Here are the top 10 contenders for MN Player of the Year 2019

Top Ten Player of the Year Candidates

1. Matthew Hurt, Rochester John Marshall, 6-9, senior, post

2. Jordyn Murphy, Minnesota Gophers, 6-6, senior, post

3. Paige Bueckers, Hopkins, 5-10, junior, guard

4. Jalen Suggs, Minnehaha, 6-4, junior, guard

5. Kenisha Bell, Minnesota Gophers, 5-9, senior, guard

6. Amir Coffey, Minnesota Gophers, 6-8, guard

7. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves, 7-0, post

8. Zeke Nnaji, Hopkins, 6-10, senior, forward

9. Anna Schmitt, Concordia St. Paul, 5-8, senior, guard

10 (tie). Josh Okogie, Minnesota Timberwolves, 6-5, wing

10 (tie). Daniel Oturu, Minnesota Gophers, 6-11, freshman, post

Nov. 4 Game of the Day--Iowa State women 73 Winona State 39

The short college exhibition season continued today with the D2 Winona State Warrior women traveling to Iowa State to face the D1 Cyclones. It is no surprise in such games when the D1 team wins on its own home court. How could it not? Well, it happens, but not very often.

In this case, Winona State hung tough, trailing 38-27 with 2:30 left in the 1st half. Iowa State closed the half on a 7-0 run, however, and never looked back. Winona shot 57% in the 1st half to stay within 45-27. Imagine the 2nd half when they shot 17 percent and scored just 2 points in the 4th quarter. Ouch. Even shooting 57 percent in the 1st, there weren't enough shots, as the Warriors turned it over 15 times against the Cyclones pressure defense.

Two Minnesotans started and played well for Winona. They are 5-11 senior forward Kayla Schaefer (Paynesville), who scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and had 6 rebounds, but also had 7 turnovers. 5-7 sophomore guard Allie Pickrain (Eastview) scored 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting (3-of-7 from long range) but also had 4 turnovers. 5-11 sophomore forward Taylor Hustad (New Prague) started but failed to score. 5-11 freshman guard Sydney Lodermeier (Goodhue) came off the bench to score 3 points with 5 boards. 6-1 sophomore Emma Fee (Burnsville) also came off the bench and scored 1 point.

The Warriors went 17-13 last year (10-12 in the Northern Sun) but get almost everybody back. Pickrain is a 1st team Southern Division pre-season all-conference pick. She scored 13 ppg last year as a freshman and was the NSIC Freshman of the Year. She ranked #13 nationally in D2 by shooting 43 percent from long range. The Warriors were picked for 4th place in the South (behind Sioux Falls, Concordia-St. Paul and Augustana) in the pre-season coach's poll.

Meanwhile, Kristin Scott (Kasson-Mantorville), a 6-3 redshirt freshman at Iowa State, came off the bench to score 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting while also grabbing 8 boards, 5 of them on the offensive end. The Cyclones were an uncharacteristic 14-17 last year, 7-11 in the Big 12, but look for improvement around a 6-3 (Scott), 6-3, 6-1 frontline consisting of two sophomores and the redshirt freshman, Scott.

Both teams anticipate some improvement this year, but a win over a D2 visitor is hardly an indicator thereof, nor is a road loss at a D1 power an indicator that Winona won't be improved. Both play in fiendishly tough conferences, however, so let's just say we'll be monitoring their progress.

Our Game, Player, Team and Coach of the Day awards go into the hopper for our first monthly award, and our monthly winners then go into the mix for our annual awards next March or April. Cheers.

Player of the Day--Kayla Schaefer, 5-11, senior, Winona State, 12 points, 6 rebounds

Team of the Day--Winona State

Coach of the Day--Scott Ballard, Winona State

100 Years of Boys Basketball: The 21st Century: "The Invisible Hand"

Youth basketball in Minnesota had functioned as a regulated market for 75 years. The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) and the schools dictated that boys could only play so many games in the school year—18, to be exact, when I played in the late 1960s. And, for many years, they could not play organized ball outside of their school at all without forfeiting their eligibility to play for their high school team. In 1961, once-defeated Minneapolis Roosevelt went into the single-class state tournament as co-favorites. Then, just one day before the start of the tournament, came the news that Roosevelt had been banned from the tournament because two of their deep bench players had played for their church in the Catholic DeMolay League. 

