before beginning his collegiate career, averaging 24 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game. Prior to that, he starred at Austin High School, helping lead them to the 2017 3A state championship and a 29-3 mark in 2016.
 


Did anybody besides USAF seriously doubt that Gach's waiver wouldn't get approved? Wasn't ever a concern for me... either way he's a very important piece for this team.
 



Gach definitely brings a dimension to this team that we didn't have last year. I'm getting really excited to see this team in action.
 

Did anybody besides USAF seriously doubt that Gach's waiver wouldn't get approved? Wasn't ever a concern for me... either way he's a very important piece for this team.

I doubted it for the sole reason that we have had horrible luck with these things. So I'll happily eat that crow.
 


Did anybody besides USAF seriously doubt that Gach's waiver wouldn't get approved? Wasn't ever a concern for me... either way he's a very important piece for this team.
I always knew there was a high likely hood but with the NCAA, anything is possible. It’s just nice to see it official.
 

Never a doubt. He transfered to his home state in the middle of a global pandemic. How can you penalize him for that? come on now.

Gophers one of the deepest teams in the conference, but a lot of new guys, so we'll see how the chemistry is on the court. I trust Pitino to get the guys connected by conference play gets going.

Very excited for this season. A lot of potential.
 

Never a doubt. He transfered to his home state in the middle of a global pandemic. How can you penalize him for that? come on now.

Gophers one of the deepest teams in the conference, but a lot of new guys, so we'll see how the chemistry is on the court. I trust Pitino to get the guys connected by conference play gets going.

Very excited for this season. A lot of potential.
Yep I am hoping the chemistry piece works. They also need to do a heck of a lot better shooting the ball and playing defense this year. The depth should really help at the end of the games as we lost a lot of close ones last year because our guys were gassed the last 5 minutes.
 

Yep I am hoping the chemistry piece works. They also need to do a heck of a lot better shooting the ball and playing defense this year. The depth should really help at the end of the games as we lost a lot of close ones last year because our guys were gassed the last 5 minutes.
A ton of defensive versatility on this roster.
 

This is very good (and expected but you never take it for granted) news. Gach gives the team - in theory - a quality secondary ballhandler. If he can shoot it more like he did as a freshman than he did as a soph, then the Gophers have a high-quality complementary piece.

There's some projection necessary, but the perimeter core of Carr, Kalscheur, Gach, Mashburn and Williams could realistically be very solid.

Carr - one of the better lead guards in the league.

Kalscheur - one of the better wing defenders in the league who has shown he can shoot 40 percent from deep.

Gach - potentially a dynamic shot-creator on the wing who can shoot it a little bit and gives the team some length on the wing.

Mashburn - dubbed as a solid defensive guard who can provide some complementary playmaking and bench scoring.

Williams - even a marginal frosh-to-soph jump could mean he's a solid wing defender off the bench and if he can give you 3-5 points per game in 10-15 minutes, that's an excellent 8/9th man
 

You always worry a little bit. The NCAA track record is very very poor. We all know places like Kansas, Arizona, and especially North Carolina operate under different rules than we do. Rakeem Buckles ring a bell???
 
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wow....

"It ain't over till it's over." Thank God it's over.

I think this is Richard's legit breakout year - lots of pieces. length and athleticism

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