Ah, November. A great month for basketball. Seriously...it's a month to get acclimated, to check out some teams, to get a feel for what the stories are going to be. Granted, there aren't any real stories in November, but you can anticipate. So anticipating the 2012-2013 season, here's what I want to see in November:
Wed., Nov. 7--I saw the Timberwolves beat Orlando 90-75 but I didn't get to see Ricky Rubio or Kevin Love.
Sat.-Sun., Nov. 10-11--Gopher women vs. Washington State at noon on Saturday, and hopefully it will be Minnesota vs. South Dakota State at 1 p.m. on Sunday. If so, you'll get a chance to see a bevy of Minnesotans including Leah Dietel, Megan Waytashek, Megan Stuart and several more for the Jackrabbits, and of course you'll get to see newcomers Kayla Hirt and Mikayla Bailey plus (hopefully) Jackie Johnson and Shayne Mullaney for the Gophers.
Mon., Nov. 12--Toledo at Minnesota Gopher men and their cast of thousands. Tubby's got pret'near 3 full platoons goin' here. So something's gotta give. Is it Mo Walker or Andre Ingram in the middle? What happens to Rodney Williams when Trevor Mbakwe is at full strength? Does he displace Joe Coleman at the small forward? Is Mav Ahanmisi or Julian Welch the back-up at the point? Can the Gophers beat a good Toledo squad?
Sat., Nov. 17--girls jamboree at Hopkins High.
Sun., Nov. 18--let's play two! Gopher women vs. somebody in the Subway Classic final (you'd hope ) at 1 p.m., followed by Gopher men vs. Richmond at 6 p.m., all at the Barn.
Tues., Nov. 20--Wisconsin-River Falls at St. Thomas. Just what kind of beast is St. Thomas gonna be with Tommy Hannon back on a medical redshirt?
Sun., Nov. 25--Wisconsin-Stevens Point at St. Thomas. Just what kind of beast is St. Thomas gonna be with Taylor Young and Maggie Weiers back?
Tues., Nov. 27--High school ball opens up with some girls action--I like Farmington at Simley, the latter featuring youngsters Abby Kain and Kylie Brown.
Thurs., Nov. 29--Virginia at Gopher women.
Fri., Nov. 30--Mahtomedi girls at Forest Lake. Ali Greene vs. Bailey Norby.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
T-Wolves 90 Orlando 75, but it wasn't that close
It's that time of year when a team's prospects can go from zero to 60 and back again in a hurry. Just last Sunday the young Orlando Magic, rebuilding after the loss of Dwight Howard, were 2-0 and feeling pretty good about themselves. That same night the Minnesota Timberwolves trailed the Brooklyn Nets 71-49 in the 3rd quarter, and look every bit the part of a mediocre 1-2 club.
Instead the Wolves put a miraculous comeback on the Nets, out-scoring them 32-10 in the 4th quarter to win. Then on Monday Orlando lost for the 1st time in Chicago. And now, after the Wolves put a big hurt on the Magic, Orlando is a mediocre 2-2 while Minnesota is 3-1 and it is the Wolves who are feelin' all right.
Yet the Wolves struggled for 2-and-a-half quarters. An early 25-10 lead was dissipated as Minnesota missed its next 12 shots and turned it over 5 times. By half-time Orlando was back within 38-34.
It was more of the same in the 2nd. The Magic scored the 1st bucket of the 2nd half to make it 38-36, then the Wolves ripped off a 15-4 run for a 53-40 lead. Sure enough, Orlando clawed back to within 58-53.
But now...Minnesota closed the 3rd with a 10-2 run for a 68-55 edge, then followed it up with an 18-4 advantage over the 1st half of the 4th quarter. 86-59 at 5:11, game over. Back-up post Greg Stiemsma keyed the 28-6 run with 4 buckets in just 1:14 in the final minute of the 3rd and the 1st minute of the 4th period. J.J. Barea assisted on all 4 of Steimsma's buckets.
Stiemsma finished with 10 points, 3 boards and a block during the run, while Chase Budinger added 8 points and Alexei Shved 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
For the night Luke Ridnour led the Wolves with 19 points, while Derrick Williams, Stiemsma, Nikola Pekovich and Budinger also scored in double figures. Williams added 6 boards and 2 steals. Brandon Roy scored just 3 points but added 9 assists.
