Royce and Rodney Updates

The Star Tribune's Myron Medcalf reported the other day here that Rodney Williams has narrowed his list of schools down to three, except he's apparently only telling us who two of the teams are. Strange? Yes. But I've got a theory!

Medcalf reports that Williams indicated Minnesota and Kansas are two of the three teams. Kansas, according to Medcalf and Rivals.com, hasn't offered the athletic swingman yet. Rivals' page on Williams also indicates three teams that the Cooper product is "high" on. Those teams are Minnesota, Miami (FL) and Wisconsin.

Guess here is that Williams is also including Wisconsin in that list, considering Bo Ryan's need to pluck Minnesota talent in order for him to have a chance to compete in the Big Ten. However, if Williams does commit to the Gophers, it will have taken just one full year for Tubby Smith to completely shut the gaping hole that has allowed countless top Minnesota reecruits to escape maroon and gold and wear that hideous red and white.

Finally, per Rivals, we learn that 2009 commit Royce White has moved up the recruitment ladder. If you believe in the 5-star Rivals scale, at this time last week White was your average 4-star prospect. Now, he's added a star and is the #18 player in the country, according to Rivals' scouts. Williams, at 4 stars, is ranked #28. Food for thought: No Big Ten team has a 2009 player ranked higher than White or Williams.

All Signs Indicate Verdell Jones Will Be A Gopher

Now, this is a high school kid we're talking about here, and no official announcement has been made, but all indications are that Verdell Jones will put on a Minnesota cap when he holds a press conference Monday announcing where he will play basketball this fall.

The Pioneer Press is reporting that rumors are rampant that Jones is a lock to choose Minnesota. The Illinois Prep Bulls-eye is also stating that Jones will likely become a Gopher, and reporting that Jones has advised Minnesota media to attend his news conference.

Playing for Champaign Central in Illinois, Jones has become a highly coveted commodity because of the shear dearth of available talent still on the market. At 6'4, 160, Jones is a 3-star point guard according to Rivals and is the 26th ranked point guard in the country. While he is being heavily recruited by Minnesota, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, among others, we shouldn't confuse Jones with Derrick Rose. However, Jones is in the same class as Jordan Taylor, the Benilde St. Margaret's point guard (read: traitor) who is heading west to play for Bo Ryan.

ESPN Insider's recruiting evaluation on Jones is as follows: "Jones really came on this summer. He really knows how to score in various ways; a prolific scoring guard. He is a deep outside shooter, excellent scoring shot from anywhere on the court and gets to the rim at will. He's quick, but needs a lot of strength; weak up top. He is not a great defender but is capable of playing defense but loves offense a lot more. More of a 2 guard than point; not a play maker; looks to score."

If ESPN's analysis is accurate, Jones will make a nice back court partner for Al Nolen. Nolen, primarily a defensive point guard, needs help running the show. Having an offensive oriented point guard can work to solve many of the Gophers' scoring woes. I agree with the blogger at From the Barn, who wrote that he is pleased the sixth member of the class will be a ball-handler insetad of a big man. The Gophers do need both, but the guard play had the potential to be a huge weakness next season with only guards Nolen, Lawrence Westbrook, Blake Hoffarber and Devoe Joseph on the roster. Of that group, only Nolen can effectively play point.

Assuming Jones does indeed pick Tubby Smith over Billy Gilispie, Bruce Pearl and others this will be the sixth player in Tubby's incoming 2008 class. That is something that is extremely rare in college basketball, having six players in one incoming class. And it will be a startling sign to the rest of the Big Ten that Tubby is intent on drastically improving the talent level on the Gophers.

Tubby Smith's 2008 class has already been pegged as a top-10 class nationally. He's landed 4-star talents in Ralph Sampson III and Devoe Joseph. He's nabbed the JUCO Player of the Year in Devron Bostick and JUCO standout Paul Carter (who will be a sophomore next season) and South Dakota big man Colt Iverson. The addition of Jones would further solidify the incoming class, and will give us a second reason to completely ignore any further negativity aimed at Tubby from UK fans (not the decent fans, but the jerks who blame Tubby for global warming, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and various geo-political messes).

This could be the second time in a matter of months that a coveted recruit picked Tubby and Minnesota over Billy Gilispie and Kentucky. After taking all of that grief from UK fans over the last year, won't this be a nice piece of irony?

