Norwood Teague on the Dan Barreiro Show 3/4

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It seems like we need a lot more length and quickness to play the defense Pitino wants to play.

I think we've got plenty of quickness coming in next year, but are really lacking a forward with some length that can play above the rim. It was shocking how little athleticism we had this year.
 

jovs said:
I don't know about Dorsey being an elite defender next year, he has the quickness to be very good but his freshman year, I doubt it. If he is as good his first year as Hollins was this year I will be very surprised.
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Mason was a terrific defender.
 

jovs said:
If he is as good his first year as Hollins was this year I will be very surprised.
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Not a very high bar. Dre was average-to-awful on D this year. Love the guy, but that's a fact.
 

Gold Vision said:
It seems like we need a lot more length and quickness to play the defense Pitino wants to play.

I think we've got plenty of quickness coming in next year, but are really lacking a forward with some length that can play above the rim. It was shocking how little athleticism we had this year.
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Well, they way the team played off perimeter shooters on some occasions this year, they would have needed a guy with a 7'6" wingspan who ran like a jack rabbit.

As for that lengthy forward who can play above the rim, if Pitino doesn't feel the need to recruit one of those for next year, we'll know he's stubborn as a mule.
 

cjbfbp said:
Well, they way the team played off perimeter shooters on some occasions this year, they would have needed a guy with a 7'6" wingspan who ran like a jack rabbit.

As for that lengthy forward who can play above the rim, if Pitino doesn't feel the need to recruit one of those for next year, we'll know he's stubborn as a mule.
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'Recruiting' one and 'landing' one aren't the same thing you know.
 


...needed another big shot-blocking / shot-altering presence down low this year for when the offense beat the pressure. But instead, Eliason sat.
 

Gopher Warrior said:
...needed another big shot-blocking / shot-altering presence down low this year for when the offense beat the pressure. But instead, Eliason sat.
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Wait, what!? Eliason was your "big shot-blocking/shot-altering presence down low"? Well...no wonder we sucked... s/
 

bga1 said:
Mason was a terrific defender.
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Good defender, not elite though by any means, pretty good on ball, other things less so, screening out, backside rebounds, things Hollins excelled at just didn't happen with Mason.
 

jovs said:
Good defender, not elite though by any means, pretty good on ball, other things less so, screening out, backside rebounds, things Hollins excelled at just didn't happen with Mason.
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Yeah, but unless I'm forgetting things those did happen with McNeil his freshman year. So it's not impossible...

Also what is screening out? Hollins was terrible at getting past screens(not as bad as morris) so please tell me it's different than that?
 



Gopher Warrior said:
...needed another big shot-blocking / shot-altering presence down low this year for when the offense beat the pressure. But instead, Eliason sat.
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This has to be tongue in cheek. Watch some replay of Eliason trying to block shots in his limited time this year. It's why he isn't in there. Constantly flying at guys late, missing blocks by a foot with the bonus of being out of position for a rebound on top of not affecting the shooter.

I have no problem believing a group of freshman recruits could be better than this squad. Problem is that outside of Mason I haven't seen another guy Pitino has brought in that he can hang his hat on.

I also have no problem believing that basketball should be a 4-5 year grace on a new coach to flush out the old recruits. This isn't football with 60 scholarships to throw around. Pitino has been stuck with several dogs that won't hunt, next year is the first year with mostly his guys and I think the year after is a fair year to really start being critical of the team as his team.
 

Tim1406 said:
Yeah, but unless I'm forgetting things those did happen with McNeil his freshman year. So it's not impossible...

Also what is screening out? Hollins was terrible at getting past screens(not as bad as morris) so please tell me it's different than that?
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Not OP, but screening out = boxing out
 

LakerFan said:
. .. Problem is that outside of Mason I haven't seen another guy Pitino has brought in that he can hang his hat on.

