Marcus: Hitting on a big-time transfer would put Gophers right in the middle of the pack of BT

[BleedGopher]

per Marcus' Q&A:

Q: What are realistic best and worst case scenarios for hoops next year without Daniel Oturu? – Alan State (@astage)

A: It’s hard to predict at all the ceiling for the Gophers men’s basketball team without Oturu. Richard Pitino will definitely fill his center spot with someone not on the current roster and not committed. They certainly have players capable of helping in the frontcourt next season, especially if junior Eric Curry returns fully healthy in the fall. Sophomore Jarvis Omersa and freshman Sam Freeman have Big Ten bodies but how much will their games develop this summer? If one of them makes a big jump that would be an X-factor. The development of freshman Isaiah Ihnen into an impact stretch power forward is one of the more interesting offseason storylines. But adding experience and talent in the transfer market to replace Oturu and senior Alihan Demir in the starting frontcourt will make or break the postseason hopes next year. Hitting on a big-time transfer would put the Gophers right in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten. They are after several graduate transfers, including 7-foot-3 Loyola Marymount center Mattias Markusson and the nation's leading rebounder Kevin Marfo from Quinnipiac. Filling Oturu's spot with a high-production post player puts them back into the NCAA tournament. Worst case without Oturu and adequate big man replacements would be finishing 12th or worst in the Big Ten with no postseason berth. Would Pitino survive that? Oturu declared for the NBA draft officially Monday. So, Gophers fans can only dream what returning four starters (also Marcus Carr, Gabe Kalscheur and Payton Willis in the backcourt) would’ve been like. They'd probably flirt with making the top 25 rankings.

Gophers Hoops Mailbag: What will life be like without Daniel Oturu?

Gophers basketball fans have questions and we have answers, including on how Richard Pitino's team will look with star center Daniel Oturu leaving for the NBA Draft.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[UpAndUnder43]

Is the big-time transfer going to be better than Daniel? Not likely. So unless the incoming freshman help a ton, and the current roster improves a lot, the Gophers will not be better next year and they will not be in the NCAA tournament.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Is the big-time transfer going to be better than Daniel? Not likely. So unless the incoming freshman help a ton, and the current roster improves a lot, the Gophers will not be better next year and they will not be in the NCAA tournament.

I do expect the current roster to improve a lot...or at least I hope they do. Gabe's season-long slump was the difference in at least a few close games, and Carr was just a sophomore.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

per Marcus' Q&A:

Q: What are realistic best and worst case scenarios for hoops next year without Daniel Oturu? – Alan State (@astage)

A: It’s hard to predict at all the ceiling for the Gophers men’s basketball team without Oturu. Richard Pitino will definitely fill his center spot with someone not on the current roster and not committed. They certainly have players capable of helping in the frontcourt next season, especially if junior Eric Curry returns fully healthy in the fall. Sophomore Jarvis Omersa and freshman Sam Freeman have Big Ten bodies but how much will their games develop this summer? If one of them makes a big jump that would be an X-factor. The development of freshman Isaiah Ihnen into an impact stretch power forward is one of the more interesting offseason storylines. But adding experience and talent in the transfer market to replace Oturu and senior Alihan Demir in the starting frontcourt will make or break the postseason hopes next year. Hitting on a big-time transfer would put the Gophers right in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten. They are after several graduate transfers, including 7-foot-3 Loyola Marymount center Mattias Markusson and the nation's leading rebounder Kevin Marfo from Quinnipiac. Filling Oturu's spot with a high-production post player puts them back into the NCAA tournament. Worst case without Oturu and adequate big man replacements would be finishing 12th or worst in the Big Ten with no postseason berth. Would Pitino survive that? Oturu declared for the NBA draft officially Monday. So, Gophers fans can only dream what returning four starters (also Marcus Carr, Gabe Kalscheur and Payton Willis in the backcourt) would’ve been like. They'd probably flirt with making the top 25 rankings.

Gophers Hoops Mailbag: What will life be like without Daniel Oturu?

Gophers basketball fans have questions and we have answers, including on how Richard Pitino's team will look with star center Daniel Oturu leaving for the NBA Draft.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

Another hint? The guys he talked about would help, but are not "big time."