White Verbal Another Step In Right Direction

Following his impressive five-man 2008 class, Tubby Smith received a verbal commitment, as reported today by the PiPress and Star Tribune, from standout Minnesota prospect Royce White.

We'll get to some, in my opinion, ill-conceived concerns about White in a second. But to begin, it must be said that this commitment, should it stand up to other coaches trying to poach White for their own teams, is the first step in locking down Minnesota's borders. Too often we've seen the best talent in the state head to Wisconsin (too many players to name), Kansas, Duke, Marquette, Michigan State and elsewhere. White is hands down the #1 prospect in Minnesota's class of 2009, and is ranked as such by Rivals. Here's a quote that recruiting service gave to the PiPress (story linked above).

"Royce is the best player in Minnesota," said Jerry Meyer, national recruiting analyst for Rivals. "Tubby took his recruiting at Minnesota to another level by getting Royce."

Rivals has White, a 6'7 forward, ranked as the 32nd best player in the country, regardless of position. White received interest from your usual smorgasbord of elite college programs, from UCLA and USC to your Big Ten programs. His decision to commit early to Tubby Smith is a great sign. It's an indication that Tubby Smith will go after top talent, will work to close the borders and to dramatically change the talent level on the Gophers' roster.

So, why Minnesota? Here's what White is quoted as saying via Rivals:

"It was an easy decision after looking at all my options", White said in the initial release. "Academically, Minnesota and the Big Ten for that matter provides excellent opportunities, and basketball wise there's not a better coach to play for then Coach Smith. After looking at some of the players headed to the U, the fact that it's close to home, and the simple fact that I love the Gophers, my decision was very easy."I respect coach Smith, I'm real good friends with him, I talk to him a lot, he's been a real advocate for me, he gives me really good advise and things like that. I think the Gophers are doing great things and they are on the upswing. I just like coach Smith a lot and I like his staff a lot."

A few things here. Number one, Smith appears to be a sort of mentor for White, who has had to deal with some unfortunate negative publicity for what he has described as an academic mistake while at DeLaSalle. Second, in the above quotes and in other Royce quotes in other articles, it's clear that Tubby Smith made him priority number one since Tubby arrived from Kentucky last spring. Tubby knew he needed this blue chipper for a number of reasons: to demonstrate the borders are closing, to improve the talent level on the roster and to end the perception that Tubby struggles in the recruiting department.

Now, there are some out there in the blogosphere and on the Minnesota message boards who will have you believe that signing Royce White is tantamount to giving Clem Haskins control over academics at the U. I think this line of thinking is far-fetched. Royce White is a kid after all. He made a mistake, one he's admitted and has taken responsibility for. That right there is a sign of someones character. Last time I checked 16 and 17 year olds make mistakes. White made his. He was embarrassed by it. And he's since found himself a mentor in Tubby Smith.

As I wrote previously, I trust Tubby Smith's judgment when talk comes to whether or not the Gophers should take a risk on a certain player. Unless White gives us another, more substantial reason to be concerned, I'd suggest Minnesota fans look forward to what Ralph Sampson III, Devoe Joseph, Royce White and others will do together on the raised floor at Minnesota.

If RSIII, Devoe and the class of 2008 was the first step in turning around the Minnesota basketball program, the White verbal is step two.

Keeping Tabs: Devoe Dominating

PJS Note: Periodically over the remainder of the basketball season I will post updates of Tubby Smith's incoming five-man 2008 class. The group has been ranked as high as 10th nationally and it is part of the hopefully golden future of Minnesota basketball.

Canadian super prep Devoe Joseph (pictured) put up a team-high 27 points Monday night for his Pickering High Trojans, leading them to a 94-48 throttling of their opponent in the first round of the provincial boys high school playoffs.

Prior to the first tip, the Toronto Sun took a look at what to expect in the Ontario high school tournament. Our boy Devoe was prominently featured. Here's a snippet.

Pickering is led by phenom senior Devoe Joseph, a combo guard who received attention from major U.S. Division 1 schools. He saw visits by coaches from Virginia Tech, Texas, Vanderbilt, Illinois, St. John's, Kansas and USC before accepting a full scholarship to play for the University of Minnesota this fall.