Throughout the 1960s, Minnesota kids were playing significantly less basketball than boys in neighboring states and, so, frankly, we weren’t very good. My own basketball career, from the 5^thgrade through the 12^th, consisted of about 110 games. In an average season in the 1960s, just one or two Minnesota boys would go on to play basketball at a Division 1 college. 

In the 1970s, according to Lake City (class of 1979) and Minnesota Gopher great Randy Breuer, “That was a different time. Back then, the High School League didn’t allow you to play 5-on-5 summer basketball. You could only play 3-on-3. So Minnesota was at quite a disadvantage with the rest of the country when it came to playing basketball and competing on a national stage.” Despite all of that, a cohort of very talented and very big Minnesotans made it to D1 and even to the NBA in the 1970s. 

By the 1980s, the pendulum again was swinging back the other way. So, the MSHSL finally decided to allow Adam Smith’s “invisible hand,” the free market, to prevail in high school sports, including basketball. In 1986, the MSHSL reversed its long-standing rules limiting summer basketball. Initially there was no place to play but over time a variety of basketball clubs opened up and provided kids with the opportunity to play ball all year long. 

Thirty years later, the payback on that decision is only too clear. On May 21, 2017, StarTribunereporter Chip Scoggins noted that Minnesota had a five-star recruit in every class—if you counted Gary Trent, formerly of Apple Valley, then at a California prep school, and signed to play at Duke in the fall of 2017. (As a freshman in 2017-2018, Trent scored 14.5 ppg as Duke advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight before losing to Kansas. Trent quickly signed up for the NBA draft.) Among the junior class of that year, it was Tre Jones of Apple Valley. Among the sophomores, it was Matthew Hurt of Rochester John Marshall, whose older brother Michael already played for the Gophers. Among the freshmen it was Jalen Suggs of Minnehaha Academy, who is rated as the top point guard in his class nationally. Jones and Suggs won state titles in 2017, and Suggs won another in 2018.

“When I took the Minnesota job,” Gopher coach Richard Pitino told Scoggins, “I had no idea how much of a basketball state it was. I always assumed it was a hockey state…. But it’s a terrific basketball state.” Former Minneapolis North and University of Connecticut star Khalid El-Amin recently said, “We have tremendous talent here. It must be something in the water in the 10,000 lakes producing these great basketball players.”

But summer ball and the vast improvement in the quality of Minnesota basketball talent is only half the story of 21^stcentury hoops. The other half of the story is “open enrollment” and a spectacular decline in competitive balance. In 1988, “open enrollment” was established by the Minnesota legislature. Open enrollment enabled any high school student to enroll in any school at almost any time and for virtually any reason. It had nothing necessarily to do with athletics. The theory was that schools would compete for students and funding, and in competing, schools would get better.

As it relates specifically to athletics, together, open enrollment and summer ball encouraged the creation of all-star teams in the high schools. Previously, high school success had depended on random fluctuations in the gene pool within a given school district. Now, success begat success. 

Excellence in Minnesota high school basketball long had been described by the number four. Red Wing won its fourth state title in 1933. Duluth Central, Bloomington Jefferson, Chisholm, Minneapolis North and DeLaSalle all won their fourth between 1979 and 1999. Then, in the early years of the new century, two teams would give the number four a whole new dimension. Only Edina and Minneapolis North had ever won three straight state titles. Now Southwest Minnesota Christian, located in the historic Minnesota basketball town of Edgerton, and Minneapolis Patrick Henry would win four consecutive titles—Southwest Christian from 1999 through 2002, Henry from 2000 to 2003.

Historic wins did not only come in sets of four, however. Minneapolis North, DeLaSalle and Hopkins each quickly won a fifth championship (not consecutively), while Braham and Litchfield each won three, all in the years from 2000 to 2006. Minneapolis Henry's fourth straight title was its sixth overall. By 2016 Hopkins had won nine titles overall, and the following year DeLaSalle won its sixth consecutive Class AAA title and its eleventh title altogether. 