I also have no problem believing that basketball should be a 4-5 year grace on a new coach to flush out the old recruits. This isn't football with 60 scholarships to throw around. ... Next year is the first year with mostly his guys and I think the year after is a fair year to really start being critical of the team as his team.
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That's pretty much where I'm at in all this, though I think next season is a better starting point it'll be all Pitino's guys pretty much, with the exception of Buggs?
 

tinyarch said:
Wait, what!? Eliason was your "big shot-blocking/shot-altering presence down low"? Well...no wonder we sucked... s/
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Umm, Elliott was third in the conference last year in blocks per game, the same year he averaged over 20 minutes a game. That is exactly what he is. I don't know what it was for the entire big ten season but for the first 6 big ten games the gophers 2 point FG% allowed was 8.5% lower when Elliott was in compared to when he wasn't.
 



LakerFan said:
This has to be tongue in cheek. Watch some replay of Eliason trying to block shots in his limited time this year. It's why he isn't in there. Constantly flying at guys late, missing blocks by a foot with the bonus of being out of position for a rebound on top of not affecting the shooter.

I have no problem believing a group of freshman recruits could be better than this squad. Problem is that outside of Mason I haven't seen another guy Pitino has brought in that he can hang his hat on.

I also have no problem believing that basketball should be a 4-5 year grace on a new coach to flush out the old recruits. This isn't football with 60 scholarships to throw around. Pitino has been stuck with several dogs that won't hunt, next year is the first year with mostly his guys and I think the year after is a fair year to really start being critical of the team as his team.
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My thoughts too regarding EE...but he is serious. Agree with your thoughts on recruits as well. And next year is the first group he's had time to evaluate, build relatioinships and close on...so, if these new "dogs don't hunt" that will be telling.
 

die hard gopher said:
Umm, Elliott was third in the conference last year in blocks per game, the same year he averaged over 20 minutes a game. That is exactly what he is. I don't know what it was for the entire big ten season but for the first 6 big ten games the gophers 2 point FG% allowed was 8.5% lower when Elliott was in compared to when he wasn't.
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You can make statistics say a lot but we were also likely behind in score because EE sent opponents to the free throw line or got them closer to the bonus. AND EE didn't score, Mo did. Those Stats may say EE should play...watching him play tells you he shouldn't. He had moments where for EE was great but those were very sporadic and offset by not scoring, missing free throws when your team needed the momentum, maybe only having one turnover but at the worst possible time, not getting THE rebound you needed that he was in position for etc etc Very rarely made "big plays". And you can argue neither did anyone else and I won't argue but there was less hope to a coach that EE would. jmo
 

Gold Vision said:
It seems like we need a lot more length and quickness to play the defense Pitino wants to play.

I think we've got plenty of quickness coming in next year, but are really lacking a forward with some length that can play above the rim. It was shocking how little athleticism we had this year.
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Good points. However, finding both length and quickness is not an easy task. The very best in that category end up at the elite basketball schools, which Minnesota has never been.
 

die hard gopher said:
Umm, Elliott was third in the conference last year in blocks per game, the same year he averaged over 20 minutes a game. That is exactly what he is. I don't know what it was for the entire big ten season but for the first 6 big ten games the gophers 2 point FG% allowed was 8.5% lower when Elliott was in compared to when he wasn't.
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Perhaps it was that game, early in the B1G when he single-handedly gave the other team 7 straight points either by turnover, technical or fouls that turned the tide for the young man. Elliot can be directly blamed for that loss. (Wish I could remember which game...I think it was at Purdue.)

Elliot has only himself to blame for his loss of playing time.
 

tinyarch said:
Good points. However, finding both length and quickness is not an easy task. The very best in that category end up at the elite basketball schools, which Minnesota has never been.
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Have to hope for surprise big time offseason development out of Buggs or Diedhou or both. It can happen- no evidence that it will - but it can.
 

getting back to the subject of expectations: If Teague (and Pitino) truly believe that next year is a rebuilding year, then come out and say so. If Pitino is upset with fans having unrealistic expectations, then he needs to come out and tell us what to expect. When Kill took over the FB team, he didn't sugar-coat things - he said flat-out it would take three to four years of good recruiting classes to overhaul the roster - and he has proven to be correct. I submit that one reason why fans like Kill is his direct, honest approach to communicating. Pitino could learn something from Kill on that score.