While Pickering doesn't keep official stats for its games, Gordensky estimates Joseph puts up 25 points, six or seven assists and a couple of steals per contest. He lit up d'Youville for a season-high 42 points on Dec. 14.

"He is incredibly athletic and he has unlimited (shooting) range," said Gordensky of the 6-foot-3 Joseph. "He also runs the point for us sometimes because he is such a smart player."

The Gophers are going to need someone next season to pick up some of the scoring slack. With Dan Coleman, Spencer Tollackson and Lawrence McKenzie moving on, Joseph will be a key newcomer when it comes to filling the basket. If the Gophers sign another point guard, I expect Devoe to play a lot of shooting guard. If not, expect Al Nolen and Devoe to share time at the point similar to how McKenzie and Nolen do now.

Devron Bostick: Quite the accomplishment for this young man. For the second consecutive season, Bostsick has been named the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and Region 24 tournament player of the year. This Belleville News Democrat article suggests that Bostick persevered this season despite some up and down play. Here's a snippet:

Bostick is averaging 18 points for a Blue Storm team that is 26-4 and seeded first in the Region 24 Tournament.

"There was a time a few weeks ago when I didn't think he was going to do anything because Devron wasn't playing well and he was having a few problems. We even benched him for a half in two of our games," Blue Storm coach Jay Harrington said. "I'm really proud that he was able to get through that tough time and finish as strong as he has."

Bostick, who will attend the University of Minnesota next fall, enjoyed his stellar sophomore season despite being heavily guarded.

"It's been a different season because every game he's been a marked man. He's been the guy teams have tried to stop," Harrington said of Bostick. "He's been beaten on, pushed and shoved all year and even though its been difficult for him, I think he's become more comfortable with the fact that he's been a decoy.

"Sometimes when you are the one people are trying to stop, you have to learn to let your teammates take charge. Devron has done that."

It sounds like a year of maturation for Bostick. It should bode well for him when he arrives in Minnesota that he's learned how to deal with ups and downs and tough, physical play. If he's a potential NBA player as has been reported, he'll get significant attention from superior defenders once he arrives in the Big Ten.

Ralph Sampson III: The Duluth, GA product had 18 points, but his Northview team couldn't upend the heavily favored team from Norcross, the two time state champions, in a state quarterfinal last weekend. According tot he Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sampson came into the game averaging seven blocks per contest but tallied just one in the season-ending loss.

Verdell Jones: According to a thread on an Illini message board, Tubby Smith made the trip to Illinois recently to (presumably) catch point guard Verdell Jones in action. At this point, Jones is not part of the five-player class that will suit up next season, but Tubby is still looking at a handful of players (a couple point guards and a big man) for the incoming class. The Gophers seem to be in the driver's seat for Jones' services. But he also has basketball heavyweights Kentucky and Tennessee after him. Jones is a 3-star, 6'4" point guard who is said to have good ball handling skills, vision, and a good set shot from the outside. Jones' value has went up in part because there is a dearth of point guard talent left unsigned at this point. For a couple reasons--Minnesota's own point guard issues and just to steal a recruit from Kentucky is fun--it'd be great to get Jones to sign on.

Keeping Tabs: Bostick's Future, Faber Likes The Barn

PJS Note: Periodically over the remainder of the basketball season I will post updates of Tubby Smith's incoming five-man 2008 class. The group has been ranked as high as 10th nationally and it is part of the hopefully golden future of Minnesota basketball.

Over the years, Minnesota has been spoiled by top notch junior college transfers. Bobby Jackson jacked up the tempo, intensity and his socks en route to one of the most enjoyable seasons that never happened in Minnesota men's basketball history. Vincent Grier, with his somewhat funky looking left handed jump shot, was perhaps the one bright spot in Dan Monson's tenure.

With two JUCO transfers coming in this fall, it's understandable that Minnesota fans would have high expectations for Devron Bostick (will be a junior) and Paul Carter (will be a sophomore).

Down with Goldy took up this topic in a recent post, and noted that Bostick is the #4 rated JUCO in the nation according to Rivals. That's great, right? Maybe, maybe not as Down with Goldy reports here. The bloggers findings were mixed, when looking back at players similarly positioned to Bostick in recent years. He concludes: "He should be anywhere from a rotation double-digit minutes type guy to a leading scorer type. Hopefully, leading scorer type."

