Gophers Basketball – Page 134 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

First Snow Left Gophers Guard Homesick

Posted on November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 by David Shama

Nate Mason, the Gophers 19-year-old freshman guard, has played with exceptional first-year skill and poise during Minnesota’s early nonconference schedule.

Tonight the Gophers play on national TV (ESPNU) and at Madison Square Garden—one of college basketball’s most famous venues. Does Mason expect to be nervous? “Nah, not really,” he told Sports Headliners last week.

The Gophers face St. John’s tonight at the Garden starting at 6 p.m. Minneapolis time as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament. Mason is excited about playing in the building that has been the site of so many memorable college and professional games.

“I mean, it’s like a dream come true, but we’re going in for business,” he said. “Get this win.”

Among the first players off the bench so far this season, Mason is expected to help if 4-0 Minnesota is to defeat 3-0 St. John’s and play for the tourney title on Friday against the winner of tonight’s second game between Georgia and Gonzaga. The 6-1, 185-pound combo guard has been the most impressive of Minnesota’s four new scholarship players on this season’s roster. His statistics tell part of the story.

In four games Mason is averaging 20.3 minutes and scoring 10.8 points per game—tied for third best on the Gophers. He is making a team-leading 53 percent of his three point attempts. His overall field goal percentage is 50 percent. Despite his small size, he leads the team in rebounds with 19, or 4.8 per game. He has 12 assists, third most on the team.

Playing both point guard and shooting guard, he has only five turnovers. His poise was evident in the season’s opening game when Minnesota played Louisville, a top 10 team. He made his college debut a success with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of playing time.

The Louisville game was on national television. A big stage and a prominent opponent but Mason said he wasn’t nervous going into the game. “Actually got me hyped,” he said.

Mason admires Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s elite point guards. He played for a summertime team that Paul sponsored. “Actually he (Paul) taught me the poise that I play with,” Mason said. “He taught me always stay under control, don’t let no one speed you up. Just take care of the ball.”

The Georgia native is a long way from home in Minneapolis. Any homesickness? “Yeah, of course, especially when it started snowing,” he said.

Mason, of course, won’t be with his family for Thanksgiving because the Gophers are in New York. “It’s definitely hard for me, but again it’s like family here,” he said.

Mason said he “toughed it out” regarding homesickness and seems happy about the decision to play for the Gophers and coach Richard Pitino. “I knew Pitino would bring the best out of me. You can see that now. He’s bringing the best out of me defensively, offensively, rebounding, everything.”

As a high school senior, Mason averaged 15.6 points, 8.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 steals playing for Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. Colleges that showed interest in Mason, a Rivals.com three-star prospect, included Kansas State, Memphis and Virginia.

It seems safe to say they noticed several attributes about him including his poise.

Worth Noting

St. John’s and the Gophers have both played one common opponent, Franklin Pierce. Minnesota won that matchup 109-57, while the Red Storm had a 94-81 victory.

Pitino said the Red Storm’s starters are “as talented as any team we’ll play.” The regulars include D’Angelo Harrison who is averaging 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, and Rysheed Jordan, 17.3 points.

New York-based St. John’s is a program accustomed to playing in Madison Square Garden. “Essentially a home game for St. John’s,” said Gophers senior center Elliott Eliason.

The Gophers, though, did win the postseason NIT Tournament semifinals and finals at Madison Square Garden last spring. Minnesota players are familiar with the court, lighting and basket rims. “Yeah, that’s definitely helpful,” said Gophers junior forward Joey King.

Pitino has improved the athleticism on his roster since taking over as Gophers coach in the spring of 2013. That can translate to better defense and Eliason said “potentially” this is the best defensive team he has played on. “We turn people over a lot. That’s good.”

The Gophers have forced opponents into 87 turnovers. Minnesota’s turnover total is 48.

Saturday’s game between No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 22 Minnesota is the most important football matchup in Madison between the two schools since 1962. That year No. 3 ranked Wisconsin defeated No. 5 Minnesota 14-9 in a controversial game decided in the closing minutes that left the Gophers coaches, players and fans enraged about the officiating.