Meanwhile, the three-point shot had been adopted by Minnesota high schools way back in 1986, but its true impact came to be seen only in and after 1997. You can score three points at a time, you can score in a hurry, sure, and that’s no small thing. And, yet, the most important effect of the three-point shot is that it forced the defense to go on the attack. The rules-makers though it would stretch the defense to create more space for the old old-fashioned low post in the lane. But, defenses refused to fall into that trap. “We’re in defend-and-go,” says Hopkins coach Kenny Novak, Jr. “You want to get easy buckets. You’re making a mistake if you don’t.” 

“(The three-point shot) leads to a faster style of game,” Novak says. That (not quoting Novak, but saying this myself) exacerbates the gap between the haves and the have-nots. Even the best-conditioned athletes can’t go full-tilt, full-court, full-time. Everybody needs a break. So elite teams play deeper rotations than ever before. But, only elite teams and programs can go to their bench without sacrificing some ability. So, once teams do go to their bench, the chasm between the best and the rest gets a little wider.

And then there’s this. “Our game kind of follows the way they referee,” Novak said. “The offense can really go at people, they handle the ball so well. They allow you to put your hand on the side of the ball and even underneath. In the old days you had to be right on top. You couldn’t just go right by people, but now you can. The offense causes the defense to get more physical just because there is no choice,” Novak adds. 

What does Novak think of this newer, more physical style of play? “I like it, I like contact. It’s become a more athletic game, it’s become a very smart game. Strength is a really big factor. It’s a great game, but if you’re going to win, you’ve got to get physical.”

So that is the story of Minnesota boys high school basketball in the 21^stcentury in the abstract. The opportunity to play more basketball led to a major improvement in the quality of Minnesota’s top basketball athletes. “Open enrollment” helped create all-star teams and dynasties that far eclipsed the best of previous eras. The three-point shot made for a faster-paced game, and officials decided somewhere along the way to allow the game to become vastly more physical than it was back in the day. Wow! That's a lot of change to absorb.

Summer Ball Begins to Pay Off

Summer ball was approved by the MSHSL in 1986 but it was only a decade later that an improvement in the caliber of Minnesota high school basketball became discernible. 

Howard Pulley quickly emerged as the ace of clubs. Rene Pulley founded the club in 1985, a year before the MSHSL relaxed its rules against summer play, and named it in honor of his father. Pulley has been one of Minnesota’s top clubs continuously for more than 30 years. Alumni include Adam Boone (Minnetonka, North Carolina and Minnesota). Khalid El-Amin (Minneapolis North and Connecticut), Devean George (Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Augsburg and the Los Angeles Lakers), Johnnie Gilbert (Minneapolis Henry and Oklahoma), Moe Hargrow (St. Paul Highland Park and Minnesota), Kris Humphries (Hopkins, Minnesota and the NBA), Darius Lane (Totino-Grace and Seton Hall), Joe Mauer (Cretin and the Minnesota Twins), Rick Rickert (Duluth East and Minnesota), Jake Sullivan (Tartan and Iowa State), and hundreds more.

The Minnesota Magic and the Minnesota Glory also were among the earlier clubs to achieve notoriety. The Magic won 17 national championships of various kinds, mostly in the 1990s. The Glory produced 40 D1 scholarship players.

Other clubs have come and gone. The Select was another successful early club but, eventually, D1, Comets, Crossfire, Fury, Heat and others came along so that there were plenty of places for boys to play summer ball. By about 2005, Minnesota had more boys (and girls) playing AAU summer ball, per capita, than almost any state in the nation, and they were more prominent on the national scene than they had been at any time since the 1970s—or, maybe even the 1940s.

It was the class of 1997 that, suddenly, became vastly more visible at the college level, including Brian Giesen of New Prague and Indiana State, Jared Nuness of Hopkins and Valparaiso, Slovakian native Martin Rancik of St. Louis Park and Iowa State, Dusty Rychert of Grand Rapids and Minnesota, and more. Chris Bjorklund of Brainerd and Cal Poly scored more than 2,000 career points in college. Greg Buth of Edina scored more than 1,000 at Dartmouth. And, Kyle Behrens of Hayfield and North Dakota, Chad Koenen of Clara City and Southwest State, and Kyle Schlaak of New Richland and Winona State all earned NCAA D2 all-American honors.