Bostick is a 6'5", 215 pound small forward type who has traditionally been able to score at the high school and JUCO levels. The combination of athleticism and scoring at the small forward spot has been an issue for this year's Gophers. Damian Johnson brings the athleticism when he's playing the 3-spot, but not the scoring punch. Jamal Abu-Shamala and Blake Hoffarber do exactly the opposite.

** Following up on a recent post indicating the Gophers are interested in a third big man for the incoming class, three-star center Krystopher Faber indicates the Gophers are his top school.

Prior to the season Faber visited Northern Illinois and Minnesota. St. John's and UCLA have since joined his school list, but Minnesota is at the top of the list."Minnesota is my top school," said Faber. "I really like the coaching staff and the gym. The Barn is amazing, and I loved the atmosphere."

He really likes The Barn?!? Here I thought the kids don't like old school environments. I digress.

Faber is a relatively thick big man, standing at 6-11, 245 pounds. Reports indicate Faber's play has improved over the past season, and, according to Rivals, he finished with nice averages of 16 points and 17 reboudns per game. Because Ralph Sampson III would appear to be more of a finesse inside player, adding a prototypical banger to the interior would seem like a good play. Faber is getting ready to take an unofficial visit to UCLA and is contemplating a similar visit to St. John's. If Faber is a priority for Tubby Smith--we also know Tubby is still in search of another point guard--it would seems Minnesota's competition will come from Faber's in state school UCLA.

** Late last week I referenced Jim Souhan's well-written feature on Ralph Sampson III. In praising the article, I noted that RSIII had played his final high school basketball game. Souhan wrote something similar in the article I referenced. Well, let this stand as a correction, because RSIII's Northview team made its first-ever state tournament appearance on Saturday, and the Minnesota signee led his team to a 64-58 victory. Sampson filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 11 blocks. In this Atlanta Journal Constitution article, Sampson's coach is quoted as saying our future center was double and triple teamed. Also quoted was the coach of the team Sampson helped to defeat. He called Sampson "a force."

According to Scout, Northview will face Marietta on Friday in the second roud of the playoffs. This Scout link also has a game-by-game breakdown of Sampson's impressive output this season. By my count, Sampson has recored six triple-doubles, and been damn close to a handful of others.

Interesting Piece On Minnesota Recruiting

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, in its version of a preview for the Gophers-Badgers game this afternoon, looked at how Wisconsin has been able to dominate the recruiting wars in across the border during the Dan Monson years.

I found this section interesting:

In past years, UW has benefited from its ability to identify prospects early as well as a lack of scholarships in the Gophers' program.

The latter is what helped land Leuer at UW. Minnesota initially wanted the 6-foot-10 forward to walk on as a freshman with the promise of giving him a scholarship as a sophomore. By the time they offered a full ride, Leuer's stock had risen and other schools were in the picture.

Jordan Taylor and Berggren were identified as fits for UW's system early and offered scholarships before their junior seasons. Berggren had a Minnesota offer. Taylor did not.

No doubt Dan Monson had some Clem Haskins induced obstacles to overcome, but he clearly struggled in identfying talent early. He was probably always playing catch up.

The article also mentions two 2009 products in Royce White and Rodney Williams. If the Gophers can keep those two players home to build off the outstanding 2008 class, Tubby will be well on his way to righting this ship.

** The inlaws are in DC admiring various monuments. It's game day, so of course I had to pass on the outing. I'll be watching the Badgers-Minnesota game closely to gauge any improvement from the Illinois game.

Making Room For Talent

It might sound callous, and it likely isn't a topic of conversation the athlete's in the Williams Arena locker room want to discuss, but for the Gophers to have the kind of instant turn around many of us are clamoring for, Tubby Smith might have to make some tough choices with his current roster.

Fact is, Dan Monson compiled a team with the talent level reminiscent of Division II basketball program. The Gophers' incoming class in 2008 includes three freshman, a sophomore and a junior. By all analysis, the class is primed to be the best we have seen since before Jan Gangelhoff-gate.

While that infusion of talent will work towards the type of turnaround we all expect, Tubby might need to be even more aggressive to dramatically increase the talent level of this team. And by that, I mean he might need to take away scholarships or kindly nudge a player towards a transfer. Here are some prime candidates to either return to walk-on status or to find a new home.

