SB Nation - Devron Bostick

Gopher Hoops 2009-10 - Expectations

GopherNation — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:36 -0000

by Andy King - AP

Minnesota forward Rodney Williams, wearing a cape, dunks after winning the dunk contest at the Tubby Tip-off. Fri, Oct. 16, (AP Photo/Andy King)

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I cannot remember a Gopher hoops season that has had Gopher Nation this excited or been filled with this kind of expectations.The team returns all significant contributors to last year's squad that notched a win over an eventual #1 seed, racked up 22 wins and earned an NCAA tournament invitation. That in and of itself is reason for optimism and excitement but the team also adds three or four players who potentially will fill the biggest weaknesses from a year ago. Add to that a proven winner and highly respected head coach, and this season could be one of the best we have witnessed in many years. (and the best part is, next year could be even better, but we'll wait 12 months before we start talking about the 2010-11 season).

Let's first start with the known quantities. What we bring back from a year ago is more than enough to look forward to a winning season that is very likely to end in second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Defensively we have two of the best defenders in the conference with Damian Johnson and Al Nolen. We have two talented and developing big men who did a fantastic job of learning how to play Big Ten basketball on the fly. We have a few guards who lacked scoring consistency but they all were capable of putting up points in bunches. And let's not forget a couple of JUCO transfers who have had a year under their belt and are poised to contribute more on both ends of the floor. As stated, with modest improvement, this roster is good enough to finish top 6 of the Big Ten, get an NCAA bid and likely be favored in that first round match up. For a program that has not had sustained success since the Haskins era this would be more than enough for a very fun season in the Barn.

But there are things the returning roster was missing. A consistent and go-to scorer, some athleticism with the ability to get the ball to the rim from the perimeter, depth at PG and some toughness/nastiness inside. A top 15 recruiting class that has the pieces to fill those holes perfectly is what we have coming in to compliment the current roster.

Royce White is a consensus top 40 player in the country. He has the tools to step into this Big Ten roster and immediately fill the role of a dominating scorer. This is likely a role he will have to grow into and he doesn't have to carry the load every night, the hope is that defenses will have to account for him every possession and that will open things up for the other four guys on the floor. Rodney Williams is an athletic freak who should be Big Ten ready defensively but the hope here is that he'll be the one able to break down a defense and finish at the rim or kick it out to one of our shooters. Not having this threat allowed defenses to stick tight to the likes of Blake Hoffarber or Devoe Joseph making it hard for them to find their stroke from behind the arc. Justin Cobbs is the incoming recruit talked about the least but this true point guard should provide depth to the position allowing Al Nolen to play strong throughout the season. Finally we add Trevor Mbakwe. TM is the one I think will add the most to this roster. This guy finally gives the Gophers some toughness, a physical presence inside and some rebounding tenacity. The 2008-09 Gophers were a great offensive rebounding team but defensive rebounding was significant issue at times, I believe TM will change that dramatically.

The question though is will the formula of Returners + Newcomers = great success? Let's hope so, but here is what would be disappointing, surpassing all expectations and a realistic look at what should define success.

A disappointing season is hard to define. Obviously not making the NCAA tournament would be disappointing. Finishing outside of the top 6 in the Big Ten would be disappointing. But I think the minimum bar is winning a first round NCAA tournament game. By my definition making the tournament but losing in the first round again would be disappointing. For this level of defining success I don't care about Big Ten rank. As far as I'm concerned we could finish 7th, make the tournament, win a first round game and I can at the very least get some satisfaction out of this season. Obviously many factors go into this. If Damian Johnson gets hurt, Trevor Mbakwe is not eligible

A wildly successful season, with a pinch of realism, would be a Big Ten championship or maybe even a run to the Elite Eight. There is almost zero chance that this team is good enough to win an NCAA Championship. I could be wrong (I'd be happy to be wrong), but on paper we don't have a lot of holes but we also don't have bevy of superior talent. Now, I DO think this team is good enough to be in the thick of things for the Big Ten title. It isn't likely but if MSU and Purdue struggle or drop a game or two they shouldn't, this team might find it in a title hunt coming down the stretch. Assuming that doesn't happen, I also wouldn't be shocked to see a quick run through the Big Ten tourney resulting in a championship. And finally there is enough talent that with the right match ups and maybe the right upsets an Elite Eight or Final Four run would be a story but isn't completely unfathomable. One of those three scenarios is possible though clearly would be reaching beyond what most feel this team is capable of. I'm not holding my breath but much stranger things have happened in a college basketball season.