The class of 1999 was even better. Nick Horvath of Mounds View won a state championship, then went to national powerhouse Duke. Michael Bauer of Hastings, Ben Johnson of DeLaSalle and Shane Schilling of 1998 champion Minnetonka all went on to start at Minnesota. Troy Bell of Holy Angels went out east to Boston College, where he scored more than 2,000 career points.

In 2002, five Minnesota men—Bell, Horvath, Nuness, Alan Anderson of DeLaSalle and Michigan State, and Nick Jacobson of Roseville and Utah—played in the NCAA tournament. By the fall of 2005, there were 60 Minnesotans on Division I rosters. And, it was about this time, from 2002 to 2005, that a program emerged as the flagship of Minnesota high school basketball.

Minnesota's Pre-Season Top 10 Basketball Teams

 OK, fans. Who's got the best chance for success in 2018-2019? Here are my top 10 going in.

1. St. Thomas women

The St. Thomas women under coach Ruth Sinn just keep on cookin.’ Can I say that? Last year, they won their 7^thregular season title in the 11-year MIAC playoff era and their 7^thstraight playoff title (and 8^th in 11 years). They now have a 48-game regular season winning streak going in the MIAC and a 14-game winning streak in the playoffs. Add their 2016, 2017 and 2018 playoff wins to their current winning streak and it grows to 54 games. They are 20-8 in the NCAA tournament with a national championship in 2012 and a 2^nd in 2017.

The fact is that coach Sinn’s 2^nd team could contend for the MIAC title. That (2^nd team) might consist of 6-2 junior post Olivia Skibba (2 ppg) from somewhere over in Wisconsin; 5-8 junior forward Sarah Krynski (3 ppg) from Lakeville North; sophomore wings Madi Radtke (5-11, 2 ppg) from Lester Prairie, and Kelsie Cox (5-10, 1 ppg) from Elk River; and at the point guard, 5-8 sophomore Macy Hatlestad (1 ppg) from Alexandria. Radtke and Cox will be stars here eventually.

The first string is Hannah Spaulding, 6-2 senior from Annandale (20 ppg-9 boards-3 blocks); 6-2 junior Elsa Anderson (5 ppg) from Iowa; 5-11 sophomore wing Kaia Porter from Roseville (7 ppg-3 boards-2 assists); and senior guards Lucia Renikoff, 5-9 from Mpls. Washburn (13 ppg-4 boards-2 assists), and Kaylie Brazil, 5-4 from Norwood Young America (7 ppg-3 boards-3 assists). 

The only question being debated about the MIAC women is whether the Tommies can make it 74 straight wins in the conference. Don’t bet against it.

2. Minnesota Gopher men

The Gopher men went into the 2017-2018 season with sky-high expectations after winning 11 Big 10 games in 2017, the most since 1997 (or, officially, since 1982). A series of injuries wrecked those hopes. The return of the injured Amir Coffey (Hopkins) raises hopes and expectations but the continuing health woes of big man Eric Curry do not help. So, first, the Gophers will need to get Curry back at full strength in December, as anticipated, and then they all need to stay healthy. And, second, a highly-regarded freshman class will need to contribute. There's some upside here but not much of a margin for error.

Still, 6-6 senior forward Jordan Murphy is the rock, the foundation of this team. He plays more like 6-10 inside and averages 17 ppg and 11 boards. Coffey, a 6-8 guard, on the other hand, plays more like 6-4 and I mean that in a good way. With his unique combination of length and agility, he spreads the floor like nobody else and scored 14 ppg last year while leading the team in assists. Guards Dupree McBrayer and Isaiah Washington bring a mix of skills on the perimeter and Curry is another active big inside.

Then there's guard Marcus Carr, who led Pittsburgh in assists and steals last year and scored 10 mpg. Right now, it's not anticipated that he'll play this year, but an NCAA waiver has not formally been denied. If he's eligible, then move the Gophers up another notch or 2 in the Big Ten. 

Then there are the freshmen—6-10 Daniel Oturu (Cretin) and 6-6 Jarvis Omersa (Orono), both rugged inside players—and 6-4 guard Gabe Kalscheur (DeLaSalle), who lit it up for 74 points in 2 high-school all-star games last April. All 3 of them are expected to help right out of the gate. If Curry gets healthy and everyone else stays health and if Carr is eligible, these guys can match the 2017 record of 23-8 and 11-7 and return to the NCAA tournament. But, they are not going to be a really deep team even with Curry and Carr so, again, there's not much margin for error. 