The Wolves slowed the tempo just a bit on the run 'n gun Magic, making it a 90 possession game vs. Orlando's 3 game average of 100 possessions. Minnesota shot a respectable 45% and shot better than 50% in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters while making just 5-of-19 in the 2nd. Orlando shot just 35% and a miserable 35% on 2-pointers.
Ridnour was the Wolves' best player, running the show for 31 minutes and badly out-playing Orlando's E'Twaun Moore, starting in place of the oft-injured Jameer Nelson. Ridnour sometimes gets manhandled, but against guys his own size he is a heady, steady, smart guy who takes what the defense gives. As was the case last night.
Then came Derrick Williams, who was solid in every phase of the game, which came as frankly a bit of a surprise. And he certainly was Mr. Highlight Reel among a bunch of guys who are more stiletto than sledgehammer.
Then I would say Budinger and Kirilenko at the small forward. They didn't have a great night offensively, but combined to hold Orlando's leading scorer, Glen "Baby" Davis, to just 4 points.
Then came the posts, Pekovic and Steimsma, with 23 points between 'em. I would have to guess that the "points in the paint" were decisively slanted toward Minnesota. Orlando's starting front line scored a total of 13 points.
It was a tougher night for guards Brandon Roy, Shved and Barea. Roy and Shved were out-scored by the Magic's off-guards Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick 28-10, but they did contribute 12 assists. And in fairness, Roy was #2 on the +/- chart after D. Williams at +19. But his shot looks forced, he just doesn't look comfortable out there,
But if we're talking about uncomfortable, there's the Orlando Magic, who would appear to be a truly dreadful NBA team. Maybe the loss of Jameer Nelson is that big of a deal, or maybe they really are dreadful. The fact is the Wolves sleepwalked through large portions of this game, yet led 86-59 in the 4th. The final was 90-75, but in reality it was nowhere near that close.
Instead the Wolves put a miraculous comeback on the Nets, out-scoring them 32-10 in the 4th quarter to win. Then on Monday Orlando lost for the 1st time in Chicago. And now, after the Wolves put a big hurt on the Magic, Orlando is a mediocre 2-2 while Minnesota is 3-1 and it is the Wolves who are feelin' all right.
Yet the Wolves struggled for 2-and-a-half quarters. An early 25-10 lead was dissipated as Minnesota missed its next 12 shots and turned it over 5 times. By half-time Orlando was back within 38-34.
It was more of the same in the 2nd. The Magic scored the 1st bucket of the 2nd half to make it 38-36, then the Wolves ripped off a 15-4 run for a 53-40 lead. Sure enough, Orlando clawed back to within 58-53.
But now...Minnesota closed the 3rd with a 10-2 run for a 68-55 edge, then followed it up with an 18-4 advantage over the 1st half of the 4th quarter. 86-59 at 5:11, game over. Back-up post Greg Stiemsma keyed the 28-6 run with 4 buckets in just 1:14 in the final minute of the 3rd and the 1st minute of the 4th period. J.J. Barea assisted on all 4 of Steimsma's buckets.
Stiemsma finished with 10 points, 3 boards and a block during the run, while Chase Budinger added 8 points and Alexei Shved 3 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
For the night Luke Ridnour led the Wolves with 19 points, while Derrick Williams, Stiemsma, Nikola Pekovich and Budinger also scored in double figures. Williams added 6 boards and 2 steals. Brandon Roy scored just 3 points but added 9 assists.
The Wolves slowed the tempo just a bit on the run 'n gun Magic, making it a 90 possession game vs. Orlando's 3 game average of 100 possessions. Minnesota shot a respectable 45% and shot better than 50% in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters while making just 5-of-19 in the 2nd. Orlando shot just 35% and a miserable 35% on 2-pointers.
Ridnour was the Wolves' best player, running the show for 31 minutes and badly out-playing Orlando's E'Twaun Moore, starting in place of the oft-injured Jameer Nelson. Ridnour sometimes gets manhandled, but against guys his own size he is a heady, steady, smart guy who takes what the defense gives. As was the case last night.
Then came Derrick Williams, who was solid in every phase of the game, which came as frankly a bit of a surprise. And he certainly was Mr. Highlight Reel among a bunch of guys who are more stiletto than sledgehammer.
