Gophers Basketball ROCKED by Injuries in Coach Johnson's Second Season

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Was it Ihnen or Buggs that had the amazing stretch against Iowa a few years back? Feels like Ihnen has been around forever.

Ihnen has always looked like a great athlete to me but never a great basketball player. He's a rotation player but not a huge difference maker. (Backup quarterback syndrome in the eyes of many)
 

golfing18now said:
Was it Ihnen or Buggs that had the amazing stretch against Iowa a few years back? Feels like Ihnen has been around forever.

Ihnen has always looked like a great athlete to me but never a great basketball player. He's a rotation player but not a huge difference maker. (Backup quarterback syndrome in the eyes of many)
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That was Buggs. I did not recall that he started 21 games on the awful 2015-2016 team and average 6 PPG.

www.sports-reference.com

Iowa vs. Minnesota Box Score (Men), February 25, 2014 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

Iowa vs. Minnesota Box Score (Men), February 25, 2014
www.sports-reference.com www.sports-reference.com
 
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Bob_Loblaw said:
We were awful before Garcia went down and now we're one of the worst teams in the Big 10 over the last 30 years. We aren't really weathering it, we're shrinking in it.

That said, I'd love for someone to share that timeline with us fans.

If I put the O/U on Big 10 wins next year at 5, would you take the over or under?
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Honestly, I don't care where we land in terms of worst. That stat is only important to those who get butt hurt by their pride.
Coach Johnson is rightly trying to guide players, with little experience, through the gauntlet of B1G basketball. His calmness in this firestorm is admirable and I do believe he is showing his players what it means to have resilience.

At this period in time the mantra for this team needs to be the Finnish word, SISU, which means to show grit and determination against all odds.
These kids need SISU. If they grab hold of it, they will make it through. If they listen to the chicken littles on the GH, they will be blown away by the winds of adversity.
I am reminded of the words of Bo Schembechler, "Those who stay will be champions."
 



MennoSota said:
Honestly, I don't care where we land in terms of worst. That stat is only important to those who get butt hurt by their pride.
Coach Johnson is rightly trying to guide players, with little experience, through the gauntlet of B1G basketball. His calmness in this firestorm is admirable and I do believe he is showing his players what it means to have resilience.

At this period in time the mantra for this team needs to be the Finnish word, SISU, which means to show grit and determination against all odds.
These kids need SISU. If they grab hold of it, they will make it through. If they listen to the chicken littles on the GH, they will be blown away by the winds of adversity.
I am reminded of the words of Bo Schembechler, "Those who stay will be champions."
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To the bold, when watching the last few games, the body language on the floor did not lead me to believe I was watching a team give all the grit and determination that it had but was simply overmatched in terms of talent. They were overmatched in terms of talent, but there were lengthy stretches of play where the body language looked lethargic.
 

MennoSota said:
Honestly, I don't care where we land in terms of worst. That stat is only important to those who get butt hurt by their pride.
Coach Johnson is rightly trying to guide players, with little experience, through the gauntlet of B1G basketball. His calmness in this firestorm is admirable and I do believe he is showing his players what it means to have resilience.

At this period in time the mantra for this team needs to be the Finnish word, SISU, which means to show grit and determination against all odds.
These kids need SISU. If they grab hold of it, they will make it through. If they listen to the chicken littles on the GH, they will be blown away by the winds of adversity.
I am reminded of the words of Bo Schembechler, "Those who stay will be champions."
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Since you brought up Sisu…

Sisu is not always an entirely positive quality. In Finnish, pahansisuinen literally translated means one possessing bad sisu, a description of a hostile and malignant person. Furthermore, the answers from the sisu survey indicate that there can be too much sisu, and according to the survey answers this leads to bull-headedness, foolhardiness, self-centeredness and inflexible thinking. The study suggests that sisu should be informed by reason and cultivated (and practiced) with self-compassion.
 

golfing18now said:
Was it Ihnen or Buggs that had the amazing stretch against Iowa a few years back?
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Could also mean Brandon Johnson, who hit 8 three-pointers in 9 attempts against #4 Iowa, helping the Gophers to an OT upset.

For what it's worth, Johnson was 6-for-46 from three-point range the rest of the year.
 



tjgopher said:
Could also mean Brandon Johnson, who hit 8 three-pointers in 9 attempts against #4 Iowa, helping the Gophers to an OT upset.

For what it's worth, Johnson was 6-for-46 from three-point range the rest of the year.
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Or TT last year, even in a loss.
 



tjgopher said:
Could also mean Brandon Johnson, who hit 8 three-pointers in 9 attempts against #4 Iowa, helping the Gophers to an OT upset.

For what it's worth, Johnson was 6-for-46 from three-point range the rest of the year.
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Wasn’t that on Christmas Eve or something? I think I remember forcing family to watch that game and it just ended up with me watching alone while they did Christmas stuff.
 