 

[golfing18now]

Is the big-time transfer going to be better than Daniel? Not likely. So unless the incoming freshman help a ton, and the current roster improves a lot, the Gophers will not be better next year and they will not be in the NCAA tournament.

I would likely take that bet.

 

[UpAndUnder43]

I would likely take that bet.

Done

 

[benlaur]

There should have been more development of the bench this year. That is how you gain continuity. Tough to count on the next man up when the next man up has not seen the floor. We played for this year, without strong consideration for next year and failed on both this year and preparing for next year. If you are unwilling to play your bench on a team that has a losing record, you do not trust your own recruiting.

 

[SelectionSunday]

G Carr

G Kalscheur

W Willis/Williams/(preferably) new guy better than both of ‘em

F Ihnen

F Hurt

Could we (Gophers) survive rebounding department playing 2 stretch 4s together?

Man, not counting on it but if we could get an 80% Curry that would make me feel much better about the frontcourt.

 

[gopherall]

There should have been more development of the bench this year. That is how you gain continuity. Tough to count on the next man up when the next man up has not seen the floor. We played for this year, without strong consideration for next year and failed on both this year and preparing for next year. If you are unwilling to play your bench on a team that has a losing record, you do not trust your own recruiting.

only two returning bench players that were healthy didn't get good experience at some point. Greenlee who probably will not see the court much again this year and Freeman. the other bench guys were Ihnen who played a ton to end the year, WIlliams who played throughout the year, Hurt who graduated, and Curry who's injured.

 

[benlaur]

only two returning bench players that were healthy didn't get good experience at some point. Greenlee who probably will not see the court much again this year and Freeman. the other bench guys were Ihnen who played a ton to end the year, WIlliams who played throughout the year, Hurt who graduated, and Curry who's injured.

Freeman played 8 games, Ihnen and Omersa averaged 11 minutes. As of right now, these three along with return of Curry and new freshman Mitchell are our front court. I think we would be better off next year if they received more playing time this year. Do you disagree?

I am not saying Pitino did not have some hard choices, but they were his choices along with who he recruited. How do you inflect if you keep doing the same thing? Pitino needs to figure out how to get an inflection point. That is what makes it fun (how do I changes things to make it better?). At some point you can run what you have been running and do what you have been doing, but by all appearances this is not the time.

 

[Gopherfan84]

I do expect the current roster to improve a lot...or at least I hope they do. Gabe's season-long slump was the difference in at least a few close games, and Carr was just a sophomore.

Tre and Ihnen should improve as well. Everybody loses people good and bad. Need to look at what we have as a whole. We will we be more perimeter oriented offensively and I'd expect more passing and cutting and less ball screen actions. Defensively we should be better with incoming pieces espically if we add a grad transfer who can protect the rim.

 

[Cayman]

There should have been more development of the bench this year. That is how you gain continuity. Tough to count on the next man up when the next man up has not seen the floor. We played for this year, without strong consideration for next year and failed on both this year and preparing for next year. If you are unwilling to play your bench on a team that has a losing record, you do not trust your own recruiting.

We were 12-10 two thirds of the way through the season after beating Wisconsin, with a decent shot at making the tournament. We then lost several games by slim margins. I think it was the right call to do our best to try to win those games and get to the tournament instead of rolling out the bench players to prepare for next season.

 

[skiumah1]

per Marcus' Q&A:

Q: What are realistic best and worst case scenarios for hoops next year without Daniel Oturu? – Alan State (@astage)