Then I would say Budinger and Kirilenko at the small forward. They didn't have a great night offensively, but combined to hold Orlando's leading scorer, Glen "Baby" Davis, to just 4 points.
Then came the posts, Pekovic and Steimsma, with 23 points between 'em. I would have to guess that the "points in the paint" were decisively slanted toward Minnesota. Orlando's starting front line scored a total of 13 points.
It was a tougher night for guards Brandon Roy, Shved and Barea. Roy and Shved were out-scored by the Magic's off-guards Arron Afflalo and J.J. Redick 28-10, but they did contribute 12 assists. And in fairness, Roy was #2 on the +/- chart after D. Williams at +19. But his shot looks forced, he just doesn't look comfortable out there,
But if we're talking about uncomfortable, there's the Orlando Magic, who would appear to be a truly dreadful NBA team. Maybe the loss of Jameer Nelson is that big of a deal, or maybe they really are dreadful. The fact is the Wolves sleepwalked through large portions of this game, yet led 86-59 in the 4th. The final was 90-75, but in reality it was nowhere near that close.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Gopher Men Are Deep 2
After 2 games, Tubby Smith is playing 12 Minnesota Gophers for 10 minutes or more. That's about 2 or 3 guys more than most rotations that you see. What's gonna give?
Center
Elliott Eliason plays 15 minutes and scores 2.5 points on 50% FG shooting, with 5 rebound
Andre Ingram 14 minutes 6 points 50% 2.5 boards
Mo Walker 10 minutes 6 points 67% 2 boards
The 3 of them are scoring 14. 5 points with 9.5 boards on better than 50% shooting. If they can do that in the Big 10, of course, it would be a terrific record. The oddity is starter Eliason's extreme reluctance to shoot: 2 shots in 30 minutes so far versus Ingram's 8 in 28 minutes and Walker's 7 in 19 minutes.
Power Forward
Rodney Williams 18 minutes 10 points 66% 5.5 boards
Charles Buggs 14 minutes 3 points 50%
Trevor Mbakwe 11 minutes 3.5 points 100% 3 boards, 2 assists
Mbakwe is obviously going to start and the frosh Buggs is not going to play. But Tubby's got a problem here. Rodney has never quite seemed comfortable at the small forward spot, where Joe Coleman is going gangbusters. What happens to Rodney? But if they can score 16.5 on 65% shooting in the Big 10, the Gophers can be very good.
Small Forward
Joe Coleman 24 minutes 18 points 81% but 3 turnovers
Oto Osieniks 13 minutes 4.5 points 25%
22.5 points would be terrific in the Big 10, and Coleman looks to me like he is ready to bust out even against better competition. But what to do with Rodney?
Point Guard
Austin Hollins 22 minutes 9.5 points 50% 6 assists
Julian Welch 19 minutes 6 points 33% 3 boards, 3.5 assists, 2.5 turnovers
15.5 points and 9.5 assists would be very acceptable in the Big 10.
Shooting Guard
Andre Hollins 19 minutes 8 points 64%
Maverick Ahanmisi 17 minutes 5 points 57% 3 boards
I guess the question is whether Welch or Ahanmisi is really the back-up point guard. The fact is that Welch has more assists than Mav does so far. 13 points is a little disappointing at this position, though 60% is a nice percentage. But you'd like this position to be covered by a go-to type of guy, and I'm not sure Andre is it. It's the only place the Gophers have not been up to par.
Center
Elliott Eliason plays 15 minutes and scores 2.5 points on 50% FG shooting, with 5 rebound
Andre Ingram 14 minutes 6 points 50% 2.5 boards
Mo Walker 10 minutes 6 points 67% 2 boards
The 3 of them are scoring 14. 5 points with 9.5 boards on better than 50% shooting. If they can do that in the Big 10, of course, it would be a terrific record. The oddity is starter Eliason's extreme reluctance to shoot: 2 shots in 30 minutes so far versus Ingram's 8 in 28 minutes and Walker's 7 in 19 minutes.
Power Forward
Rodney Williams 18 minutes 10 points 66% 5.5 boards
Charles Buggs 14 minutes 3 points 50%
Trevor Mbakwe 11 minutes 3.5 points 100% 3 boards, 2 assists
Mbakwe is obviously going to start and the frosh Buggs is not going to play. But Tubby's got a problem here. Rodney has never quite seemed comfortable at the small forward spot, where Joe Coleman is going gangbusters. What happens to Rodney? But if they can score 16.5 on 65% shooting in the Big 10, the Gophers can be very good.
