Treyton Thompson... Deceiving?

[Bad Gopher]

Not to mention that he is a local guy who really wants to be here. Completely agree that piling on the 8-9 player is absurd, and spitting into the ocean of a very bad situation.

I think we're at the point in this conflict (and I've see it before) when supporters of the embattled coach attack players who are clearly out of favor with the coach.

Hate to say it but Thompson should go to Wisconsin. Get on the Reuvers weight program and he'd probably turn into a decent player as a Junior / Senior with a RS year.

I've had the same thought. TT is far from hopeless. He has some work to do, but so did Jeff Hagen at this point. I think Treyton has more skill and potential than Elliott Eliason did. The worst thing Ben could do right now is make him discouraged or run him off. He could be a contributor on a good team.

 

[Angry]

Someone tell CSU their next Colton Iverson is ready for pick up.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

From the posts I don't think everyone was going to be OK with this year's dumpster fire...and if BJ wasn't intent on developing TT and told TT he wasn't going to try and develop him then shame on TT for not transfering...if he didn't tell TT his plans for him shame on BJ.

All plans on life and basketball are subject to change, first off.

Secondly, not every situation in life requires blame. Sometimes things aren’t a fit or what was hoped for - any divorced person can attest to that as well as jobs/ bosses who disappoint or The One who got away.

 

[howeda7]

I've had the same thought. TT is far from hopeless. He has some work to do, but so did Jeff Hagen at this point. I think Treyton has more skill and potential than Elliott Eliason did. The worst thing Ben could do right now is make him discouraged or run him off. He could be a contributor on a good team.

I agree. Except what spots are we going to use to add the two transfer portal guards we desperately need?

 

[Five Toes]

I think we're at the point in this conflict (and I've see it before) when supporters of the embattled coach attack players who are clearly out of favor with the coach.

I've had the same thought. TT is far from hopeless. He has some work to do, but so did Jeff Hagen at this point. I think Treyton has more skill and potential than Elliott Eliason did. The worst thing Ben could do right now is make him discouraged or run him off. He could be a contributor on a good team.

Thank you BG. He has been playing as physical as I have seen him play this season. He runs the court very well in my opinion just cannot finish at this time. I personally am enjoying watching him play and develope.

 

[skiumah1]

Thompson is just part of the bunch being forced into action too early due to the current options.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Some of this is true and some of this doesn't really make sense.

He isn't trying to develop on the fly anymore than any other coach. He wasn't hired exceptionally late. He has brought in a large number of transfers with multi-years of eligibility. He is playing bad SR transfers over recruits with significantly more eligibility.

He has one senior and is playing the only 7-8 guys available to him. He is developing on the fly. Some of these freshmen would be at 10 minutes a game if he had a full balanced roster.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

Thompson is just part of the bunch being forced into action too early due to the current options.

Why don’t we have a full team?

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

He has one senior and is playing the only 7-8 guys available to him. He is developing on the fly. Some of these freshmen would be at 10 minutes a game if he had a full balanced roster.

Sure, there are more minutes available because we are a bad team. We also found minutes for Samuels (20) and Daniels (10) during this rebuild. My point is that the FR getting PT is more to do with filling out a roster than it is some calculated slow rebuild.

 

[Dakota2]

It appeared BJ didn't develop a bench or develop players for 2023 by sticking to a heavily senior line up in 2022 for the sake of winning. ( which proved to back fire during the B1G season). TT's development suffered.
This year he seems to use TT if he has to. So my impression is he won't be disappointed if he transfers.

Treyton had one job over the off season -- eat, lift, get stronger, and gain weight. He didn't do it. His fate as a Big Ten player was in his own hands.

 

[GFBfan]

Treyton had one job over the off season -- eat, lift, get stronger, and gain weight. He didn't do it. His fate as a Big Ten player was in his own hands.

He did all three of these if you look at pictures of him. His has bulked up some, just has a ways to go yet. Some more weight would help and I think he can add that over the summer.
His shooting from three has not been good this season. He needs some shots from in closer to get him going. I thought his two FT's the other night would help him get going, but they didn't .