UpAndUnder43 said:
Wasn’t that on Christmas Eve or something? I think I remember forcing family to watch that game and it just ended up with me watching alone while they did Christmas stuff.
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Just found the box score.

It was actually on Christmas Day. Crazy game.

Johnson had 26 points but wasn't the leading Gopher scorer. Marcus Carr had 30.

And, Carr wasn't the game's top scorer. Luka Garza had 32.

102-95 Gopher win in OT.
 

MennoSota said:
Honestly, I don't care where we land in terms of worst. That stat is only important to those who get butt hurt by their pride.
Coach Johnson is rightly trying to guide players, with little experience, through the gauntlet of B1G basketball. His calmness in this firestorm is admirable and I do believe he is showing his players what it means to have resilience.

At this period in time the mantra for this team needs to be the Finnish word, SISU, which means to show grit and determination against all odds.
These kids need SISU. If they grab hold of it, they will make it through. If they listen to the chicken littles on the GH, they will be blown away by the winds of adversity.
I am reminded of the words of Bo Schembechler, "Those who stay will be champions."
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How do 30 point and 15 point losses align to SISU?
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
To the bold, when watching the last few games, the body language on the floor did not lead me to believe I was watching a team give all the grit and determination that it had but was simply overmatched in terms of talent. They were overmatched in terms of talent, but there were lengthy stretches of play where the body language looked lethargic.
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I agree. The kids have to dig down deeper. It's in them, but very often they never needed it as they were always on the winning team or the best on their team. Now, they are getting whooped and they need to find an inner strength they haven't ever needed. This is good for them in basketball and in life. Now they have to work for everything in order to overcome. We will see if they can dig into their soul and grab that SISU.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
He just looks slow because he is being guarded by wings and we run at atrocious offense. He isn't a guy who will excel at getting his own shot and this year kind of proves that. Unfortunately, we have 35 PFs and no wings, so expect to continue to see Battle playing out of position and expect to continue to see him struggle.
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36 - you forgot the walk-on coming next year. 😎
 

Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
How do 30 point and 15 point losses align to SISU?
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How did fighting the Russian Army with Molotov cocktails and wooden logs align to SISU in the Winter War? The Finns found a way, against all odds. Getting beat, does not mean you lose the war. The Finns can show these kids what it means to battle against all odds.

You are such a spineless young man.
 

MennoSota said:
How did fighting the Russian Army with Molotov cocktails and wooden logs align to SISU in the Winter War? The Finns found a way, against all odds. Getting beat, does not mean you lose the war. The Finns can show these kids what it means to battle against all odds.

You are such a spineless young man.
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Not sure how Russian war history with Finland has to do with our mounting embarrassments on the court. Are you saying that all these teams in the big ten are the red army and CBJ has a line in the sand?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War

Also, see this, Russia still got what they wanted, they clearly didn’t care about casualties, they showed this all throughout WW2:
AF265BF3-8ED2-4C8E-9957-0B9E17875A61.jpeg
 


I'm heart broken for Richard Pitino. If he just would of had Bfan as his publicist reminding us all how each season his teams were ROCKED by misfortune, he'd still be the coach. :)
 

tjgopher said:
Just found the box score.

It was actually on Christmas Day. Crazy game.

Johnson had 26 points but wasn't the leading Gopher scorer. Marcus Carr had 30.

And, Carr wasn't the game's top scorer. Luka Garza had 32.

102-95 Gopher win in OT.
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My family hates me. Christmas night. And I’m doing that. Oh well. Was fun!
 

Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
Not sure how Russian war history with Finland has to do with our mounting embarrassments on the court. Are you saying that all these teams in the big ten are the red army and CBJ has a line in the sand?
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Yes, and I can't say that the WWII Finnish are the most appropriate role models for us. After their defeat in the winter war, they entered an alliance with Hitler and helped the Nazis to achieve the deadly siege of Leningrad. Then, they received more devastation on the homefront again in 44-45 by both retreating Germans and advancing Red Army troops.
 

Bfan said:
Last night against Maryland, Minnesota's best player Dawson Garcia missed another game with an injury. Garcia is one of several injuries that have rocked the Minnesota Gophers basketball program. Garcia injured his ankle during a well-played game against Michigan where the Gophers played competitive.

Garcia since has missed games against Indiana, Northwestern, Rutgers, and Maryland.

The rash of injuries that rocked the program started before the season even began. Isaiah Ihnen was pegged to be a key player in a strong Gophers defense in 2022-23. Devastatingly, Ihnen was lost for the entire season.

https://www.si.com/fannation/bringm...r-gophers-will-be-all-about-ferocious-defense


If that weren't enough, the Gophers lost Parker Fox to an injury also before season game action even began.

www.espn.com

Gophers' Fox out for season with knee injury

Minnesota junior forward Parker Fox, a potential starter in the frontcourt for the Gophers, will miss his second straight season with a knee injury.
www.espn.com www.espn.com


The Gophers are in rebuild mode. Coach Ben Johnson has been playing his four freshmen extensively -- valuable training minutes -- along his rebuild timeline.