3 (tie). North Tartan 2020 EYBL girls

3 (tie). D1 Minnesota 2019 boys

2 really, really awesome AAU club teams from last summer, both of whom one a national championship or 2 somewhere along the way.

4 (tie). Hopkins boys

4 (tie). Hopkins girls

The Hopkins boys under coach Kenny Novak, Jr., won 7 state titles in the 15 years from 2002 to 2015. They have now endured their 2^nd longest streak of the 21^st century without a state title—which is to say, 2 years. But, what is even more surprising is that they’ve missed the state tournament both years. OK, Wayzata is going to be good again, but the Royals are not going to miss another state tournament—and maybe not even another state title.

As far as I can tell, only one Minnesota high school returns more scoring production than Hopkins with 59 points. 20 of those come from 6-10 beast Zeke Nnaji, and 15 each from point guard Blaise Beauchamp and shooting guard Alijah Davis. Next is East Ridge at 51 points including 40 from bigs Courtney Brown and Ben Carlson. Rochester John Marshall is next at 42, but 34 of them come from 5-star recruit Matthew Hurt. A state tournament trip is not out of the question, but they’re not going to have the balance to go all the way. Park Center and Eden Prairie are also elite.

Either Hurt or Nnaji should be Mr. Basketball come March.

The Hopkins girls have now played in a remarkable seven state championships in eight years. There was plenty of whining when they won four of five titles in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015. The ready answer was, “If you want to beat Hopkins, get better.” Well, surprisingly, they got better, some of them, and Minnetonka in 2016, Elk River in 2017 and Eastview in 2018 upset the Royals in the state final.

Hopkins coach Brian Cosgriff recently allowed that his team “overachieved” in 2016, and that “Elk River was a team of destiny.” The loss to Eastview last year grates a little more, however. He said his team “lacked discipline” in that loss. And, so, today, the advice to Class AAAA teams with state championship ambitions is no longer to “get better” though, of course, it’s still part of the formula. But, now, the most salient advice is that if you want to win, “You’ve still got to go through Hopkins to do it.”

Who might be able to do that? Well, most pundits have Wayzata rated #2 and they’re in the same section as Hopkins. The Trojans “are huge,” Cosgriff said, but he’s got the edge on the perimeter with junior guard Paige Bueckers. She’s still on track to be the best player in Minnesota history, though a state title or two would buff up that resume. 

5. Minnehaha boys

Pretty much of a dead lock certainty to win the Class AA state title again. 6-4 junior Jalen Suggs is maybe the #3 or #4 2020 in the country?! 

6. Minnesota Gopher women

Enthusiasm for the Gopher women is running high since Lindsay Whalen took over the program. At 24-9, the Gophers won more games last year than at any time since 2005, and they return Honorable Mention All-America point guard Kenisha Bell, now a senior from Bloomington Kennedy. Bell is quick-on-quick and scored 20 ppg with 5 boards, 7 assists and 3 steals per game a year ago. Sophomore forward Destiny Pitts also returns after scoring 13 ppg and leading the Gophers on the boards with 7 per game. However, junior guard Gadiva Hubbard will be out for the 1st 1/3 of the season, hopefully no more with a knee injury, after scoring 14 ppg last year. That is a big problem, because the Gophers will also miss Carlie Wagner’s (New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva) 19 ppg and 43% shooting, and the size of departed posts Jessie Edwards (6-3) and Bryanna Fernstrom (6-5, Chisago Lakes). 

But freshmen Delaynie Byrnes, a 6-2 forward from Colorado, and Mercedes Staples, a 5-10 guard from Utah, are both expected to contribute right away.

A repeat of 24-9 and 11-5 in the Big 10, with a return to the NCAA tournament, is not out of reach. I mean, it might be a stretch but, with Lindsay Whalen at the helm, well, you know that the coach is ambitious, so why not us fans, too?

