Dan Monson was introducing his Gopher basketball
players one by one last week to season ticket holders at a
reception. He came to redshirt freshman guard Kevin
Payton who used to live in Austria. Monson asked Payton
to say the following in German: “The Gophers are going to
surprise everybody and win the Big Ten this year.”
A conference championship is an unlikely possibility to most people who follow the Gophers and the Big Ten Conference. Many hoopologists see a finish between eighth and 11th in the Big Ten. The Gophers finished in 10th place last season and no full time starters return from a team that was 16-15 over all and 5-11 in the Big Ten. The roster has four freshmen, four sophomores and six juniors.
Yet Monson and the coaching staff are trying to look optimistically (see Payton reference above) at this season. They know that after last season when Monson reportedly was almost terminated, their need to win now is urgent. Talk to fans or listen to the media and you will hear speculation about whether Monson can last beyond his eighth season as Gopher coach.
Athlon college basketball magazine, for example, printed only Monson’s name in red in a feature titled “Pressure Is On” listing coaches expected to improve or else. “His seat could be the hottest in the nation,” the magazine wrote.
Another magazine, CBS SportsLine.com said: “There is scaffolding around the Gopher program as Monson works to rebuild his team. …The Gophers won’t go into the tank, but it could be a rough season in Minnesota.”
In addition to inexperience (seven players who have never played a game minute for Minnesota), there are concerns about rebounding, team defense and inside scoring. Bright spots could include Oklahoma transfer guard Lawrence McKenzie’s outside marksmanship, the athleticism of junior college transfers Limar Wilson (guard) and Engen Nurumbi (forward), and leadership of Payton (guard). The Gophers look like a team with effective outside shooting and good overall athleticism.
Freshman center Bryce Webster’s development will be intriguing, too. He has offensive and defensive skills, and at 6-9, 240 provides size on a roster filled with smaller and mid-size players. Assistant coach Jim Molinari said Webster was the most highly recruited player on the team and could have attended a long list of other schools. Still, Webster has much to learn as evidenced by his six foul performance about half way through the second half of a scrimmage last week.
Intriguing is a good word to associate with the coming season that starts November 3 with a home exhibition game against Bemidji State. At the season ticket holders gathering last week Monson thanked his most loyal customers for sticking with the program “through thick and thin.” He’s hoping for a lot more “thick” this season.