Gopher basketball coach Tubby Smith has one scholarship remaining for next season after adding five recruits, three incoming freshmen and two junior college transfers. He told Sports Headliners the final scholarship could go to a transfer from another school but didn’t predict it will happen, or offer specifics.
In recent weeks the staff has come close but lost out on Palmdale, California center Kris Faber and Champaign, Illinois guard Verdell Jones. Minnesota may have pursued other players, too. “We’re not going to find a freshman right now that can contribute,” Smith said. “The kids that committed elsewhere, they were going to be guys that would give us some depth but I didn’t see them as starters.”
The Gophers were 20-14 overall in Smith’s first season, finishing in sixth place in the Big Ten Conference standings with an 8-10 record. Although the Gophers will be without three starters who used up their eligibility, Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson and Lawrence McKenzie, Smith said the team can be better next season.
“How good can we be?” Smith asked. “I never know how good we are. I just know that if they do the things we ask them to do and we can stay healthy, then I think we can be an improved team. Now whether that equates into more wins is another thing.”
With a team that must prove it has talent and depth, the Gophers can’t afford to have eligibility challenges. “We won’t lose anybody academically,” Smith said. “Everybody had a good semester first semester. Some guys gotta get some things done with exams, but, no, we’re not worried about losing anybody.”
The Gophers will have only three power forward-center types, and two are incoming freshmen, Ralph Sampson III of Duluth, Georgia and Colton Iverson of Yankton, South Dakota. Jonathan Williams, a redshirt senior next season, averaged 3.0 points per game and shot free throws at 0.406 percent. He played about 13 minutes per game.
“Jonathan Williams, we gotta make sure that he continues to grow cause he’s going to be our only front court player with experience in the Big Ten, other than Damian (Johnson),” Smith said. “And Damian gives away so much as far as weight (about 195 pounds) is concerned. …”