So after establishing the lower and upper parameters for success here is what I think is a realistic, if not slightly optimistic, picture of how the season will play out. The 2009-10 Gophers will be a top 5 Big Ten team and ranked in the top 20 for the vast majority of the season. I believe that a third place finish, #4 seed in the tourney and a run to the Sweet 16 is a realistic expectation.

Many of our weaknesses have been strengthened, but this is not a complete team and question marks do remain. So to believe this team is on par with some of the top 10 caliber teams is a bit of a stretch. Are we capable of beating Purdue or Michigan State during any given game? Absolutely, but with questions around consistent scoring and how this group comes together we are just as capable of losing to Michigan, Illinois, Penn State or Ohio State on a given night. When the season plays itself out with the usual ups and downs we usually see I expect we will go 11-1 in the non-conference portion of the schedule and right around 12-6 in the Big Ten which should be good enough for 3rd place.

That will take us into the Tourney where we should be seeded high enough that winning two games will be expected. Crazy things happen in the NCAA tournament so winning two games is not an absolute requirement for a successful season, but given the talent, depth and coaching on this team there is no reason to believe we are not capable of achieving this level of "success."

Poll

Where does this year's Gopher Hoops squad end up?

Final Four

18 votes

Elite Eight

34 votes

Sweet 16

158 votes

Win round 1, lose round 2

67 votes

Another token apperance

18 votes

295 votes | Poll has closed

Probing The Enemy: The Daily Gopher

Peter Bean — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 06:42:53 -0000

Prior to 2007, the extent of my Minnesota knowledge was limited to whatever I'd picked up from Garrison Keillor over the years. But in '07 Minnesota AD Joel Maturi first hired former Longhorn assistant coach Tim Brewster to be the main man for football, then shrewdly snagged Tubby Smith for the hoops revival which has the Gophers sitting across from Texas in the first round of this year's tournament. With Minnesota Golden Gophers chatter in Austin officially en vogue, this presents a convenient excuse to haul in the authors of SB Nation's outstanding MN blog, The Daily Gopher.

Not only should you be sure to visit TDG for excellent material of particular interest to Texas fans, but general college hoops fans of any kind should make sure TDG is part of their tournament plans. Tom's got a double-screen DirecTV super set-up primed for the action, which he'll be discussing live throughout the weekend.

Also keep an eye out for my own (bloated) answers to questions asked by TDG.

Best used to discourage littering.

Gentlemen, thanks for taking the time to chat. As always, we start with the most obvious question: What do Minnesotans think of the famous "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign? They ran those ads nationwide, you know. So, fill us in: Did y'all find it intimidating? Did it inspire you not to litter? And most importantly, did it project enough swagger to scare the current Minnesota basketball players? Will they, in fact, decide it's best just not to mess with Texas?

The Daily Gopher: Don't mess with Texas? I watch Friday Night Lights and I thought the Texas slogan was "Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose." Regardless, I think the only thing that matters is that everything apparently really IS bigger in Texas (see Dexter Pittman), that is the biggest thing that should be scaring the Golden Gophers.

Honestly though, I think that biggest intimidating factor for the Gophers is the NCAA Tournament itself. Nobody on this roster has played in the Big Dance and to make matters worse the bulk of our roster is comprised of freshmen and sophomores. So Texas is a big name team, but the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament is likely more intimidating than the thought of what will happen if we mess with Texas.

Whatever their fears, it's safe to assume Tubby's gonna make 'em get on the plane for Greensboro to go compete hard for 40 minutes on Thursday. Minnesota is dancing this year as a 10-seed after a solid 22-10 season, highlighted by a 12-0 start which included a neutral floor win over Louisville. Less promising, my bar napkin math says that means the Gophers were a .500 team over the remaining 20 games. So let's start there: put the "season story" together for us as succinctly as possible.