7. Bethel men

This is shocking! St. Thomas had won 12 straight MIAC regular season titles, including 10 of 10 in the playoff era. They were 176-24 in the regular season over those 10 years (211-29 over 12), and 14-4 in the 10 MIAC playoffs and 20-8 in the NCAA playoffs with national championships in 2011 (under coach Steve Fritz) and 2016 (under Johnny Tauer). Then, suddenly, last year they dropped to 12-8 and 5^thplace, their worst performance since 9-11 and 6^thplace in 2006.

St. John’s filled the gap, jumping from 13 wins in 2017 to 19-1 in 2018. They expect to be in the mix again in 2019 with David Stokman, a 6-2 senior guard from Maple Lake, who scored 14 ppg last year; Jubis Alide, a 6-4 junior wing from Armstrong (11 ppg); and Lucas Walford, a 6-8 junior from New Prague (9 ppg).

St. Olaf and Bethel may have better threesomes returning, however. The Olies return Austin Korba, a 6-5 senior wing from Apple Valley (14 ppg); Nate Albers, 6-4 wing from Montevideo (13 ppg) and Troy Diggins, 6-3 junior guard from Mounds View (8 ppg). Bethel returns Matt Ambriz, 6-2 senior guard from Woodbury (13 ppg); Jack Jensen, 6-1 junior guard from Southwest Christian (11 ppg); Derek Magnuson, 6-7 senior post from Roseville (10 ppg); and Iowan Granger Kingland (14 ppg).

Augsburg and Gustavus, along with the Tommies, should grab the last three playoff slots, but Bethel and St. John’s seem to be best equipped to advance to the MIAC playoff finals and the NCAA tournament. We're going out on a limb a little bit to pick Bethel to win the MIAC, but we know they'll be a contender. 

8. Minnesota-Moorhead women

Minnesota women’s teams in the Northern Sun have fallen on hard times—at least, relatively speaking—of late, with the exception of Minnesota State-Moorhead under head coach Karla Nelson. The Dragons’ went 19-3 and 23-6 last year and return guard Jacky Volkert (Mounds View), center Megan Hintz (Dover-Eyota), wing Kiley Borowicz (Roseau) and backup post Madi Green (Lake City). 19-3 and 23-6 again is not out of reach.

9. Minnesota Timberwolves

I have previously opined re. the Timberwolves chances for 2018-2019, wherein I said that .500 would be pretty much as good as it gets. I just saw a stat, however, that reinforces that point-of-view. One of the upsides for the Wolves was that Jimmy Butler would decide that being a Timberwolf was a good deal. Now, I see that in fact the Wolves are a full 10 points better per 100 possessions without Butler than they are with.

10. St. John’s Johnnies

See above where I mentioned the Johnnies along with Bethel and others.

Nov. 2 Game of the Day--Golden State 116 Timberwolves 99

The Timberwolves hung with the Golden State Warriors for 3 quarters last night, leading 87-83 at the 3rd intermission, at which point Andrew Wiggins had 20 points, Jimmy Butler 15 on 0-for-7 3 pointers, and Derek Rose 3 points in 5 minutes of play.

The Warriors decided to play ball in the 4th quarter and made 5-of-11 3s and 8-of-11 2s. The T-Wolves scored on their first possession of the 4th, but then missed their next 7 shots, 6 of them 3s. By the time they scored again they trailed 95-89, and they never got closer than 4. At 4:46 it was 106-93 and it was all over.

For the day the Wolves made 13-of-45 3s (29 percent). They got out rebounded 61-39.

Kevin Durant scored 33 for Golden State, Steph Curry 28 and Klay Thompson 22. For the Wolves Wiggins finished with 22 (9-for-23), Butler 21 (10-for-23, 0-for-8 3s), Josh Okogie 15 off the bench (4-for-10), Karl Towns 13 (5-of-13) and Taj Gibson 12 (5-for-10). Tyus Jones got the start with Jeff Teague still out, and scored 8 points on 3-of-11 shots (2-for-7 3s) and had 9 assists. Rose never got back in the game. He was reported as having soreness in his left ankle.

Player of the Day--Andrew Wiggins

Team of the Day--The Timberwolves were the only Minnesota team that was active, as far as I know.

Coach of the Day--Tom Thibodeau was the only Minnesota coach who was active, as far as I know.