The winner of Saturday’s game will become the Big Ten West Division champion and play for the conference title in Indianapolis on December 6. The Gophers or Badgers will face Ohio State from the East Division.

The Big Ten champion will not advance to the Rose Bowl unless that team is one of the four schools participating in the first College Football Playoff and is sent to Pasadena (the other semifinal playing site is the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans). The lineup of destinations for all Big Ten bowl-eligible teams will be announced December 7 and the conference champion might play in the Cotton Bowl on January 1 in Arlington, Texas.

Even if the Gophers, 8-3, lose on Saturday they still will receive a more prestigious bowl game invitation than in the recent past. Possibilities, according to a Gophers source, include two January 1 bowls, the Outback in Tampa and Citrus in Orlando—and also the December 27 Holiday Bowl in San Diego and January 2 TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville.

Minnesota is about a two touchdown underdog to the Badgers but what’s interesting is that dating back to the 2013 season Minnesota has five times pulled off upsets when the opposition was a double-digit favorite.

As the college football world knows, the Gophers will have to control Badgers running back Melvin Gordon, a Heisman Trophy hopeful. But Minnesota defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said Wisconsin also has one of the “better offensive lines we’ve faced.”

The Badgers show variety in their offense before the ball is snapped. “They’ve ran more formations and shifts than we have room on our whiteboard for,” Claeys said.

The Badgers alternate two quarterbacks in their games, Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy. “You know, they do have good quarterbacks, but they’re not the ones that are going to beat you,” Claeys said. “Wisconsin is Wisconsin. You’ve got to stop the running game… .”

Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner, a redshirt sophomore, expects to earn his degree in kinesiology a year from this fall. He has about a 3.3 GPA and is interested in a coaching career.

All-time Gophers career rushing leader Darrell Thompson, now the team’s radio color analyst, celebrated his 47th birthday on Sunday.

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Gophers Recruiting Commitments ‘Solid’

Posted on November 10, 2014November 10, 2014 by David Shama

High school basketball recruiting authority Ryan James told Sports Headliners he expects all four players who have made verbal commitments to the Gophers to sign National Letters of Intent during the early signing period that begins Wednesday and continues through November 19. “I would say they’re (the commitments) as solid as you’re ever going to get,” said James who writes for Gopherillustrated.com.

Verbally committed and expected to accept scholarships are point guards Kevin Dorsey and Jarvis Johnson, shooting guard Dupree McBrayer and power forward Jonathan Nwankwo. James said Dorsey’s style is a “perfect fit” for Minnesota coach Richard Pitino who likes to speed up play offensively and pressure defensively all over the court. James also said Johnson has favored the Gophers for awhile and the coaches “got in early on” recruiting McBrayer and Nwankwo. “There’s been no rumors whatsoever to them (all) not signing,” James said.

He expects the foursome to be a top 20 to 25 recruiting class when the national rankings come out after the early signing period, and for Minnesota’s group to be higher rated than those from border rivals Iowa and Wisconsin.

He believes the class will compare favorably to the Gophers’ best recruiting groups of the last 20 years except for what coach Clem Haskins achieved in 1995. The Haskins class included Bobby Jackson, Courtney James and Quincy Lewis—key contributors to the Gophers’ 1997 Final Four team. “That’s the best class that I have seen,” said James.

Dorsey is a 5-11, 160-pound four-star prospect from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, according to Rivals.com. “This is a guy who pushes the pace at all times,” James said. “He makes a 60, 70 point game (into) a 90 point game. His defense is game changing.”

Dorsey’s profile on Rival.com includes an impressive list of basketball schools that offered scholarships including Creighton, Maryland, Memphis, SMU and VCU.

Minnesota’s other three recruits are three-star players, according to Rivals but there are often different opinions about ratings. “Dupree McBrayer—some people have him four—most people have him three. I believe he’s a four-star kid,” James said. “As a guy who sees national talent (during) all the live periods, goes to all these tournaments, (I think) he’s better than a lot of guys that are ranked in front of him.”

