After a work of Tubby magic last season, the Gophers rumbled to the Big Ten Championship in the conference tournament and earning a berth in the NCAA postseason tournament. However, this year is expected to bring more winning to Minneapolis, where the Gophers are expected to compete for a top-3 spot in the conference. The Big Ten will be deep this season, and one of the teams that everyone has their eye on as the surprising team is the Golden Gophers. Here is my breakdown:
Point Guard: Al Nolen, SR, 6-1, 188 lbs (6.7 ppg, 3.1 rbg, 4.6 apg)
Al Nolen was suspended during the end of the season last year after being ruled academically ineligible, but after working hard over the summer, I don’t expect his grades to become a problem again. Nolen has tons of speed and is a predator on defense, which is essential for Tubby Smith’s full-court defense. As a senior, Nolen has really progressed passing the ball and as a shooter since his freshman’s year. Smith hasn’t declared Nolen or Devoe Joseph the starter yet, but I expect Nolen’s veteran presence of running the team to come through and earn him the starting spot.
Shooting Guard: Blake Hoffarber, SR, 6-4, 210 lbs (10.0 ppg, 3.6 rbg, .467 3PT)
Hoffarber is still trying to establish his legacy as more than the kid who made the shot off of his butt to eventually give Hopkins a high school state championship. Hoffarber is one of the best pure shooters in the country, as he was almost 50% from deep last year, and I expect him to improve upon that number this year. Hoffarber’s game is turning more than just a shooter compared to when he first entered at Minnesota. He is no longer a liability on defense, and is using his height to create more disadvantages off of the dribble.
Small Forward: SF- Rodney Williams, SO, 6-7, 200 lbs (4.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg)
Rodney Williams entered the University of Minnesota with high expectations to match is high leaping abilities. Williams needed work on the offensive end, as he wasn’t a great shooter as well as taking defenders off of the dribble. Williams is one of the most explosive players, and after a year under Tubby Smith, I expect him to utilize his athletic abilities on the defensive end and another year to hone his jump shot. Williams has the potential to be a lottery pick in a future NBA draft with athletic abilities that remind me of Rudy Gay, but it will be up to him to work on his defense and jump shot.
Power Forward: Ralph Sampson III, JR, 6-11, 241 lbs (8.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg)
Ralph Sampson III will never be the player that his father was, but he has the potential to be an incredible force in the post. Sampson III should have better rebounding numbers, but that should increase, as he will play more minutes this year. Sampson III’s extreme height should allow his hook shots to drop in over more athletic forwards that have caused him trouble in his earlier seasons.
Center: Colton Iverson, JR, 6-10, 258 lbs (5.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg)
Iverson played well off of the bench last year, and will be rewarded with a starting role this season. Iverson exploded during the Big Ten Tournament, and holds an invaluable role for the upcoming season. Iverson may be undersized through his height but he can hold his own. Iverson should improve after playing another season and his numbers should improve nicely.
Bench:
PF– Trevor Mbakwe, JR, 6-8, 240 lbs (16.3 ppg, 13.2 rps, 2.7 bpg at Miami Dade College in 2008-09)
PG- Devoe Joseph, JR, 6-3, 179 lbs (9.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.0 apg)
PF- Maurice Walker, FR, 6-10, 289 lbs (12.5 ppg, 10.0 rbg at Brewster Academy in N.H. in HS)
SG- Austin Hollins, FR, 6-4, 180 lbs (18.9 ppg at Germantown, Tenn. HS)
SG- Chip Armelin, FR, 6-3, 186 lbs (23.5 ppg, 9.2 rbg at Sulphur, La. HS)
The number one reason I believe this Golden Gopher team has a chance to wreck havoc in the Big Ten is because of Trevor Mbakwe. Mbakwe was suspended all of last season, but holds immense potential to dominate this year. In summer leagues, he was known to drop over 30 points a game, as well as dominating on the boards. Mbakwe is a little undersized, but his athleticism makes up for it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mbakwe’s name for Big Ten player of the year, once the season is over.
Devoe Joseph played amazingly after Al Nolan was ruled ineligible to play. Although Joseph isn’t the best passer, he is a much better scorer than Nolan and forces defense to cover him from driving and taking jump shots, compared to spying on Hoffarber for the entire game. The Gophers played much better with Joseph on the court, and I would expect Tubby to try and let Nolan and Joseph co-exist in the same backcourt, to maximize both of the players’ strengths.
The Gophers have three new freshmen that have a chance to contribute immediately off of the bench. Walker is much bigger than a lot of freshmen, and I could see him logging a lot of minutes during non-conference play before the Gophers run into bigger forwards in the Big Ten. Walker struggles defensively, and that will probably lead him to sitting more than playing down the stretch. Austin Hollins is a good pure shooter, and could find his way onto the floor when they are struggling to score offensively. Chip Armelin is a scorer, but will probably be limited this season due to the plethora of guards in front of him on the depth chart.
Season Outlook
The Minnesota Golden Gophers haven’t been a force in the Big Ten for the last decade, but are looking to make that jump this season. They have several pieces in the proper game manager in Al Nolen, a great shooter in Blake Hoffarber, a threat inside in Trevor Mbakwe, and good post defense with Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson. The Gophers are playing in a tough conference this year, but with Tubby Smith on the sidelines, this team has a chance to go places.
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