A Look at Thursday Night and a Look Ahead for the Gopher Men

The Minnesota Gopher men took one very small step—but very much in the right direction—with a 109-53 demolition job of the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs at Williams Arena Thursday night. The Gophers shot 67 percent against the defenseless Bulldogs, both overpowering and outrunning UMD with a 52-18 edge in the paint and a 44-6 advantage on the fast break. 

Gopher veterans Dupree McBrayer, Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey played about 15 minutes each. McBrayer hit a couple of no-look 3s, Murphy made 4-of-4 FG, but Coffey seemed a little bit out of sync in his return from last winter’s shoulder injury. But the real news was the play of the Gophers newcomers.

Daniel Oturu, for example, is a beast. He is bigger and stronger and more athletic than Murphy. That is not to say he is or will be better in his freshman (and Murphy’s senior) season. But, the upside is pretty much boundless. He catches it in traffic and on the move. His footwork is solid. He scored on one spin move to a reverse layup against a double team. He made 6-of-7 shots plus 5-of-7 FT to lead the Gophers with 17 points. He also led with 10 boards and 4 blocks and drew 6 fouls. He was +36 in 22 minutes.

Gabe Kalscheur joined Oturu in the starting lineup and played 24 minutes. He made 4-of-7 shots but missed some that he usually makes in his sleep. But, he led the team with a +42. He is quick, he is skilled, he is smart, he is a player. Like Oturu, he can be an all-Big Ten player.

Freshman Jarvis Omersa is strong and athletic but a little rough around the edges. Newcomers Brock Stull, a 6-4 redshirt senior who led Wisconsin-Milwaukee in scoring a year ago, and Matz Stockman, a 7-foot Norwegian and transfer from Louisville, are not particularly mobile or athletic, but Stull can shoot it and Stockman cleaned up the boards pretty well when he was on the floor.

Then there’s Isaiah Washington. He reminds me of Derrick Rose, whom I saw score 50 the previous night. He is the shake and bake guy, he looks to take it 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 or 1-on-3 more than the other guys. Against UMD, he was unstoppable—7-of-8, 3-of-4 3s, 2 assists. The 2 turnovers were the result of being ridiculously overly aggressive, like I say, 1-against-3. But, he’s quick and he’s aggressive, and those are good things.

There remains work to do, to be sure. The Gophers gave up 13 offensive boards to the Bulldogs and got outscored 14-7 on 2^ndchance points. Their defense overall was pretty handsy. They were called for 15 fouls, 7 of them on the freshmen Oturu and Omersa. Our guards defended the 3 pretty well and Duluth’s starting guards shot 2-for-10 from long range. When one of their big guys stepped outside to shoot the 3, however, our big guys didn’t close out with much enthusiasm and the Bulldogs big guys hit a few of those 3s.

Still, the Gophers are not what you’d call deep right now, and they desperately need either Eric Curry or Marcus Carr or, preferably, both to be able to play. You’re probably aware that the pre-season prognosticators have not been kind to the Gophers. I’ve seen anywhere from 7^thto 11^thin the Big Ten. Lots of Gopher fans were ticked off about that. This is the team that went 23-8 2 years ago, not the team that went 15-17 last year! Well, the Gophers are going to have to prove that on the court. It says here that the difference between 11^thand 7^this having Carr or Curry available. The difference between 7^thand an NCAA tournament bid? That would be having Carr and Curry. 

Player of the Day--Daniel Oturu, MN Gophers 17 pts, 10 reb, 4 blocks

Team of the Day--MN Gophers

Coach of the Day--Justin Wieck, UMD, for having the guts to come down and play the Gophers at Williams Arena

What Can We Expect of the Minnesota Timberwolves After Derrick Rose's Big Game?

The 2018-2019 basketball season started in earnest for me with a trip to Target Center on Wednesday night, and a visit to Williams Arena on Thursday. A Gophers win over UMD seemed like a sure thing, and indeed the Gophers won easily 109-53. Tomorrow I’ll have a post about that game.

A Timberwolves win over Utah seemed like something less of a sure thing—but little did the Jazz know that it was Throwback Night. The Timberwolves wore an older-style uniform and showed old-time highlights on the Jumbrotron, and such. 

But, hey, the real throwback turned out to be the 2011 NBA MVP, Derrick Rose. You have probably heard by now that Rose dropped a career-high 50 points on the Jazz in a 128-125 Timberwolves win. Rose played 41 minutes, making 19-of-31 FG including 4-of-7 3s, and 8-of-11 FT, with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and an unlikely and possibly game-saving block of a Dante Exum 3 at the final buzzer. 