 

[60's Guy]

I see potential in a lot of guys. It is obvious to me TT can’t play for Ben. He cannot defend in man to man. His awareness is nonexistent of team defense. His individual on ball defense is a guaranteed blow by the opponent.
Shooting 3’s is his game. What would it be if it is not that? Even if we were just a .500 good team, he would be low enough on the depth chart to never play. If we are going to be better we need two scholarships. I’d rather keep anybody else.
It ain’t grade school everybody plays. We are in the Big Ten. The idea is to at least MAKE the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, he seems like a nice guy. Yes, he seems to try hard and be a good teammate. Give him a nice recommendation in the portal so we can add a point guard.

 

[Gophs24]

I see potential in a lot of guys. It is obvious to me TT can’t play for Ben. He cannot defend in man to man. His awareness is nonexistent of team defense. His individual on ball defense is a guaranteed blow by the opponent.
Shooting 3’s is his game. What would it be if it is not that? Even if we were just a .500 good team, he would be low enough on the depth chart to never play. If we are going to be better we need two scholarships. I’d rather keep anybody else.
It ain’t grade school everybody plays. We are in the Big Ten. The idea is to at least MAKE the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, he seems like a nice guy. Yes, he seems to try hard and be a good teammate. Give him a nice recommendation in the portal so we can add a point guard.

did you just do a write up for the entire gophers roster in 5 sentences?!

 

[Gophs24]

I agree. Except what spots are we going to use to add the two transfer portal guards we desperately need?

well if Ben still sees potential in TT. is that better to hang onto over a 5th year player in Ihnen with 2 repaired knees or a 6th year player in Fox with 2 repaired knees?

 

[PhiloVance]

I see potential in a lot of guys. It is obvious to me TT can’t play for Ben. He cannot defend in man to man. His awareness is nonexistent of team defense. His individual on ball defense is a guaranteed blow by the opponent.
Shooting 3’s is his game. What would it be if it is not that? Even if we were just a .500 good team, he would be low enough on the depth chart to never play. If we are going to be better we need two scholarships. I’d rather keep anybody else.
It ain’t grade school everybody plays. We are in the Big Ten. The idea is to at least MAKE the NCAA Tournament.
Yes, he seems like a nice guy. Yes, he seems to try hard and be a good teammate. Give him a nice recommendation in the portal so we can add a point guard.

Length often takes patience. I like TT and what he can bring to the team. I sense he has the desire.

Someone critized the fact he hasn't bulked up and that's on him. I don't know if this applies to him but for me I am someone who burns calories, at a high rate without putting on bulk, I find that weight gain is extremely difficult.

 

[Spaulding!No!]

did you just do a write up for the entire gophers roster in 5 sentences?!

Do Ben and his staff do a poor job of identifying talent?

 

[DarthGopher]

Why is Ben running Treyton and Ramberg off the team?

Because he is into witchcraft.

 

[jovs]

Thompson's shooting has regressed terribly, that is on Ben. Did his mechanics change and the coaching staff isn't good enough to correct it. Is it a confidence thing, but again it is the main job of a coach or manager in any organization to instill that and nurture it. Shooting is a major issue with this team and Ben may not be good enough to correct it.

 

[Otis]

I laugh at the statement that TT can’t play man to man!

Can any of the current players?

The last two games we played it so well we were able to hold the other team to less than 90 points! Good job guys! Way to go while scoring about 50! Great defense!

When is Ben, and a lot of you, going to realize that this team isn’t capable of lock down man to man and switch to a zone?

Are we going to play man to man next year and have Evans be drug out to cover 3 point shooting bigs leaving the lane practically undefended?

Their best defensive sequences have been in the zone all year.

Must be a reason for that.

Oh and Ramburg sounds like a command from the Titanic. A trip similar to this season but with more success.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I agree. Except what spots are we going to use to add the two transfer portal guards we desperately need?

Yeah, if there is room for Thompson on next year's roster then great, he can be a role player. But if all of the following come back:

Garcia
Payne
JOJ
Carrington
Cooper
Battle
Henley
Betts
Fox
Ihnen

And you add

Evans
Christie

That puts the roster at 12 on scholarship and there is a definite need for another guard at a minimum. Doesn't leave much room for a player like Thompson. Now if some of the guys above elect to transfer that might change the equation but as it sits right now there isn't a good spot for TT on the 23-24 roster.