The Daily Gopher: Well the season took some time to ramp up to the Louisville game in December. While Texas was playing Notre Dame, Villanova, UCLA, Michigan State and Wisconsin the Gophers were getting warmed up with Washington (Eastern not the Pac10 version), Georgia (State), Colorado (State), and a handful of other directional schools. Along the way we did beat a couple eventual tourney teams in North Dakota State and Cornell, but they are not exactly high major competition. So when we headed to Arizona to play then #9 Louisville on a neutral court most of us would have been happy to be competitive and see this program heading in the right direction. Shockingly we won leading early, getting up by as many as 13 in the second half and never looked back. That win put us on the map and clearly was the signature win of the year.

Then the Big Ten season hit, we struggled to generate any offense and we battled to a 9-9 record. The conference season had it's highs and lows. We swept arch rival, Wisconsin and we beat Illinois for the first time since 1993. This is a building block season and I think this team surpassed most expectations.

Let's focus in a little bit now and talk personnel. I want to start with the guards, who seem to me perfectly crafted Tubby Smith warrior ants. Westbrook, Joseph, Bostick, Nolen -- they're all great defenders with excellent speed and quickness, and inconsistent-to-poor jump shooters. (Do you feel like you're haunted by the Ghost of Keith Bogans?) Tell us a bit about what these guards do well when Minnesota wins, and their struggles which contribute to losses.

The Daily Gopher: You are kind of accurate in that they do excel on the defensive end but they aren't all great defenders. Al Nolen is one of the best on the ball defenders you will see all year. As a former coach I get a sick thrill out of watching his footwork, quick hands and how he guards the passing lanes. He will get lost on screens occasionally but on the ball he is as good as they come. Westbrook is quick and an OK defender but he seems disinterested at time. Joseph is a freshman, has terrible footwork but has really improved on his defense away from the ball.

Offensively they have struggled for most of the seaosn with each of them breaking out at random times. Westbrook scored 29 at Wisconsin, Nolen scored 18 in the win over Louisville and Joseph threw in 23 at Penn State. The problem is they lack consistency and when they are playing poorly they turn the ball over too much (especially Westbrook). When they are playing well Nolen is penetrating, Westbrook is just plain scoring (he averaged 40 ppg in high school) and Joseph (and Hoffarber) are nailing from the outside. What kind of production we get from these guys is a total crapshoot.

And now the forwards. True to form, Tubby this year has consistently worked into games a deep rotation of contributors, which in the frontcourt includes junior Damian Johnson, sophomore Paul Carter, senior Jamal Abu-Shamala, and freshmen Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson. Hold your thoughts on match ups against Texas and just walk us through what this group does and doesn't do well.

The Daily Gopher: Damian Johnson is our do everything player. He is great defensively, second in scoring, third in assists, second in rebounding and second in steals. He is easily one of the most underrated players in the Big Ten and had the Gophers posted a better record likely would have been B10 defensive player of the year. The freshmen centers are solid but clearly still learning. On any given night either of them will go for 11 points and 7 boards. They are not there yet but eventually Big Ten coaches will be gameplanning for our twin towers. Paul Carter is a sophomore JUCO transfer. He is very athletic and has had some huge games but more often than not he is a non-factor. If he plays well on Thursday I really like our chances. And finally Jamal Abu-Shamala. He is slow, average defensively, can usually shoot well and is a senior. If he plays 10 minutes I really do NOT like our chances.

Let's stick with this group for a minute, because in looking over the Gophers' stat pages one of the first things which leaped out at me is the truly ridiculous shot blocking numbers of Damian Johnson (59 blocks) as well as the freshmen twin towers Sampson (49 blocks) and Iverson (41). To have three players ranked among the top 32 nationally in block percentage is a truly mind-boggling accomplishment. Or statistical anomaly. Or something. What the hell's going on here? Both freshmen are both tall but neither reaches 7 feet and Johnson plays at 6-7. Are they uncannily coordinated in terms of timing blocks? Is there something in the system (or guard play) that particularly sets them up to rack up rejections? Tell us what this is all about, and then build on that to share with us how you think those frontcourt players will fare against the 6-11, 295-pound Dexter Pittman. As Stanford's Lopez twins found out during last year's Regional Semifinals, tall is not the same as strong; are Minnesota's big men ready for the Sexiest center in all of college basketball?

