Gophers Basketball – Page 168 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U’s Williams Lifting NBA Draft Status

Posted on March 26, 2012March 26, 2012 by David Shama

Junior Rodney Williams could be playing his way into the first round of the NBA draft this June.

That’s the opinion of former Gophers coach Jim Dutcher who believes Minnesota may have to play without Williams next season. “He’s playing as well as any small forward in America,” Dutcher said.

The Gophers meet Washington tomorrow night in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament in New York. Williams scored 66 points in three qualifying games to help Minnesota earn a trip to Madison Square Garden. “He’s had a great stretch,” Dutcher said.

The 6-7 forward, labeled for awhile now as the Big Ten’s best basketball athlete, has been an underachieving player for most of his career, but not lately scoring 24, 21 (twice) and 20 points in the last four games while lifting his scoring average to a team best 12.1. He’s become a leader on the floor and solid defensive player, but what’s flashy is his offensive profile. He’s found a consistent outside jump shot to go with his explosive drives and dunks.

Dutcher said pro scouts will be paying even more attention to Williams now that he’s arrived on the big stage of Madison Square Garden and been playing so well. The silky smooth Williams will be playing for his future — one that could either have him in the NBA next season or back at Minnesota for his senior year and a projected first round position in the 2013 draft. “What happens in the Garden will do a lot to determine it (Williams’ draft position),” Dutcher said.

What about the Gophers (22-14) and Washington (24-10) tomorrow night? The Huskies are the Pac-12 regular season champs (14-4 record) but Dutcher has watched Washington play and a Minnesota win wouldn’t surprise him. “There’s a reason they (the Huskies) weren’t invited to the NCAA tournament,” he said.

The Gophers won three road games to qualify for the NIT. After finishing 6-12 during the regular season in the Big Ten Conference, Minnesota has won four of five postseason games including one Big Ten tournament game.

Some of the program’s negative image has lessened. Minnesota has played its way into the NIT semifinals with perhaps more energy and good play than any other team. Coach Tubby Smith has received a lot of criticism the last two years, but Dutcher said his postseason work in 2012 deserves praise. “You have to give him credit now,” Dutcher said.

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Royce White to Review NBA Options

Posted on March 21, 2012March 21, 2012 by David Shama

Royce White’s grandfather dropped him off in Ames, Iowa on Sunday. What’s the next stop for White?

If conversations during the coming weeks determine the Iowa State sophomore is going to be an NBA lottery choice in June, then the former Hopkins High School All-American has likely played his last college game. His grandfather, Frank White, told Sports Headliners on Monday that Royce’s dream has always been an NBA career. “If he’s a top 10 lottery pick there’s no way I would (try to) convince him to stay,” Frank said.

The two Whites have a close relationship. Frank has mentored Royce from childhood. “I was there (at Royce’s birth) to cut the umbilical cord,” Frank said.

It was grandpa who drove 220 miles from his suburban St. Paul home last week to Ames to pick up Royce. Then he drove the Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Year 600 miles to Iowa State’s NCAA tournament games in Louisville. The two made the return trip to Ames on Sunday while Royce’s teammates flew home.

Royce suffers from anxiety and preferred not to fly to Louisville, believing he would feel better for the most important college games of his life if he travelled by car. Frank said fans should understand while it made Royce a “little more comfortable” to travel by car, it’s not that his grandson hasn’t done a lot of flying. Royce was on all the Iowa State Big 12 airplane trips except one and took a preseason trip with the Cyclones to Italy. “He’s been flying since third or fourth grade,” Frank said.

There can’t be any second-guessing the decision to drive to Louisville. Not after White helped the Cyclones to an opening tournament win on Thursday over defending NCAA national champion Connecticut. And not on Saturday after he scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and had four assists while showing he was the most versatile player on the floor against a star-laden Kentucky team.

The Wildcats are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament but it was White who received much of the attention from media and fans during and before the game. He seemed to enjoy the attention and at one point in the Kentucky game reportedly yelled: “I am the best player in the country.”

CBS recorded the moment and although his grandfather didn’t see it he had an explanation. “He said he was just trying to get everyone pumped up,” Frank said.

Royce looked toward the Iowa State fans when he made his statement. He has found acceptance in Ames after fighting through off-court problems with the Gophers, never playing a minute for his hometown University during the 2009-10 school year.

“He’s really embraced Iowa State and they have embraced him,” Frank said. “At the hotel (in Louisville) I had people telling me how great a young man (and) great player he is.”

Frank said Royce cried after the Kentucky loss, a defeat that may have been the first and only opportunity for him to fulfill his goal of winning a national championship. “I know he had some tears,” his grandfather said. “He believed he was going to win. Some of the Kentucky players he had played against (previously) in AAU (competition), and done well. Kentucky may have played its best game. Iowa State had its worst shooting game of the season.”

Despite being 6-feet-8 and 270 pounds, White wasn’t stereotyped at Iowa State as a player who could only position himself near the basket. Cyclones coach Fred Hoiberg, the former Timberwolves guard and front office executive, recognized White’s versatility and creativity. Hoiberg allowed White to bring the ball up the floor, sometimes being a primary ball handler and passer in the offense. White’s experiences at Iowa State will help make him more attractive to pro scouts who could project him both as a small and power forward.

Frank believes his grandson, who will be 21 next month, could move to the pros this year but he’s also comfortable with a decision to return to Iowa State for another season. Royce is a 3.0 student with a passion for music, a self-taught piano player who has long been interested in psychology. “I told him I don’t need anything other than for him to succeed in life,” Frank said.

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Tubby Smith Has South Carolina Ties

Posted on March 16, 2012March 16, 2012 by David Shama

Will South Carolina pursue Tubby Smith for its basketball opening?

The Gamecocks fired fourth-year coach Darrin Horn earlier this week after South Carolina finished with the worst record in the Southeastern Conference, 2-14. The Gamecocks were 10-21 overall, their third straight losing season under Horn.

Smith’s name is likely to come up as a successor to Horn. Smith was once an assistant coach at South Carolina. His agent, Ricky Lefft, is based in the state working as an attorney and assistant professor at South Carolina.

The Gophers coach and his agent could be restless after Smith’s five seasons in Minnesota. Smith has two years remaining on his contract but hasn’t been able to agree on an extension despite many months of speculation that a deal would get done. University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler told WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle on Sunday that contract considerations need to wait until a new Gophers athletic director is hired in the coming months.

After winning a national championship at Kentucky and being an annual SEC power, Smith’s transition to Minnesota has been a challenge. His program has faced off court problems including numerous player transfers and on court he has never coached a Minnesota team to better than a 9-9 record in the Big Ten Conference, or gone beyond an opening game in the NCAA tournament. His last two teams have produced conference regular season records of 6-12. His Big Ten record, including conference tournament games is, 39-53.

Smith’s five year resume has been criticized by fans and media more so this year than ever before. That criticism and the lack of progress by the athletic department in developing funds to build a state-of-the-art practice facility could be factors — along with his contract situation — in convincing Smith to look elsewhere if he can find the right opportunity.

Smith will be 61 in June and wants to continue coaching. But his age and mediocre results at Minnesota don’t make him the hot coaching commodity he once was. Yet South Carolina is a basketball program that has fallen on tough times and might see the image Smith built winning SEC championships at Kentucky as a quick fix.

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