 

[CentralGopher]

Thompson's shooting has regressed terribly, that is on Ben. Did his mechanics change and the coaching staff isn't good enough to correct it. Is it a confidence thing, but again it is the main job of a coach or manager in any organization to instill that and nurture it. Shooting is a major issue with this team and Ben may not be good enough to correct it.

He does have a sweet free throw stroke though. Can we amend the rules to have a designated free throw shooter like a designated hitter in baseball?

 

[GFBfan]

I laugh at the statement that TT can’t play man to man!

Can any of the current players?

The last two games we played it so well we were able to hold the other team to less than 90 points! Good job guys! Way to go while scoring about 50! Great defense!

When is Ben, and a lot of you, going to realize that this team isn’t capable of lock down man to man and switch to a zone?

Are we going to play man to man next year and have Evans be drug out to cover 3 point shooting bigs leaving the lane practically undefended?

Their best defensive sequences have been in the zone all year.

Must be a reason for that.

Oh and Ramburg sounds like a command from the Titanic. A trip similar to this season but with more success.

You obviously didn't watch the two games as they played zone the entire time.

 

[Formerswish]

Thompson's shooting has regressed terribly, that is on Ben. Did his mechanics change and the coaching staff isn't good enough to correct it. Is it a confidence thing, but again it is the main job of a coach or manager in any organization to instill that and nurture it. Shooting is a major issue with this team and Ben may not be good enough to correct it.

Thompson's shooting has been poor this year, absolutely. To blame Johnson for that is really quite something. Having coached for many years, players go through streaks of poor and hot shooting. There are confidence issues at times Making technical changes on a shooting stroke is very difficult to do, although I don't notice a profound change in Thompson's shot. He also doesn't have a large sample size this year so far, but it's enough to say he's shooting poorly. Johnson's fault? You can blame Johnson for a few things, but Thompson's poor shooting is mostly on Thompson.

 

[Holy Man]

well if Ben still sees potential in TT. is that better to hang onto over a 5th year player in Ihnen with 2 repaired knees or a 6th year player in Fox with 2 repaired knees?

Good point. I think the bigger issue is where the returning from injury guys fit in than where TT fits in.

 

[DarthGopher]

Thompson's shooting has been poor this year, absolutely. To blame Johnson for that is really quite something. Having coached for many years, players go through streaks of poor and hot shooting. There are confidence issues at times Making technical changes on a shooting stroke is very difficult to do, although I don't notice a profound change in Thompson's shot. He also doesn't have a large sample size this year so far, but it's enough to say he's shooting poorly. Johnson's fault? You can blame Johnson for a few things, but Thompson's poor shooting is mostly on Thompson.

Shooting in warmups and shooting in practice are very different from shooting in game situations. Once defenders know your tendencies, they are going to try and make you uncomfortable, which can alter your shot ever so slightly that makes become misses.

As I used to tell my players - a lot of tall skinny guys, and just some basketball players in general, do NOT like contact. So one way to neutralize their height advantage is to be physical. It gets under their skin and messes up their mechanics. I'm not talking Brad Davison type antics - just good, clean physical play does the trick. If I see a tall, skinny 7 footer who would rather camp out around the perimeter and pop 3's than post down low, I'm telling my guys to get on him like stink on poop. He is going to start bricking shots.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

I laugh at the statement that TT can’t play man to man!

Can any of the current players?

The last two games we played it so well we were able to hold the other team to less than 90 points! Good job guys! Way to go while scoring about 50! Great defense!

When is Ben, and a lot of you, going to realize that this team isn’t capable of lock down man to man and switch to a zone?

Are we going to play man to man next year and have Evans be drug out to cover 3 point shooting bigs leaving the lane practically undefended?

Their best defensive sequences have been in the zone all year.

Must be a reason for that.

Oh and Ramburg sounds like a command from the Titanic. A trip similar to this season but with more success.

Lets face it. The Gophers have been bad on defense no matter M/M or zone. Probably a bit better with the zone but its like picking your own poison. As a team they lack strength, agility, twitch which compound the problem. And that also carries over into rebounding.