Small Forward
Joe Coleman 24 minutes 18 points 81% but 3 turnovers
Oto Osieniks 13 minutes 4.5 points 25%
22.5 points would be terrific in the Big 10, and Coleman looks to me like he is ready to bust out even against better competition. But what to do with Rodney?
Point Guard
Austin Hollins 22 minutes 9.5 points 50% 6 assists
Julian Welch 19 minutes 6 points 33% 3 boards, 3.5 assists, 2.5 turnovers
15.5 points and 9.5 assists would be very acceptable in the Big 10.
Shooting Guard
Andre Hollins 19 minutes 8 points 64%
Maverick Ahanmisi 17 minutes 5 points 57% 3 boards
I guess the question is whether Welch or Ahanmisi is really the back-up point guard. The fact is that Welch has more assists than Mav does so far. 13 points is a little disappointing at this position, though 60% is a nice percentage. But you'd like this position to be covered by a go-to type of guy, and I'm not sure Andre is it. It's the only place the Gophers have not been up to par.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Gopher Women Sleepwalk Past Mankato
The Gopher women followed 1 strong effort with a weak effort, but finished the exhibition season at, well, 0-0, I guess. But with 2 wins. After 2 games:
Center
Micaela Riche 26 minutes, 14 ppg, 55% shooting, 9 rebounds
Jackie Johnson 10 minutes, has yet to score
Katie Loberg has not played, out for a couple weeks with a leg injury
Amanda Zahui B. not yet with the team
A lot will change here before we're done. The news right now is Loberg is hurt, and Jackie Johnson has not hit any kind of stride. Riche has been pretty solid at 14 and 9 and 55.
Power Forward
Kionna Kellogg 24 minutes, 8 ppg, 43%, 7 boards, 2 assists, 2.5 steals
Kayla Hirt 27 minutes, 9 points, 44%, 6 boards, 2.5 assists
Kellogg played in the post in game 1 and Hirt moved up, but longer term I think Hirt will be at the small forward. Kellogg had one great game and one not great game, nothing anywhere near her average. Hirt belongs.
Small Forward
Sari Noga 33 minutes, 7.5 points, 45%, 5.5 boards, 3 assists, 3.5 steals
Sari isn't quick, can't jump...but she is getting the job done.
Point Guard
Rachel Banham 28.5 minutes, 21 points, 54%, 6 boards, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals, but 3.5 turnovers
Leah Cotton 15.5 minutes, 4.5 points, 52%, 2.5 boards, 2 assists, 3 turnovers
Cotton has done some nice things, but overall she still looks like a freshman out there. Banham has been fine fine fine.
Shooting Guard
Mikayla Bailey 30.5 minutes, 7 points, 36%, 2 assists, 2 steals
Shayne Mullaney played 13 minutes and then zero minutes, has yet to score
I was wrong about Mikayla Bailey, she can play at this level. I am not ready to say I was wrong about Shayne Mullaney, but she sure hasn't looked comfortable out there yet.
Summary
Minnesota is shooting 45%--50% on 3s and 44% on 2s. Opponents shot just 31%, and less than 25% on 3s. The Gophers are giving up a ton of offensive boards (23 in 2 games) and turning it over (25 times vs. Mankato along, 23 times per game over the 2 games.
Strengths--So far, Banham, Riche, Hirt, Noga, Kellogg; points in the paint (37-21 advantage on average)
Weaknesses--So far, turnovers and defensive rebounding
With Loberg and Zahui B. out, and Johnson and Mullaney not yet in sync, it feels like we don't know much about this team just yet. But it doesn't hurt that Noga and Bailey are showing a lot more than expected and another newcomer--Hirt--is delivering more or less just as expected, considering that we expected a lot.
Wolves Comeback Is for the Ages
It's just game #3, and here the Timberwolves have already played perhaps their most remarkable game of the year. In case you missed it, they hammered the host Brooklyn Nets 32-10 in the 4th quarter to roar back from a 15-point 3rd quarter deficit and defeat the Nets 110-103.