You have probably also heard that what’s-his-name had decided he didn’t feel like playing Wednesday night, and that both Jeff Teague and Tyus Jones were held out with minor injuries. Rose was the only point guard available to the Wolves last night, which means that for 7 harrowing minutes the unlikely pairing of C.J. Williams and James Nunally shared the ball-handling duties. 

You also know that Rose tore his left ACL in 2012, then suffered injuries to his right knee in 2013 and 2015. The Chicago Bulls traded him to New York in 2016, but in 2017 he injured his left knee again. He then signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 but played in just 16 games because of ankle injuries. In 2018, he was traded to the Utah Jazz, who quickly placed him on waivers. Over the course of the past 7 NBA seasons, he played in less than half his team’s games and saw his scoring average drop from 22.5 ppg in his three peak seasons to just 8 ppg last year.

The Wolves signed him as a free agent last March, and Rose responded by scoring 14 ppg in 24 minutes in the 4-1 playoff loss to the Houston Rockets. Still, did anybody, including coach Tom Thibodeau, think that Rose could play more than 24 minutes on those crippled, 30-year-old legs of his, and be the leader of a good NBA team? Well, maybe Thibs thought that. Maybe Rose thought that. I don’t know anybody else who thought that.

And, after seeing him score those 50 points last night, I still don’t know. Is it realistic to think that he’s back? All the way back? All the way healthy? I don’t know. Utah is reputed to be this great defensive team, but their perimeter D turned out to be pretty soft. Rose will face better defenders more nights than not. He was shooting 40 percent and 26 percent on the 3 until last night, and was playing 28 minutes a night. Will the real Derrick Rose please stand up? I think the real Derrick Rose will play 28 minutes and shoot 40 percent, though maybe better than 26 percent on the 3-ball the rest of the way. This in no way diminishes what an incredible game he had. It’s just that it’s unlikely to happen again.

The other big gun was Karl-Anthony Towns who scored 28 points with 16 rebounds. But, he struggled mightily to stop Utah post Rudy Gobert—no, check that, he could notstop Utah post Rudy Gobert defensively. Gobert scored 22 points and added 13 boards, and Utah had 19 offensive boards and 28 2^ndchance points overall. The Wolves had 7 offensive boards. But, the bigger issue is that 27 of Utah’s 47 FG were layups. Not all of that is on Towns, of course, but the Wolves inside defense is pretty terrible.

Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins scored 19 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and made some tough shots. But, that is just about the sum total of his contributions. I can’t figure out why he was on the court down the stretch when what the Wolves really needed to win was a stop. 

Rookie Josh Okogie adds some badly needed energy. He was the Wolves best defender and made Utah’s top scorer, Donovan Mitchell, work for his 26 points. Okogie was the Wolves top +/- player at +12. Wiggins was the Wolves only 10+ minute player who was a minus at -9. Okogie may be the best draft pick the Wolves have ever made. Not necessarily the best player they’ve ever picked, but the best pick—a player with all-star upside at the #20 overall pick. He gives a team hope that you can build through the draft without having to tank first. 

So, What Should We Expect from the Timberwolves in 2018-2019

Of course, the Wolves expect to have Teague available most nights and a lineup of Towns, Taj Gibson, Okogie, Teague and Rose—or, if you prefer, start Wiggins but play Okogie for 30 minutes—might be able to compete in this league, though they’re frankly going to have to outscore people like they did last night. And, where would any depth come from?

But, hey, I’m trying to be optimistic here. After last night, let’s be optimistic. The Wolves are 4-4. They’re 3-3 with what’s-his-name in the lineup and 1-1 without him. In order for the Wolves to be better than .500, two things have to happen. Rose is going to have to continue to play like the MVP that he once was. Could happen. And what’s-his-name is going to decide he wants to be a decent teammate, or the Wolves will have to get a comparable player in trade. Being honest, those 2 things are not going to happen.

So, with the Wolves defense and rebounding being what it is—what it was last night—.500 would seem most likely to be the upside for the Wolves in 2019. The downside? I don’t even want to think about that.