*** Jamal Abu-Shamala was a walk-on who busted his rear and eventually was rewarded a scholarship. No one can question Abu-Shamala's heart and desire. He wants to be a Golden Gopher. But he also came to the University knowing he wasn't scholarship material. Circumstances, however, allowed the Shakopee native a chance to play as a scholarship player. But now 17 games into Tubby's tenure, Abu-Shamala's minutes have dwindled. And if it wasn't clear before, Abu-Shamala is a one-dimensional player. Abu-Shamala is obviously a good kid, but for the Gophers to add top-level talent, it might be wise if he reverted back to walk-on status. He will be a senior next year, and it would be tough to take away his scholarship. But for the good of the program, it might be the best decision.

*** Travis Busch was a transfer from Cal-Poly who lucked into a scholarship after the departures of Brandon Smith and Bryce Webster. During his time in California, Busch quickly realized that he wanted to return home. After sitting out one season because of NCAA transfer rules, Busch has played sparingly for the Gophers this season. He's not adept enough at ball handling to play on the perimeter and at 6'4", Busch isn't long enough to play inside. He's not even a tweener. He's a guard who lacks the quickness to play at this level. If Tubby Smith wants to quickly turn this program around, Busch is another candidate to revert to walk-on status.

*** Kevin Payton is a product of Camden, NJ, who was recruited by Jim Molinari and was expected to be a key recruit for Dan Monson when he signed in late 2004. Before Payton dislocated his shoulder during his senior year in New Jersey, the combo-guard was averaging about 30 points per game. But as a Gopher, any offensive talent Payton possesses has been nowhere to be found. He's tentative with the basketball. He doesn't appear to have mastered some basic basketball fundamentals like the jump stop. According to a Payton interview with Rivals (subscription required) from October 2004, the teams after him were Pittsburgh, LaSalle, Binghamton and Penn State. Flash forward to Tubby's first recruiting class, and it's clear our new coach is after more substantial talent. With all of this in mind, it might be best for all parties if Payton decided to play out the remainder of his college career closer to home.

Following this season, the Gophers will also lose seniors Spencer Tollackson, Dan Coleman and Lawrence McKenzie to graduation. Those scholarships are already accounted for with the incoming class. In order to compete at the level we all desire, the Gophers need an even larger infusion of Big Ten caliber talent.

Right now, only three returning players for 2008-09 seem to be locks to have decent careers at Minnesota. Blake Hoffarber is the best pure shooter in the conference and deserves a roster spot even if he needs to work on diversifying his game. Al Nolen has proven he can play point guard at this level. And more than any other holdover from the Monson era, Damian Johnson stands out as someone who has grasped the aggressive philosophy of Tubby Smith. After those three--and the incoming recruits--the Gophers would be well served to find ways to bring in more top-notch talent.

With the thigh injury to Nolen, it's clear the Gophers could use another point guard. Depending on who you read, Devoe Joseph is either a shooting guard or a point guard. The 4-star guard has the ability to score in bunches, and it would seem he will be a good fit to replace McKenzie at the two spot. After that, the Gophers don't have anyone on the roster who can play the point. And with the graduations of Coleman and Tollackson, the Gophers lack inside depth. Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson will help in this regard, but Jon Williams and Damian Johnson aren't your ideal Big Ten bangers. Johnson is more suited to be a shut-down defender playing small forward and Williams, who will be a senior next year, hasn't been effective in long stretches.

While it's obvious the Gophers have some talent coming in, depth is going to be an issue in the coming years if Tubby Smith doesn't make some hard choices.

Tubby's 2008 Class Takes Another Big Step

Four-star guard Devoe Joseph has picked the Gophers over Vanerbilt and Texas. GopherNation has more on this here.

This is excellent news for the Gophers and it catapults Tubby's 2008 class up to the top of the Big 10. Some had already considered it a top 15-30 class nationally.

In Marcus Fuller's blog report for the PiPress, Joseph's AAU coach indicated that one of the reasons Joseph picked Minnesota was because Tubby was after him the longest. The same can be said for fellow recruit Ralph Samspon III. Tubby was after him long before other college coaches, at least according to the recruiting Web sites, began to take notice. Kudos to Tubby for finding the guys he wanted and sticking with them.