3 quick buckets by Chase Budinger, Alexei Shved (a 3) and Andrei Kirilenko got the Wolves within 10, forcing a Brooklyn timeout. The Nets increased their lead to 12, but 3 more buckets by Dante Cunningham (off the offensive glass), Budinger (a 3) and Shved (another 3) made it 99-93 with still 6:29 remaining. Then a Cunningham block forced a shot clock violation, and a Cunningham bucket from Shved made it 99-95, forcing another Brooklyn timeout.
Still the Wolves kept coming, mostly with Pekovic, Cunningham, Budinger, Barea and Shved on the floor. A Nikola Pekovich 2 finally tied it up at 1:32, a Budinger 3 not quite a minute later gave the Wolves the lead at 106-103, and 2 FT each by Luke Ridnour and Shved iced it. Inside of 5 minutes it was 13-2 Minnesota.
Shved contributed 10 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal during the 4th quarter, Budinger 8 points, 3 boards and an assist, and Cunningham 6 points, 6 boards and a key block. None of the 3 is a starter for coach Rick Adelman. Pekovich was the only starter on the floor through the heart of the 4th quarter.
After 3 Games
The Wolves are 2-1, and who could ask for more after 3 games with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, and during which both point guards have had injury problems. Well, did they really have to stink it up that bad in game #2 at Toronto? But anyway, here's the scouting report after 3 games.
Center
Pekovic 29 minutes per game, 15 ppg, 50% FG shooting, 7 boards
Stiemsma 14 minutes, 5 points, 46%
Stiemsma was the star of game 1 but Pek has reasserted his claim to being number 1 at the position. 20 points, 10 boards and C+ defense between 'em is an acceptable contribution.
Power Forward
D. Williams 22 minutes, 9 points, 29% shooting, 9 boards
Cunningham 23 minutes, 7 points, 42%, 7 boards
Cunningham is a pretty good back-up. Other than that, Kevin Love, please hurry home. Not only will Kevin give the Wolves' offense a boost but the defense, too.
Small Forward
Kirilenko 31 minutes, 14 points, 68%, 8 boards, 5 assists
Budinger 23 minutes, 11 points, 48%, 5 boards
Budinger is now getting some time at the off guard. Both can play. Kirilenko is Minnesota's best overall player so far.
Point Guard
Ridnour 24 minutes, 9 points, 56%, 3 boards
Barea 22 minutes, 12 points, 50%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Barea would have more minutes but for getting bounced out of the Toronto game after only 8-and-a-half minutes of play. He has been a solid contributor. Ridnour less so, though both are shooting out the lights. Defense is not good.
Off Guard
Roy 26 minutes, 7 points, 29%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Shved 18 minutes, 6 points, 29%
Budinger starting to get a lot of these minutes. Roy is not working out, though the guy, remarkably, given his knees, can and does play D.
Summary
The Wolves are mostly shooting well except for the 29 per centers--Williams, Roy, Shved. But they're giving up a nice percentage, too, and especially they're getting hammered from 3 point range. We're getting to the FT line--27 times per game to just 17 for the opponents.
And they're losing the possession game, though by a slim margin. They're turning the ball over 15 times per game, the opponents 11.
Strengths--2 point FG shooting, getting to the FT line, Kirilenio, Budinger, Barea
Weaknesses--3 point shooting, turnovers, Williams, Roy
I picked the Wolves to be right around .500. It won't take too many 4th quarters like that to exceed my expectations. A good start but, again, Kevin Love, please hurry hurry hurry home.
3 quick buckets by Chase Budinger, Alexei Shved (a 3) and Andrei Kirilenko got the Wolves within 10, forcing a Brooklyn timeout. The Nets increased their lead to 12, but 3 more buckets by Dante Cunningham (off the offensive glass), Budinger (a 3) and Shved (another 3) made it 99-93 with still 6:29 remaining. Then a Cunningham block forced a shot clock violation, and a Cunningham bucket from Shved made it 99-95, forcing another Brooklyn timeout.
Still the Wolves kept coming, mostly with Pekovic, Cunningham, Budinger, Barea and Shved on the floor. A Nikola Pekovich 2 finally tied it up at 1:32, a Budinger 3 not quite a minute later gave the Wolves the lead at 106-103, and 2 FT each by Luke Ridnour and Shved iced it. Inside of 5 minutes it was 13-2 Minnesota.