McBrayer, from Bel Aire, Kansas, is 6-4, 175. “He’s a very skilled, very explosive long winged (player). He can play three positions,” James said. “He has so much potential, it’s amazing. He’s just starting to reach it.”

Johnson is the hometown kid, the DeLaSalle High School star who local prep fans have been watching for awhile. The 6-1, 175-pound Johnson turned down offers from the likes of Iowa State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and UCLA to stay home, according to Rivals.com. The decision was influenced, James said, by a “tight, tight, family.”

“Athletically he’s on another level,” James said about Johnson. “He can physically do things that other people just can’t and he’s been well taught at DeLaSalle.”

Johnson draws attention with his speed and James said the young point guard is “ferocious” in driving to the basket. And Johnson impresses with his hustle and effort on defense, too. “I’ve never seen him not dive for a loose ball. I’ve never seen him not play hard in a game. He plays for (coach) Dave Thorson; when you’re playing for Dave Thorson, you’re playing defense.”

Nwankwo is a player James is familiar with but wants to see more of. However, he has seen and knows enough to like the potential of the 6-9, 245-pound Nwankwo who is from Mount Vernon, New York.

“His body is like a Marvel cartoon character,” James said. “He’s a beast. He’s very coachable and willing to do whatever. Great size—he’s willing to defend.”

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2 Pitino Teams, 1 Airplane for Trip

Posted on November 9, 2014November 9, 2014 by David Shama

The Gophers and Louisville basketball players will be able to size each other up before the two teams compete in the Armed Forces Classic in Puerto Rico on Friday night. Minnesota and the Cardinals will fly together to the game.

Two college basketball teams using the same airplane is unusual. “I have never heard of that before,” Gophers center Elliott Eliason told Sports Headliners. “I guess when you’re father-son you kind of work those things out.”

The coaches, of course, are Louisville legend Rick Pitino and Gophers second-year coach Richard Pitino. The father and son, who talk frequently by telephone, agreed that to save money the two programs will charter from Louisville to Puerto Rico on Wednesday. The Gophers will fly to Louisville on Tuesday and have a practice there before joining the Cardinals on the flight to Puerto Rico.

“I guess I haven’t heard of it (same airplane),” said former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher. “I certainly didn’t ever experience that in 30 years of college where we flew with the opposing team.”

Eliason is curious what the seating arrangement will be on the airplane. “I am sure they’re a bunch of good guys so…it won’t be a problem, but it is kind of interesting. But it will be a good time.”

Will players from both teams socialize on the plane? “I’ll probably throw the old earphones on,” Eliason said. “Maybe take a nap, fall asleep. We’ll see. After the game we can talk all you want.”

Actually, get-togethers involving the Cardinals and Gophers are planned in Puerto Rico as part of festivities leading up to the game. The Armed Forces Classic is part of ESPN’s America’s Heroes: A Salute to Our Veterans programming, and each year a different branch of the military hosts the game. This year it’s the Coast Guard’s turn and the game will be played in a hangar in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The Classic will be played in front of military personnel with no admission cost and televised nationally by ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m. Minneapolis time.

The game–the third annual–is owned by ESPN Regional Television. “It’s honestly a huge honor,” Eliason said. “It’s going to be an amazing game. I couldn’t be more excited about it. You watch those other teams play in it every year so it’s so exciting to be part of that this year.”

The Cardinals are among the royalty of college basketball. Louisville won the NCAA championship in 2013 and is a contender for the 2015 title. The Cardinals are probably a top 20 team in every preseason poll, while the Gophers, who won the NIT last April after not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, are trying to become a nationally-ranked program. “It’s a bigger opportunity for Minnesota than it is for Louisville,” Dutcher said.