Oh, and Joseph's coach also mentioned to Fuller that Joseph was impressed by how warmly the student section at Williams Arena embraced him during the Army game. Kudos to the drunk students!

Joseph, who I think can play both the point and two-guard spot, joins four-star forward/center Ralph Sampson III and three-star forward/center Colton Iverson as freshman in next year's class. Paul Carter, a JUCO transfer, will have three years of eligibility. He's a 6-8 scoring forward who experts say will be able to have an immediate impact and can start right away. The fifth commit is Devron Bostic, another JUCO transfer who will have two years of eligibility. I'll try to have a thorough roundup of each of these new commits in the next week or two.

Until then, how about a little 2008 lineup speculation? Listed first is my predicted starter at that position followed by their first subsitute. Johnson is going to have to earn that spot, but for now I'm liking what I'm seeing.

PG: Al Nolen/Devoe Joseph
SG: Devoe Joseph/Lawrence Westbrook/
SF: Damian Johnson/Devron Bostick/Blake Hoffarber/Jamal Abu-Shamala
PF: Paul Carter/Jon Williams/ Colton Iverson
C: Ralph Sampson III/Colton Iverson

Tubby Lands Sampson

Tubby Smith's 2008 recruiting class has just gotten a big-name boost. Ralph Sampson III, as reported by the local television media last night and today by the Pioneer Press, is going to be a Golden Gopher.

Sampson is a 6-11 225 pound center from Duluth, Ga, and picked Minnesota over Georgia Tech and Clemson, though it was reported that others were in the mix for his services as well, including Tubby's successor at Kentucky Billy Gillespie. The Gophers have myriad holes, but with the graduation of Spencer Tollackson after this season, the addition of Sampson and Colton Iverson, could give Tubby a very solid low-post prescense in the years to come.

The Pioneer Press story quoted a recruiting expert as saying that Sampson is Tubby's first "breakthrough recruit" at Minnesota. Sampson, the son of the former Virginia great, joins Iverson, JUCO forward Devron Bostick and JUCO forward Paul Carter in the 2008 class. According to hoopsline.com, per the PiPress article, Tubby's 2008 recruiting class is ranked 7th in the nation and second only in the Big Ten to Ohio State.

I was one of those Gophers fans who listened too much to the haters at Kentucky, who argued that Tubby wasn't a good recruiter. His first class at Minnesota is turning out to be top-notch.

The recruitment of Sampson was relatively quiet until earlier this year when Sampson's play began to make coaches take notice. Give Tubby a lot of credit here, he was in touch with and recruiting Sampson before many of the other big name coaches. The PiPress' Marcus Fuller picked up on that in his conversation with Sampson's AAU coach.

"If somebody recognizes you right away and wants you, that shows," Georgia Stars coach Bo Bell said. "He was very high on Tubby. Tubby saw his ability, and the kid took advantage of it."

Tubby has done a great job with the 2008 recruiting class, setting him up for a quick turnaround job at Minnesota. If he can land locals Royce White and Rodney Williams to flesh out his Class of 2009, Tubby will be well on his way to the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

Reports Indicate Iverson Commits To Tubby

The Pioneer Press' Marcus Fuller is reporting on his blog here that Colton Iverson, who was also offered a scholarship by Florida, among others, is likely going to be a Gopher.

Rivals indicates that Iverson has given the Gophers a solid verbal.

This would be good news for Tubby's 2008 recruiting class. The locals from Yankton, SD, apparently liked the fact Tubby made a visit on Wednesday. Here's a story from the local rag.

The photo is of Iverson on his AAU team South Dakota Heat driving the lane

Iverson is a 6-9 lanky forward who was being recruited by two-time defending national champion Florida, Nebraska and Iowa, among others. He's ranked by Rivals as the #39 power forward in the country and is #140 overall in the country.

Here's another story from the Yankton Press & Dakotan highlighting Iverson's workouts with college coaches. It suggests that Kentucky and UCLA at least had a look at Iverson as well.

I'll update this as more comes in.

Former Tubby Commit To Play For Alford

Tubby Smith's first verbal committment at Minnesota is now heading to play for Steve Alford in New Mexico, according to the Alburquerque Tribune. Garth is now verbally committed to play for Alford and the Lobos.