If Pitino thinks they are 2 or 3 years away from having the type of personnel he needs to run his system, then say so! I would much rather have a coach who comes out and says "we're not going to be very good next year," as opposed to a coach who complains that fans are expecting too much of the program.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
getting back to the subject of expectations: If Teague (and Pitino) truly believe that next year is a rebuilding year, then come out and say so. If Pitino is upset with fans having unrealistic expectations, then he needs to come out and tell us what to expect. When Kill took over the FB team, he didn't sugar-coat things - he said flat-out it would take three to four years of good recruiting classes to overhaul the roster - and he has proven to be correct. I submit that one reason why fans like Kill is his direct, honest approach to communicating. Pitino could learn something from Kill on that score.

If Pitino thinks they are 2 or 3 years away from having the type of personnel he needs to run his system, then say so! I would much rather have a coach who comes out and says "we're not going to be very good next year," as opposed to a coach who complains that fans are expecting too much of the program.
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Following Brewster, Kill had no wiggle room in the honesty department.

On a football squad, there are tons of guys, so needing to upgrade personnel can be interpreted in a more neutral, impersonal way. There's just a handful of guys on a basketball court. Saying you need to overhaul the roster can't be said in the same way without criticizing specific players. It needs to be said "we need to bring in the kind of guys who can run our system". That has been said.
 

I'm sure there were Tulsa fans who were disgruntled when they fired J.D. Barnett after his teams had finished second in the conference three straight seasons in favor of some first-time head coach named Tubby Smith, who proceeded to finish fourth in his first two years. I'll bet some people said things like, "You Barnett haters got your wish" or "Tubby Smith is just the new shiny thing."

You have to let this play itself out and see where it goes. No matter how any of us think we know what's going to happen, none of us do.
 



dpodoll68 said:
Huh? When was Brewster dishonest?
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August 28, 2007

Q: What’s your assessment of Curtis Thomas?

A: Curtis Thomas is an outstanding player. He’s made great progress. He’s going to be a player that’s going to be an All-Big Ten football player at some point. He’s got tremendous talent, speed, physicality I like everything about Curtis.

September 4, 2007

On Harold Howell:
"I think that his reputation precedes him. He’s a 10 300 meters guy from the state of Florida and there’s a lot of people that are very aware of Harold Howell and the damage that he can do. I was just very pleased with the control and confidence he played with. He’s going to be around for the next four years and he’ll be exciting to watch.
 

Maximus said:
August 28, 2007

Q: What’s your assessment of Curtis Thomas?

A: Curtis Thomas is an outstanding player. He’s made great progress. He’s going to be a player that’s going to be an All-Big Ten football player at some point. He’s got tremendous talent, speed, physicality I like everything about Curtis.

September 4, 2007

On Harold Howell:
"I think that his reputation precedes him. He’s a 10 300 meters guy from the state of Florida and there’s a lot of people that are very aware of Harold Howell and the damage that he can do. I was just very pleased with the control and confidence he played with. He’s going to be around for the next four years and he’ll be exciting to watch.
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That's not dishonesty - that's delusion.
 



bga1 said:
yes - but not knowingly...:)
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Maybe...we can't know if he really thought this was true or not! Were you at Williams the night Brewster was introduced? I was sitting with a friend of mine who is an expert personality psychology assessment. She was quite concerned.
 

Ruesse think Gophers will be better next year.

Edit: And so does Reusse
 

Maximus said:
August 28, 2007 Q: What’s your assessment of Curtis Thomas? A: Curtis Thomas is an outstanding player. He’s made great progress. He’s going to be a player that’s going to be an All-Big Ten football player at some point. He’s got tremendous talent, speed, physicality I like everything about Curtis. September 4, 2007 On Harold Howell: "I think that his reputation precedes him. He’s a 10 300 meters guy from the state of Florida and there’s a lot of people that are very aware of Harold Howell and the damage that he can do. I was just very pleased with the control and confidence he played with. He’s going to be around for the next four years and he’ll be exciting to watch.
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I hardly call that lying. Every coach hypes up their recruits. What is he supposed to say? Well, Curtis Thomas is pretty terrible and Harold Howell is actually a joke of a player. No clue why I signed these guys, man do I suck.

You aren't calling him out there for being a liar, just missing on some recruits. Hardly the works of a con artist.
 

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