A: It’s hard to predict at all the ceiling for the Gophers men’s basketball team without Oturu. Richard Pitino will definitely fill his center spot with someone not on the current roster and not committed. They certainly have players capable of helping in the frontcourt next season, especially if junior Eric Curry returns fully healthy in the fall. Sophomore Jarvis Omersa and freshman Sam Freeman have Big Ten bodies but how much will their games develop this summer? If one of them makes a big jump that would be an X-factor. The development of freshman Isaiah Ihnen into an impact stretch power forward is one of the more interesting offseason storylines. But adding experience and talent in the transfer market to replace Oturu and senior Alihan Demir in the starting frontcourt will make or break the postseason hopes next year. Hitting on a big-time transfer would put the Gophers right in the middle of the pack of the Big Ten. They are after several graduate transfers, including 7-foot-3 Loyola Marymount center Mattias Markusson and the nation's leading rebounder Kevin Marfo from Quinnipiac. Filling Oturu's spot with a high-production post player puts them back into the NCAA tournament. Worst case without Oturu and adequate big man replacements would be finishing 12th or worst in the Big Ten with no postseason berth. Would Pitino survive that? Oturu declared for the NBA draft officially Monday. So, Gophers fans can only dream what returning four starters (also Marcus Carr, Gabe Kalscheur and Payton Willis in the backcourt) would’ve been like. They'd probably flirt with making the top 25 rankings.

Gophers Hoops Mailbag: What will life be like without Daniel Oturu?

Gophers basketball fans have questions and we have answers, including on how Richard Pitino's team will look with star center Daniel Oturu leaving for the NBA Draft.

www.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

Carr needs to be big-time next year. 1st team big time. Gabe gets back to shooting the 3 around 40%. Ihnen makes a big off-season jump. Grab a transfer (Marfo/Markusson ideally). Willis shoot the 3 ball around 35-40%. Good minutes from Tre. Mashburn giving you scoring off the bench. Then some combination of minutes from Omersa, Freeman, Curry. Hopefully fill other scholarship with transfer or Walton.

I don't think any of this is too far-fetched. Ihnen is the big jump we need, but I think Carr really needs to get to that top level. Get him 30-35 min. instead of 40 which should be doable with Mashburn/Willis, maybe even Greenlee for 5-10 per game. I'm thinking Carr benefits huge from that consistent minute drop. He was great to start last year, even in the first half of the Big 10. Looked like he wore down.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

If the Gophers get a big-time transfer Post, they can be good.

that may be true, but you could say the same thing about any team in any sport.

if the Vikings get a great player with their 1st-round draft pick, they can be a Super Bowl contender.

if the Gopher FB team lands a 5* recruit, they can win the B1G title.

If the Timberwolves............no, forget that one.

 

[benlaur]

We were 12-10 two thirds of the way through the season after beating Wisconsin, with a decent shot at making the tournament. We then lost several games by slim margins. I think it was the right call to do our best to try to win those games and get to the tournament instead of rolling out the bench players to prepare for next season.

Cayman, these do not have to be mutually exclusive concepts. I do not see this as an either/or. It *appears* the coach did and got neither/nor.

I am not pointing fingers. There is a difference between saying someone sucks and pointing at facts and the truth. I have never been overly critical of Pitino, but I think it is foolish to shy away from facts and the truth.

For him to be better he needs to inflect -- that piece is my opinion. I don't think doing the same is going to get it done. I hope he has it in him to dig a little deeper and to question everything.

 

[WriterGoph]

G Carr

G Kalscheur

W Willis/Williams/(preferably) new guy better than both of ‘em

F Ihnen

F Hurt

Could we (Gophers) survive rebounding department playing 2 stretch 4s together?

Man, not counting on it but if we could get an 80% Curry that would make me feel much better about the frontcourt.

Hurt?

 

[howeda7]

Is the big-time transfer going to be better than Daniel? Not likely. So unless the incoming freshman help a ton, and the current roster improves a lot, the Gophers will not be better next year and they will not be in the NCAA tournament.

There should be improvement on the current roster. But if center spot goes from a 10 to a 4 it won't matter. The goal should be to have it fall from a 10 to a 7 or 8. Then we could be somewhat better and hopefully less choke prone.

 

[jblass]

Tre and Ihnen should improve as well. Everybody loses people good and bad. Need to look at what we have as a whole. We will we be more perimeter oriented offensively and I'd expect more passing and cutting and less ball screen actions. Defensively we should be better with incoming pieces espically if we add a grad transfer who can protect the rim.