Garth previously said that he decided to back away from his committment to the Gophers because playing time was likely not what it was once suggested it would be. Last month, Garth told a Minnesota Gopher's forum the following:

"This re-opening was not basketball related. Coach Smith never doubted my talent or game. It was something I wanted to do and Coach Smith was supportive of my decision. Since the roster at Minnesota has changed with Al Nolen being qualified, he told me the opportunities I was presented before, were different now."

Since taking over the program, Tubby has landed just one recruit: Paul Carter. Tubby has let Andrew Brommer go in a different direction after he verball committed to Dan Monson. Brommer is now being recruited by mid-major type programs.

While it kinda-sorta worries me that Tubby has just one solid commit at this point, Tubby is bringing in some top talent to visit, most recently 7'4 Ralph Sampson III and Colten Iverson, who is being recruited by Florida, among others. I have my fingers crossed that both give a verbal soon.

For more on the Gophers upcoming season, check out Tom's take at Gopher Nation where he asks "What does the hire of Tubby Smith mean for the 2007-08 Golden Gopher basketball season?"

In Better Recruiting News ....

The Gophers have received a verbal committment from JUCO forward Paul Carter, a 6'8" 190-pound swingman who is entering his freshman season at Missouri State West-Plains Community College. Provided he signs a letter of intetnt at some point, Carter will be a member of the Gophers' class of 2008.

That means Carter should have three years of eligibility.

Reports began to increase on Carter in recent weeks, as coaches began to take notice of his play at a recent summer camp in Tulsa, Okla. He also had interest from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Oregon, among others, according to the Pioneer Press. The paper also quoted his coach comparing Carter to former Minnesota star Quincy Lewis.

Rivals quotes Carter's coach as saying Tubby Smith has compared Carter to former UK star Tayshaun Prince.

Seems to be a decent get for Tubby. Rivals indicates that Carter had offers from Charlotte, Wyoming and Baylor, and had received at least some interest from Oregon, Tulsa, Kansas State and Missouri State.

Carter is the second 2008 recruit for Tubby, joining Dallas point guard Nathen Garth.

No Festivus This Year; Festus Signs With Vandy

Sigh.

If you can't judge by the title of this Web site, I'll fill you in on a little secret. I'm a fan of basketball players with cool names. That's why I was excited early on when it was reported new Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith was after a 6'11" 250-pound standout basketball player named Festus Ezeli.

News has broke, however, that Festus gave a verbal and also signed a letter of intent at Vanderbilt of all places, even though it has been reported that Florida and Ohio State, among others, were in the mix for his services.

The Nashville City Paper (linked above) indicates that Festus will be eligible this upcoming season but will likely redshirt.

I had looked forward to chanting Festus' name from inside Williams Arena. But this likely ends my fascination with Festus Ezeli. Shame.

Tubby Offers JUCO Forward

A slew of night meetings has kept me unusually busy this week, and I didn't notice until now that Tubby Smith offered a JUCO forward from Missouri State West Plains Community College.

Paul Carter, according to Rivals, is a 6-8 190 pound slasher type with the ability to play outside the perimiter. According to reports Carter has long-and-lean type that I gather would project as a small forward. Depending on how he does academically, it's possible, according to Rivals, that Carter, a 2008 recruit, could have three years of eligibility.

My searches aroudn the Internets didn't produce a whole lot more information on Carter. If anyone has more info, do drop me a line.

As far as the Class of 2008 goes, Tubby has already landed Rivals 3-star point guard Nathen Garth and has offered six others.

I'm of the belief that Tubby should use his 2008 class to set the program up for success. His 2009 class could be the make or break class of his tenure when he has a chance to bring two top-notch Minnesota prospects on board in Royce White and Rodney Williams. A solid 2008 class accompanied by those two Minnesota standouts would go a long way to putting the maroon and gold back into the upper echelon of the Big 10.

Gophers In Sampson's Top 3

Three-star Rivals center Ralph Sampson III told Hoopmasters that Minnesota is in his top three.

As for Ralph Sampson, the 6-foot-11 220-pound post from Duluth, GA
Northview, he told us his early leaders are Minnesota, Georgia Tech and Georgia,
but we expect the list to grow.