Shved contributed 10 points, a rebound, an assist and a steal during the 4th quarter, Budinger 8 points, 3 boards and an assist, and Cunningham 6 points, 6 boards and a key block. None of the 3 is a starter for coach Rick Adelman. Pekovich was the only starter on the floor through the heart of the 4th quarter.
After 3 Games
The Wolves are 2-1, and who could ask for more after 3 games with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, and during which both point guards have had injury problems. Well, did they really have to stink it up that bad in game #2 at Toronto? But anyway, here's the scouting report after 3 games.
Center
Pekovic 29 minutes per game, 15 ppg, 50% FG shooting, 7 boards
Stiemsma 14 minutes, 5 points, 46%
Stiemsma was the star of game 1 but Pek has reasserted his claim to being number 1 at the position. 20 points, 10 boards and C+ defense between 'em is an acceptable contribution.
Power Forward
D. Williams 22 minutes, 9 points, 29% shooting, 9 boards
Cunningham 23 minutes, 7 points, 42%, 7 boards
Cunningham is a pretty good back-up. Other than that, Kevin Love, please hurry home. Not only will Kevin give the Wolves' offense a boost but the defense, too.
Small Forward
Kirilenko 31 minutes, 14 points, 68%, 8 boards, 5 assists
Budinger 23 minutes, 11 points, 48%, 5 boards
Budinger is now getting some time at the off guard. Both can play. Kirilenko is Minnesota's best overall player so far.
Point Guard
Ridnour 24 minutes, 9 points, 56%, 3 boards
Barea 22 minutes, 12 points, 50%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Barea would have more minutes but for getting bounced out of the Toronto game after only 8-and-a-half minutes of play. He has been a solid contributor. Ridnour less so, though both are shooting out the lights. Defense is not good.
Off Guard
Roy 26 minutes, 7 points, 29%, 2 boards, 4 assists
Shved 18 minutes, 6 points, 29%
Budinger starting to get a lot of these minutes. Roy is not working out, though the guy, remarkably, given his knees, can and does play D.
Summary
The Wolves are mostly shooting well except for the 29 per centers--Williams, Roy, Shved. But they're giving up a nice percentage, too, and especially they're getting hammered from 3 point range. We're getting to the FT line--27 times per game to just 17 for the opponents.
And they're losing the possession game, though by a slim margin. They're turning the ball over 15 times per game, the opponents 11.
Strengths--2 point FG shooting, getting to the FT line, Kirilenio, Budinger, Barea
Weaknesses--3 point shooting, turnovers, Williams, Roy
I picked the Wolves to be right around .500. It won't take too many 4th quarters like that to exceed my expectations. A good start but, again, Kevin Love, please hurry hurry hurry home.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
SDSU Gophers...er, Jacks Women 2-0
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits (nee Gophers) women got off to a good start last weekend with 2 easy exhibition wins. UM-Crookston fell 86-43 and Black Hills State 90-48. When they play next Saturday and Sunday at Williams Arena they will have 7 Minnesotans on board. To date, 4 of their 5 starters are Minnesotans:
GabbyBoever 5-9 soph G from Worthington scored 14 points vs. Black Hills
Mariah Clarin 6-1 soph F from Princeton scoring 8.5 ppg so far and a team high 7.5 boards
Leah Dietel 6-1 senior F from Jordan scoring 9 ppg so far
Megan Waytashek 6-1 sophomore G-F from Centennial leads the scoring so far at 14.5 ppg
Off the bench:
Megan Stuart 6-2 sophomore F from Roseville has played 17.5 minutes per game so far
Jessie Hart 5-9 freshman G from Eagan has played 4 minutes in each game
Hannah Strop 6-1 junior F from New Prague played 7 minutes in game 1 and DNP in game 2
Also of note:
Back up post Katie Lingle is the Jacks' secret weapon, playing 19.5 minutes per game with 15 points plus 2 blocks in game 1 and 4 steals in game 2. Guard Tara Heiser played 35 minutes in the 2 games and scored 12 points in game 2.
Let's hope the Gophers face SDSU on Sunday, and let's further hope it is for the Best Buy Classic Title.
