From The Barn

Now that Mathieu is a Gopher, a breakdown of next season’s back court.

Posted on 07. May, 2013 by JF.

Dre Mathieu, a 5’8″ -5’11″ (could someone measure this kid, please) junior college point-guard out of Knoxville, Tennessee will be joining the Golden Gophers for the 2013-2014 season. He will have two seasons of eligibility. Despite a successful high school career which landed him on the all-state team, his lack of height scared away all Division I scholarship offers. A successful junior college season, one in which he scored 16.1 points per game and added six assists, and 6 rebounds, was enough to get him several scholarship offers and now a spot on the Gophers roster.

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Recapping Richard Pitino’s recruit-April-ooza.

Posted on 03. May, 2013 by JF.

In his final few years at the helm of the Golden Gophers basketball team, Tubby Smith looked tired. Maybe he was beaten down by the endless string of bad luck, or simply resigned to his fate. He rarely looked like someone who enjoyed his job, and that played no small part in fans no longer enjoying how Tubby Smith did his job. Richard Pitino was billed as the opposite. He was supposed to be tireless, both on and off the court, and he has proven that in his first month on the job, especially on the recruiting trail.

During his whirlwind first month with the Gophers, which coincided with the April evaluation period, Coach Pitino has maintained a feverish travel schedule, offering several elite players in the 2014 class. While the Big Three of Tyus Jones, Rashad Vaughn, and Reid Travis will still be priorities, they will not be the only options. It is not a coincidence that many of the players offered recently play the same positions of the Big Three. With the possibility of five open scholarships for the class of 2014, there would still be space for additional players even if all of the Big Three did commit.

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Commitment of Daquein McNeil should bring backcourt flexibility.

Posted on 17. Apr, 2013 by JF.

Each off-season the college basketball coaching carousel begins to spin, and as coaches settle in to their new jobs, the recruiting carousel begins. Players commit to coaches as much as they commit to schools, so it is not surprising that recruits often reevaluate their plans when there is a coaching change. Alex Foster and Alvis Ellis, two of Tubby Smith’s recruits, won’t be playing for the Gophers next year. Daquein McNeil, a point guard out of Baltimore, apprently will.

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Exhibitions are for Experimentation, Charles Buggs picks the Gophers

Posted on 08. Nov, 2011 by JF.

During the exhibition games and the first few games of the non-conference college basketball season, every team has flaws, and the Golden Gophers are no exception. New players are being integrated into unfamiliar systems, old players are shaking off rust, and last year’s new players are learning to take on new roles. Head coaches across [...]

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Class of 2011 presumably set with addition of Andre Ingram

Posted on 10. Apr, 2011 by JF.

Two combo guards, a small forward, and high flying power forward round play their first games for the Golden Gophers beginning in 2011. Andre Ingram, a 6’7” 235 pound forward from Minneapolis via Butler Community College in Kansas is the latest and likely last commitment. With this team especially, there is always the possibility of [...]

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Julian Welch is a Gopher

Posted on 13. Mar, 2011 by JF.

Tubby Smith has found next season’s starting point guard, and is name is Julian Welch. Welch, 6’3” and 200 pounds, joins the Gophers from Yuba Junior College in California, where he averaged over 20 points per game. Before his junior college days, he was the Big West freshman of the year for UC-Davis. He is [...]

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Exclusive Video: Andre Hollins on dropping 46 and his future as a Gopher

Posted on 05. Dec, 2010 by JF.

Enjoy this exclusive interview with future Golden Gopher point guard Andre Hollins, filmed right after he scored a career high 46 points on Findlay Prep, one of the best high school basketball teams in the country. Special thanks for the video to the fine folks at Memphis Roar, by far the best source for anything basketball [...]

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Barn Blurbs just wants to be right

Posted on 28. Sep, 2010 by JF.

Joe Coleman, as you already know, committed to the Gophers last week. The Strib and The Press with quotes, perspective, and a look at who else is out there. Tubby Smith appears to have twitterphobia. Others coaches do not. Don’t hold it against me if I keep changing my predictions regarding the upcoming season. I [...]

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Joe Coleman becomes first 2011 Gopher commit

Posted on 24. Sep, 2010 by JF.

Joe Coleman, the 6’3” Hopkins guard, a consensus top 100 recruit, and #26 shooting guard in the country, has committed to play basketball for the Gophers next season according to multiple sources. He is the top recruit in the state, and fills a position of need for the Gophers, who will confront the departure of Al Nolen and Blake [...]

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Barn Blurbs is just warming up

Posted on 18. Sep, 2010 by JF.

As the weather cools down, the basketball pre-season is just heating up. A big recruiting weekend for Tubby Smith, and at the very least, the football team hasn’t embarrassed themselves…yet (please note this was posted at approximately 5 pm CDT, and I take no responsibility for what the football teams does in the fourth quarter.) Tubby’s [...]

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Maurice Walker is a Gopher…

Posted on 12. Apr, 2010 by JF.

or at least will be sometime Wednesday. It is being widely reported that the  nearly seven foot tall, 300 pound center has verbally committed to the Gophers and will be sending in his letter of intent sometime on Wednesday, the first day of the  late signing period. Walker, the #9 ranked center in the class [...]

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Elliott Eliason: an update

Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by zipsofakron.

When we last checked in, Elliott Eliason had committed to the Minnesota Gophers for the 2010-11 season, becoming one of two major recruits for the team going into next year.  Con Marshall from the Chadron Record, a local newspaper in Eliason’s hometown, took the time to update From The Barn on how Eliason’s senior season [...]

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Barn Blurbs 11/03/09

Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by JF.

The Trevor Mbakwe Round-up Two bizarre quotes stand out. “The decision is not at all based on whether I feel he is innocent or guilty. It’s an educational decision that I feel will allow Trevor to learn from.” -Joel Maturi. Mr. Maturi, what lesson are you attempting to teach? “But credit Minnesota as an institution [...]

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Austin Hollins is a Gopher

Posted on 23. Sep, 2009 by JF.

According to  Memphis Roar via Twitter (gosh darn that newfangled technology) Austin Hollins has committed to the Gophers. The 6’4” shooting guard was also being recruited by Memphis, Georgia, and Arizona State among others. In securing the shooting guard, the Gophers now have one scholarship left, most likely reserved for Cory Joseph if he wants [...]

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Elliott Eliason, the local perspective

Posted on 23. Sep, 2009 by JF.

Last week Elliott Eliason became the first freshman to commit to  the Gophers for the 2010-2011 season. Con Marshall, a writer for The Chadron News, Elliason’s home town paper, has graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the future Gopher. For even more on the newest Gopher, check out Con’s great article about Elliot’s [...]

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