In last night's game against Maryland, freshman Pherrel Payne logged 31 minutes. freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph logged 34 minutes, and freshman Jaden Henley logged 29 minutes.

That strategy partly skid to the ditch when freshman Braeden Carrington -- the top scorer in the backcourt off the bench -- was injured and sidelined for a month.

As the Star Tribune reported: " Carrington, who averaged 6.2 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22 minutes this season, was Minnesota's Mr. Basketball last year after winning a state title at Park Center. Carrington's mother, Holly, said on social media that her son suffered a level 3 stress reaction in his fibula. "Keeping positive thoughts for a good recovery, so he can finish out the season," she tweeted Thursday afternoon. Earlier this season, Carrington scored 20 points on 4-for-7 shooting from three-point range in a Dec. 14 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He also had 10 rebounds in a Dec. 11 loss to Mississippi State, and 15 points and eight rebounds in a Nov. 23 loss vs. UNLV in the SoCal Challenge in California."

Carrington is still out and has missed five games since his injury against Purdue.

Last night against Maryland Payne played through a foot injury. Payne recently missed a game due to a concussion. Jamison Battle has also battled injuries this season.

In addition to the heavy minutes for freshmen this season, rebuilding to next season, the Gophers have two exciting prospects coming in for next season -- Cameron Christie and Dennis Evans. Evans is projected to be a high NBA draft pick.

For now the team is weathering the cyclone injury tornado that has ravaged the team in Johnson's second season.
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We've had injuries but outside of Carrington, none of them have anything to do with the lack of guards on the roster, that mismanagement is a bigger issue than the injuries
howeda7 said:
Nebraska would have felt Ihnen's wrath....
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Hard to say, think a healthy Parker Fox would have done laot for the defense and allow the battle, Garcia tandem to work on offense. Sadly I don't think he will ever be the athlete he was after two injuries and he won't have Curry's experience at this level to be a savvy vet
 


Bfan said:
I call it as I see it. This team is rocked by injuries.

Call me a Carrington, Henley and Christie fan -- the big need at SG/wing that must pan out.

This team is rocked by injuries.
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Bfan said:
And what is your opinion on that?

Let's hear some support for our young guys and patience too.

And the team is rocked with injuries too.
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ROCKED!!!!

Not rocked, ROCKED!!!
 

MNVCGUY said:
This has been a lost season (outside of getting some valuable experience for the freshman). Year 3 will be a make or break year for Johnson, if there are not some clear signs of improvement in year 3 I have to think the administration considers a change. If we are dead last by a wide margin again they won't really have a choice.
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I agree with 3 seasons being the justifiable limit under the conditions you describe but I'm not absolutely certain that "they won't have a choice." Nebraska didn't fire Hoiberg after 7-25, 7-20, and 10-22 seasons and right now I'd say this school is comparable to Nebraska in its concern for basketball. If we have the conditions that you describe in Year 3 and the coach isn't fired, then I think that will signal a clear institutional indifference to the success of the sport.
 
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Bob_Loblaw said:
We were awful before Garcia went down and now we're one of the worst teams in the Big 10 over the last 30 years. We aren't really weathering it, we're shrinking in it.

That said, I'd love for someone to share that timeline with us fans.

If I put the O/U on Big 10 wins next year at 5, would you take the over or under?
Click to expand...
Under
 

Wet_Blanket_Guy said:
Not sure how Russian war history with Finland has to do with our mounting embarrassments on the court. Are you saying that all these teams in the big ten are the red army and CBJ has a line in the sand?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War

Also, see this, Russia still got what they wanted, they clearly didn’t care about casualties, they showed this all throughout WW2:
View attachment 23775
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You truly have no SISU and certainly do not understand it's meaning.
Go back to Summit and Cleveland.
 

UpAndUnder43 said:
Since you brought up Sisu…

Sisu is not always an entirely positive quality. In Finnish, pahansisuinen literally translated means one possessing bad sisu, a description of a hostile and malignant person. Furthermore, the answers from the sisu survey indicate that there can be too much sisu, and according to the survey answers this leads to bull-headedness, foolhardiness, self-centeredness and inflexible thinking. The study suggests that sisu should be informed by reason and cultivated (and practiced) with self-compassion.
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The Fins also wouldn't have had nearly as much SISU if they were only winning 1 out of every 10 battles. The Russians had six times as many casualties as the Fins. Ours has been the exact opposite.

Prospective Gopher SISU this year would not be informed and it surely would not be self compassionate.
 

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