The Daily Gopher: They do block a ton of shots and it really helps our defense. Part of their success is that offenses are funneled to them. We put a lot of pressure on the frontcourt which leads to back cuts and penetration to the hoop. But more than anything these guys are just good shot blockers. Johnson is only 6'7" ish but he has a freakishly long wingspan. Sampson and Iverson are not huge but they have great timing and get their hands on a lot of shots. Amazingly these guys have remained disciplined and usually don't get into foul trouble reaching for blocks.

How will this translate into defending Pittman? I have no idea. I imagine he will have his way in the paint, pin us deep and score without the fear of a blocked shot. Defensively Sampson/Iverson are going to have to do a little acting to draw a charge or cheap foul or two as Pittman is wont to foul trouble. Iverson is tough and Sampson is savvy but nobody would accuse those guys of playing "strong." Pittman is a bad match up for us without a doubt, but if he can get into foul trouble we should be able to control the paint.

We've talked about the season and you've helpfully illuminated the personnel situation for us, so let's wrap this discussion with your insights into the particular things Minnesota needs to do well to win on Thursday. And of course, any thoughts you have on red flags you'll be hoping not to see from the Gophers. Finally, if you dare, feel free to throw in any predictions about how this one's looking from your seat in the stands. We promise not to hold it against you.

The Daily Gopher: I have no doubt in my mind that the Gophers are capable of winning this game. But being capable is one thing, actually doing it is another. We are exactly what the pundits have accused the Big Ten teams of being. We are very good defensively and sometimes struggle to generate any offense. With that said I don't think Texas will truly know how well we play defense until they get on the court and find out. I anticiapte we will press, I anticipate Nolen will defend Abrams and I think Johnson will guard Jones. On the defensive end I actually like those match ups. If UT really shows up in the frontcourt and the backcourt then things could get ugly. If Pittman dominates the paint, Abrams gets several open looks that he nails and Jones gets space to operate as he pleases we will lose. But you can count on the Gophers taking away at least one of those, Texas is not a scoring juggernaut so we can keep their points at manageable level.

The real question is can we score? We at The Daily Gopher firmly believe that the Big Ten teams (Minnesota included) are looking forward to not facing a Big Ten defense. The hope is that FG% will go up a little and if Pittman spends some time on the bench we will make every effort to dominate the paint. I think the Gophers press early, force turnovers, get Pittman in foul trouble and win by 7.

Mission Accomplished: Gophers Head to Big Ten Quarters

PJS — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:35:03 -0000

Minnesota's win Thursday afternoon over Northwestern was in some ways a microchosm of the entire season. The Gophers use high-intensity defense to start strong, cooled in the half court offense in the second half, but did just enough in the end to pull out a close 66-53 win in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament.

And the win, it should be considered a good win after all Northwestern has done this year, should get the Gophers into the Dance regardless of how they fare tomorrow against Michigan State.

After building a double-digit first half lead, Northwestern rallied. Kevin Coble was a force in the first half, scoring 19 points but was slowed in the second half (just 2 points) because of a combination of foul trouble and great defense by Damian Johnson. And as Coble cooled, Minnesota's offensive difference maker, Lawrence Westbrook, took over. The junor guard finished with a team-high 14 points, including numerous clutch shots and free throws down the stretch.

Also playing a big role was the on-again, off-again Devron Bostick. After being an afterthought for many games during the second half of the year, Bostick provided an offensive spark in the first half to get the Gophers out to an early lead. He finished with 11 points.

Bostick was part of the second group in the first half that made a world of difference. The game had a stagnant pace until Bostick, Devoe Joseph, Blake Hoffarber, Colton Iverson and Paul Carter came in for the middle minutes of the first half. That group built the lead. Along with Bostick, Iverson in particular was impressive with his defense and hustle plays.