With Evans and Christie on board, my take is we can expect more of the same. We all know how important it is to find a capable defense PG for 2023 as it starts there.

My take is stick with the M/M and get guys more experience and run. Then teach and teach some more and hope for gradual improvements. But there are limitations. I believe it takes good M/M qualities to play a good zone versus the reverse.

 

[Gopherfan84]

I laugh at the statement that TT can’t play man to man!

Can any of the current players?

The last two games we played it so well we were able to hold the other team to less than 90 points! Good job guys! Way to go while scoring about 50! Great defense!

When is Ben, and a lot of you, going to realize that this team isn’t capable of lock down man to man and switch to a zone?

Are we going to play man to man next year and have Evans be drug out to cover 3 point shooting bigs leaving the lane practically undefended?

Their best defensive sequences have been in the zone all year.

Must be a reason for that.

Oh and Ramburg sounds like a command from the Titanic. A trip similar to this season but with more success.

Dawson is a good man to man defender. Carrington and Payne are fine for freshman. So there are guys who can play man. The main issue defensively is our wings/guards have been awful. TT is too slow to play man right now. He does work hard to get to spots at least

 

[Dakota2]

Thompson's shooting has been poor this year, absolutely. To blame Johnson for that is really quite something. Having coached for many years, players go through streaks of poor and hot shooting. There are confidence issues at times Making technical changes on a shooting stroke is very difficult to do, although I don't notice a profound change in Thompson's shot. He also doesn't have a large sample size this year so far, but it's enough to say he's shooting poorly. Johnson's fault? You can blame Johnson for a few things, but Thompson's poor shooting is mostly on Thompson.

Well said except the end. It is all on Treyton.

Being a coach you know the biggest factor in developing stroke and touch is coaching at junior high level. It becomes ingrained at that early age. By college you can only improve free throw fundamentals and the mental aspect of understanding when you have a shot in rhythm and when you don't.

Ben can recruit good shooters but he can't build them.

 

[60's Guy]

Well said except the end. It is all on Treyton.

Being a coach you know the biggest factor in developing stroke and touch is coaching at junior high level. It becomes ingrained at that early age. By college you can only improve free throw fundamentals and the mental aspect of understanding when you have a shot in rhythm and when you don't.

Ben can recruit good shooters but he can't build them.

It's really helpful to learn how to shoot as a grade schooler or junior high kid IF somebody knew what they were doing to teach you...very few do or more people could shoot.

!00% disagree college kids can't improve shooting. Poor shooters in the NBA improve their shooting in dramatic fashion over the summer with the right instruction quite often.

100% true the way a shooter with a nice stroke can go from bad to good is mental. Not so much with what's a good shot versus bad is but in confidence, swagger, mindset. You need a shot whisperer who can get your stroke consistent and your mind convinced nobody shoots better than you do. Mindset, visualization is the secret. It's all mental...any thought but swish creeps in your head and you'll miss.

Free throws the same is true but you need a routine...it is a completely different shot. The others you walk into or dribble into and quick release is a thought. Free throws all different. You stand alone, everybody in the gym is watching you shoot. You MUST have a routine..Gophers do not!!

And it has become obvious Ben can't recruit or develop good shooters. There is no easier shot in basketball than the free throw. We can't shoot them. You can't be a shooter and not make free throws...certainly not with someone who knows how to get your shot fixed.

Shooting is 100% confidence if you have some competence as a shooter...if you can't impart that in your players as the head coach, then you sure need an assistant who can and who will become the head coach. They do keep score. You gotta score to win.

Or if you were able to teach Virginia defense so well that you could recruit 10 guys like Ola Joseph...teach em how to play defense...throw it at the rim and chase it and put it back in...hold your opponent under 48 and scrap together 50 points. That might work and be fun. But, that ain't happening either. Our defense has no calling cards.

The "ferocious defense" and "most important thing is recruiting guys who can shoot" philosophy has statistical shortcomings for verification, so far.

 

[Ewert86PC]

Look at the TO column. TT is right in line with the rest of the team there.

Turnovers are what is killing this team. It means a lack of focus/discipline and a low-key hero ball mentality.