I think some people are underestimating the impact Freeman may have on the team next year. He is currently 6-10 240 and may still be growing. He could be a real force in the paint. He has a nice shooting touch and was 7-9 from the free-throw line (77.8%). I watched him closely during pre-game warm-ups and was impressed by his shooting touch beyond the arc. Having said that I know he looked a little raw on the court last season. He does look like he has ability though and I am sure the coaches are working hard with him on his ball handling and offensive skills around the basket. Another year can make quite a difference in some kids.

 

[John Galt]

G Carr

G Kalscheur

W Willis/Williams/(preferably) new guy better than both of ‘em

F Ihnen

F Hurt

Could we (Gophers) survive rebounding department playing 2 stretch 4s together?

Man, not counting on it but if we could get an 80% Curry that would make me feel much better about the frontcourt.

Michael Hurt's coming back?

 

[John Galt]

I think some people are underestimating the impact Freeman may have on the team next year. He is currently 6-10 240 and may still be growing. He could be a real force in the paint. He has a nice shooting touch and was 7-9 from the free-throw line (77.8%). I watched him closely during pre-game warm-ups and was impressed by his shooting touch beyond the arc. Having said that I know he looked a little raw on the court last season. He does look like he has ability though and I am sure the coaches are working hard with him on his ball handling and offensive skills around the basket. Another year can make quite a difference in some kids.

Only the biggest Pitino supporters could think anyone is underestimating Freeman...

 

[Gopherfan84]

I think some people are underestimating the impact Freeman may have on the team next year. He is currently 6-10 240 and may still be growing. He could be a real force in the paint. He has a nice shooting touch and was 7-9 from the free-throw line (77.8%). I watched him closely during pre-game warm-ups and was impressed by his shooting touch beyond the arc. Having said that I know he looked a little raw on the court last season. He does look like he has ability though and I am sure the coaches are working hard with him on his ball handling and offensive skills around the basket. Another year can make quite a difference in some kids.

Anything Freeman can provide would be a bonus for sure. If he can buy into a role that fits his skill set and he doesn't turn the ball over he could be a nice piece. Bigs develop later typically which is why it's nice when you can talk them into redshirting.

 

[John Galt]

We finished 12th this year with Oturu.

We'll be lucky to finish as high as 12th without him.

And next spring his diehard supporters will be clamoring for another year, insisting he's getting better, and that 2021-2022 will be our year.

 

[bga1]

Only the biggest Pitino supporters could think anyone is underestimating Freeman...

Right, as I think it has been proven, players just don't ever improve from year to year. I asked Oturu about this and he agrees. I of course am a supporter of Pitino and I think Freeman could achieve 8pts- 8 boards next year in 20+ minutes. I like him. That said I would love to get a proven big in here.

 

[bga1]

We finished 12th this year with Oturu.

We'll be lucky to finish as high as 12th without him.

And next spring his diehard supporters will be clamoring for another year, insisting he's getting better, and that 2021-2022 will be our year.

We already had a Selection Sunday generated thread on this. I don't think anyone said anything like that.

 

[MplsGopher]

I do expect the current roster to improve a lot...or at least I hope they do. Gabe's season-long slump was the difference in at least a few close games, and Carr was just a sophomore.

Carr being tired also cost us some games.

I don’t anyone can argue against that for bare minimum the Purdue away game.

 

[MplsGopher]

People talking about Hurt coming home feels like people talking about Oturu staying.

 

[jblass]

Only the biggest Pitino supporters could think anyone is underestimating Freeman...

This has nothing to do with Pitino. I happen to see some things about Freeman I like and and think he could develop into a decent contributor next year. Time will tell.

 

[bga1]

This has nothing to do with Pitino. I happen to see some things about Freeman I like and and think he could develop into a decent contributor next year. Time will tell.

I remember the frosh version of John Thomas. Freeman has a very similar build and athlete and Thomas, like Freeman didn't do much as a frosh. Thomas was never a great offensive player but could finish at the rim, had some hops gave great effort, played good defense and was strong as a bull. I think Freeman can be that here.

 

[Urbandale]

Only the biggest Pitino supporters could think anyone is underestimating Freeman...

I'll caucus with the group that is intrigued by Freeman. I'm not sure what it is about him that I like, since I've seen him less frequently than my neighbor who owes me money, but I'm curious.

 

[skiumah1]

We love all of our U commits