Louisville has forward Montrezl Harrell and guard Terry Rozier, two players who are projected as NBA draft choices next June by NBAdraft.net. The Cardinals also have Pitino who has won national championships while coaching at Kentucky and Louisville. The Cardinals are ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll. “There’s a lot more pressure on Louisville than there is on Minnesota,” Dutcher said.

Dutcher recalled that ex-coach Tubby Smith’s Gophers defeated Louisville in an early nonconference game in 2008. The Cardinals were rated No. 9 nationally, while the Gophers were unranked. It was a signature win for Minnesota and one that influenced the NCAA selection committee when they started handing out invitations to the tournament and the Gophers were included in the field of teams.

Richard Pitino is 32 years old and the consultation he receives from his dad is a plus for the Gophers’ program—something that goes beyond saving money on an airplane trip to Puerto Rico. “I think it’s definitely an asset,” Dutcher said. “I talk to my son Brian all the time about San Diego State games. He sent me the tape of their scrimmage the other day with Stanford and said, ‘What do you think?’ ”

For the younger Pitino to know that his father is just a telephone call away means a lot. “Every coach has somebody they want to talk to other than their staff and their players—particularly when things aren’t going well,” Dutcher said. “That’s when they kind of need some guidance and some help and some encouragement. I am sure he (Richard) gets that.”

Conversations between the Pitinos likely include potential recruits, and that’s another asset for Minnesota’s program. “That goes on between coaches who are just friends, not even family—there’s a kid that we can’t take but I think he would really fit into your program,” Dutcher said. “All coaches network, even with other coaches in different conferences. I am sure he (Richard) benefits from the success and the experience that his father has.”

Of course on Friday night the son would like nothing better than to take some of that success away from dad—even if they did hitch a ride together to Puerto Rico and back.

Gophers Football Notes

Even mascot Goldy Gopher—symbolically the biggest Golden Gophers loyalist on the planet—wouldn’t have predicted a 51-14 domination of Iowa on Saturday. The doomsday feeling hanging over Dinkytown for two weeks after Minnesota’s loss to lowly Illinois on October 25 evaporated by halftime on Saturday when the Gophers followed up an opening touchdown by Iowa with 35 unanswered points.

The win demonstrated again that the unexpected can be anticipated in college football where there is plenty of parity in talent among teams. Iowa had beaten up on Northwestern a week ago Saturday, winning 48-7, but what proved more valuable was Minnesota’s bye in the schedule that gave the Gophers an extra week of preparation.

The Gophers, now 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten, improved their chances of an invitation to a good bowl game, enhanced the possibility of a sellout at TCF Bank Stadium next Saturday against Ohio State and won “Floyd of Rosedale” for the third time in five years. Representatives from the Holiday Bowl (December 27, San Diego) and Fiesta Bowl (December 31, Glendale, Arizona) were at the game.

The Gophers’ Maxx Williams, who had three touchdown receptions, showed again why he is on the midseason watch list for the John Mackey Award recognizing the nation’s best tight end. He is a redshirt sophomore eligible for next year’s NFL Draft.

The game wasn’t a happy homecoming for Iowa athletics director Gary Barta who was born in Minneapolis and attended Burnsville High School. Barta still has more than a dozen relatives in this area.

Zach Johnson of Gopherillustrated.com said the Gophers had high school players Colton Beebe, Jonathan Femi-Cole and Jaylen Waters at the game. Beebe is a Rivals.com two-star linebacker from Kansas City, Kansas. Femi-Cole is a three-star running back from Vaughan, Ontario while Waters is a three star linebacker from Copperas Cove, Texas. Beebe hasn’t verbally committed to the Gophers but Femi-Cole and Waters have, according to G.I.

Here are Sports Headliners’ power rankings of Big Ten teams after Saturday: 1. Ohio State; 2. Michigan State; 3. Wisconsin; 4. Nebraska; 5. Minnesota; 6. Maryland; 7. Iowa; 8. Michigan; 9. Penn State; 10. Northwestern; 11. Rutgers; 12. Purdue; 13. Illinois 14. Indiana.

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