GabbyBoever 5-9 soph G from Worthington scored 14 points vs. Black Hills
Mariah Clarin 6-1 soph F from Princeton scoring 8.5 ppg so far and a team high 7.5 boards
Leah Dietel 6-1 senior F from Jordan scoring 9 ppg so far
Megan Waytashek 6-1 sophomore G-F from Centennial leads the scoring so far at 14.5 ppg
Off the bench:
Megan Stuart 6-2 sophomore F from Roseville has played 17.5 minutes per game so far
Jessie Hart 5-9 freshman G from Eagan has played 4 minutes in each game
Hannah Strop 6-1 junior F from New Prague played 7 minutes in game 1 and DNP in game 2
Also of note:
Back up post Katie Lingle is the Jacks' secret weapon, playing 19.5 minutes per game with 15 points plus 2 blocks in game 1 and 4 steals in game 2. Guard Tara Heiser played 35 minutes in the 2 games and scored 12 points in game 2.
Let's hope the Gophers face SDSU on Sunday, and let's further hope it is for the Best Buy Classic Title.
Gopher Men Are Deep!
Tubby Smith's Minnesota Gopher men successfully opened their 2012-2013 season with an 81-56 exhibition win over Mankato State, as 14 Gophers played and 13 of them scored. The Gophers out-shot Mankato 72 percent to 22 in the 1st half for a 42-22 halftime lead. The biggest lead was at 69-35 and 73-39.
Joe Coleman led the Gophers with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. No other Gopher scored in double figures. Austin Hollins had the 2nd best line with 9 points, 9 assists and a 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tubby's Rotation
C- Elliott Eliason 17 minutes Mo Walker 9 Andre Ingram 14
Eliason scored just 2 points on 1-for-1 shooting, but added 7 boards, a block and a steal. Mo Walker was solid in his return from almost 2 years off, but played only 9 minutes as his weight and conditioning continue to be a concern. Ingram was solid with 6 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
PF- Rodney Williams 15 Trevor Mbakwe 11 Charles Buggs 10 Chris Halvorsen 3 Ingram 1
Williams had 8 points of 4-of-6 shooting. Mbakwe was a bit tentative on his surgically repaired knee. Buggs had 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting with no boards.
Wing- Joe Coleman 24 Oto Osieniks 16
Coleman was good. Osieniks was good, too, with 6 points of 2-of-6 shooting, 4 boards, an assist and a steal.
PG- Austin Hollins 23 Maverick Ahanmisi 17
I've already mentioned Hollins' line. Mav was good, too, with 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 3 boards, 3 assists and even 2 blocked shots.
SG- Andre Hollins 16 Julian Welch 18 Ahanmisi 3 Kendall Shell 3
Andre scored 4 on 2-of-3 shooting, with 2 steals. Welch scored 4 on 2-of-4 shooting with 4 boards, 3 assists and a steal.
Thing to Work On
1. FREE THROW SHOOTING! 5-for-10.
2. Gave up 14 offensive boards.
Joe Coleman led the Gophers with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting. No other Gopher scored in double figures. Austin Hollins had the 2nd best line with 9 points, 9 assists and a 9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Tubby's Rotation
C- Elliott Eliason 17 minutes Mo Walker 9 Andre Ingram 14
Eliason scored just 2 points on 1-for-1 shooting, but added 7 boards, a block and a steal. Mo Walker was solid in his return from almost 2 years off, but played only 9 minutes as his weight and conditioning continue to be a concern. Ingram was solid with 6 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
PF- Rodney Williams 15 Trevor Mbakwe 11 Charles Buggs 10 Chris Halvorsen 3 Ingram 1
Williams had 8 points of 4-of-6 shooting. Mbakwe was a bit tentative on his surgically repaired knee. Buggs had 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting with no boards.
Wing- Joe Coleman 24 Oto Osieniks 16
Coleman was good. Osieniks was good, too, with 6 points of 2-of-6 shooting, 4 boards, an assist and a steal.
PG- Austin Hollins 23 Maverick Ahanmisi 17
I've already mentioned Hollins' line. Mav was good, too, with 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting, 3 boards, 3 assists and even 2 blocked shots.
SG- Andre Hollins 16 Julian Welch 18 Ahanmisi 3 Kendall Shell 3
Andre scored 4 on 2-of-3 shooting, with 2 steals. Welch scored 4 on 2-of-4 shooting with 4 boards, 3 assists and a steal.
Thing to Work On
1. FREE THROW SHOOTING! 5-for-10.
2. Gave up 14 offensive boards.
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