But as the game tightened in the second half, that second group stalled as Nortwestern's 1-3-1 zone caused havoc. It wasn't until the last 4 minutes of the game, with Al Nolen, Westbrook, Johnson and Ralph Sampson III back on the floor did the Gophers finally find a groove again. Sampson was tremendous in the final minutes on defense, blocking a handful of Craig Moore drives. Sampson finished with 5 blocks and he slammed in a late lob pass from DJ to put the nail in the coffin. RSIII finished with 9 points.

The Gophers did a much better job today of handling the basketball. After routinely turning the ball over 15 to 20 times per game, Minnesota coughed the ball up just 9 times. For a team that struggles in the half court as it is, the only way they can win close games is to take care of the basketball. Combine that with an 11 to 2 block advantage, and the Gophers have a formula to win.

Perimeter shooting was again atrocious. As a team the Gophers shot just 21 percent. Bostick was 1 for 6. Joseph was 1 for 4. Hoffarber was 0 for 3. Nolen was 0 for 2. But somehow the Gophers did enough when Northwestern was playing a 2-3 zone to get the Wildcats to back off. If teams are smart they will start playing a whole bunch of 2-3 zone against the Gophers, and pack the zone defense back into the paint and simply force the Gophers to hit from the outside.

A couple other observations:

After playing an unusually high number of minutes in the regular season ending loss to Michigan, Jon Williams didn't play at all.
Jamal Abu-Shamala received the starting nod and played the first 5 minutes and didn't play again.
Despite starting, Al Nolen played just 18 minutes. But when the game was on the line this time, Nolen got the team into its offense. And his defense probably contributed to Northwestern's dry spell down the stretch.

First thought about MSU: The Gophers are decided underdogs, but they'll have the advantage of having a feel for the big arena. If the Gophers can play even with the Spartans on the glass and limit MSU's run-outs, we could have a close ball game.

I mean, Tubby Smith has to beat Tom Izzo eventually, doesn't he?

A Get Well Win: MInnesota 72, Northwestern 45

PJS — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:53:56 -0000

It wasn't the simple fact that the Minnesota Golden Gophers won Sunday night that was reassuring. It was how they won.

For maybe the first time in the last 10 games--now a 4-6 stretch--the Gophers had a sort of defensive intensity that marked the teams 16-1 start. That defense made it difficult for Northwestern to get comfortable offensively. That defense turned into transition baskets and a more aggressive Minnesota team.

The final result was 72-45 Minnesota win over Northewestern to move the Gophers to 20-7 (8-7) in a Big Ten conference that is all jammed up in the middle.

As has been the case when the Gophers have played well this season, there wasn't a superstar leading the way. The Big Ten Network dutifully pointed out the dominance Minnesota demonstrated when reserves were on the floor. When that depth has provided offense, and more importantly defensive intensity, the Gophers have played well, and usually won.

Perhaps because of that defensive energy, all things offense were a tad easier. The Gophers shot an improved .51 percent from the field and 43 percent from three. This came against a 1-3-1 defense that just one month ago at Northwestern completely stymied the Gophers. The awakening allowed the struggling Lawrence Westbrook to return to form with 17 points. Devron Bostick, who had all but disappeared from the rotation, found a role early after making a couple quick shots. He finished with 9 points.

The Gophers also dominated Northwestesrn on the glass by a margin of 36 to 18. Paul Carter led the way with 8. Ralph Sampson III finished with 7.

On the negative side, the Gophers still turned the ball over far too often (16 times compared to 11 for Northwestern). But the team's ball movement and penetration against the zone was much improved. The Gophers finished with 16 assists.

All of this combined for a game that was lopsided for about 30 minutes. Northwestern never put up a fight. They never made a run. They didn't threaten the Gophers at all.

Things aren't easy for the Gophers down the stretch. This win was nice to get the team back on the right track, but now they head an Illinois team that bounced back Sudnay at Ohio State after somehow putting up a shocking 33 points in a loss to Penn State earlier this week.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't offer up congratulations to Coach Smith for securing 20 wins for the 16th consecutive season, Now let's seize the momentum from this win and take it to Illinois.