If Charles Buggs’ teammates and head coach are correct, the Gophers redshirt freshman forward has a lot of productive moments ahead in his Big Ten career.
Buggs, who had only played in six games all season while scoring five total points, stunned an appreciative Williams Arena audience on Tuesday night by coming off the bench in the first half to make four of five field goal attempts. He finished the game converting five of six shots, scoring 13 points and was the team’s fourth leading scorer despite playing only 19 minutes in Minnesota’s 95-89 win over Iowa.
The performance that had the crowd roaring with approval didn’t surprise junior guard Andre Hollins, Minnesota’s leading scorer this season. “He’s athletic as hell,” Hollins said. “There’s just tons of upside.”
“Buggs is a talented player,” senior guard Malik Smith said. “One of the most talented players in the league if he just gets his mind right. Gets confident, he will be good for a long time.”
Among the most talented players in the Big Ten Conference? Smith believes Buggs has talent that ranks among the 10 best in the league. “He is one of the most athletic guys I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been around this game for a long time. I am 23 years old. He’s a super athlete. If he continues to work…he will be great.”
Gophers coach Richard Pitino is impressed, too. He said his inexperienced forward has the “best potential” of anyone on the team.
Buggs is a late developer and that’s why he was redshirted for the 2012-13 season. He has played in only seven games for a total of 40 minutes during 2013-2014. He averaged a modest 11.4 points per game as a senior for Martin High School in Arlington, Texas. Buggs’ build, 6-9 but only about 210 pounds, isn’t imposing either.
“His body is a little bit too thin but he’s continued to gain weight throughout the season,” Hollins said. “They’ve (the staff) been on him really tough about that. He’s been handling it well. He’s just been getting better.”
Buggs, who attended prep school for one year after high school, had to learn a new system under Pitino after being brought to Minnesota by former coach Tubby Smith. It’s taken time to learn what to do and play with confidence.
“He has confidence in practice but when he gets in the games he really doesn’t have a lot because he hasn’t been playing a lot,” Smith said. “With more playing time I think his confidence will build.”
Buggs played with energy and confidence on Tuesday night. That energy makes him popular with teammates off the court.
Hollins enjoys watching Buggs dance at a University residence hall. “You put on music and he’ll start dancing,” Hollins said.
Despite having large feet, Buggs is adept at dancing. “He makes it work,” said Hollins who believes his teammate might be good enough for TV’s “Dancing with the Stars.”
Buggs, who didn’t make himself available to media following his breakout performance Tuesday night, will probably be needed if the Gophers are to play competitively with first place Michigan tomorrow evening in Ann Arbor. Minnesota, with two regular season conference games remaining, has a 7-9 record and an upset over the first place Wolverines, 12-3, would be a big step toward an NCAA Tournament invitation next month.
Pitino doesn’t talk about tournament ambitions. He did, however, laud his team’s improved focus and energy in the upset win over nationally ranked Iowa, now 8-6 in Big Ten games.
The coach will take more of the same from Buggs and his other players.