Sampson, son of the former Virginia great, has been a target of Orlando Tubby Smith's for some time. For a period, only the Gophers and Yellow Jackets were after the Georgia prospect. But now others are on the trail.

As I've said before, it's a good sign that Tubby was following Sampson before everyone else. And it's encouraging that out of his current top three, Minnesota is the only out-of-state school on that list. It's a coup for Minnesota to be mentioned in this conversation.

We've been following Tubby's recruitment of Sampson all summer, and are pleased to see Sampson has interest in coming to the U.

Basketball Recruiting Update

Names keep popping up as Tubby Smith tries to land talent to turn around the basketball progarm. While the only commit so far under Tubby is Rivals 3-star point guard Nathen Garth, others are now indicating high interest in the maroon and gold.

This update includes a couple new names since my last rundown of basketball recruits. This list is just of who has been offered.

** Stan Simpson, Chicago, Ill.: According to Scout.com, Minnesota is in the top 4 of Simpson's choices, along with Indiana, Arkansas and Kansas State. According to the Indianapolis Star, Simpson mentioned IU first when listing his choices. Simpson is a 6-9, 220 4-star big man according to Rivals and is ranked as their #24 power forward in the Class of 2008. Simpson was one of the first recruits that surfaced when Tubby took over. It's a good sign that the maroon and gold is high up in his thought process.

** Devoe Joseph, Ontario, Canada: The Gophers would seem to have decent odds at landing Joseph. Joseph is the 22nd best 2008 shooting guard according to Rivals. He currently has offers from Duquesne, Washington St, Santa Clara, Fairfield and other mid-majors. But others are apparently in the mix for Joseph, including B10 foe Michigan, as well as St. Johns, Connecticut, Va. Tech and Texas A&M. Guard play has been a weakness for the Gophers, so landing Joseph would be a step in the right direction in fixing that problem.

** Eloy Vargas, Hollywood, Fl.: The highest ranked PF propsect that has received a Minny offer is Vargas, a Rivals 4-star player ranked at #17 in the country at his position. Hes 6-10, 210 pounds. But Vargas indicates he has 'high' interest in Pittsburgh, which has offered. And the competition for Vargas is steep, with the Gophers in a recruiting battle here with Louisville, Clemson, Texas A&M and Miami. Vargas also indicates interst in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio State, but according to Rivals, those schools haven't offered. It would seem Tubby and the Gopheres are a long-shot to land Vargas.

** Colton Iverson, Yankton, SD: South Dakota big man (6-9, 240) Colt Iverson lists high interest in the Gophers, according to Rivals. The three-star big man also has high interest in Nebraska and has been offered by Penn State, Cincinatti, New Mexico and Washington St., among others. Iverson is described as a high-energy big man, who crashes the boards and runs the floor with energy.

** Ralph Sampson III, Duluth, Ga.: If there was a recruit that Tubby Smith had his eyes on before everyone else it is Sampson, the son of the former Virginia great. For a time, only Georgia Tech and The Gophers had offered Sampson. But some excellent showings at summer camps has valuted Sampson from a below-the-radar big man to a coveted commodity. Sampson now has offers from Georgia and California and has received interest from UCLA and his father's alma mater among others. Among the schools after Sampson, the only one Rivals has reported he has visited is Minnesota. Sampson is 6-11, 225 and has reportedly improved his interior game considerable over the last year.

** Scottie Haralson, Jackson, Miss.: Described by Hoopmasters as "one of the South's best kept secrets," Haralson has indicated that Minnesota and Tubby Smith are at the top of his list. “Coach Smith is recruiting me very hard, and he tells me that I can be a big part of what he is building at Minnesota,” Haralson told Hoopmasters. “Minnesota really sticks out to me at this point, but I am going take my time with the process.” While Rivals hasn't ranked Haralson, it does report that he has received interest from myriad schools, including Tennessee, Penn State, Ole Miss and Auburn. Haralson is a 6-4, 210 shooting guard.

By my count, Tubby still has four scholarships available in 2008 after Nathen Garth's commit. Landing three of these players--Simpson would be the best 'get' at this point, in my opinion--would go a long way to turning Gopher Nation around.

Since this rundown only included who Minnesota has offered, it didn't include Festus Ezeli. He is another prospect that Tubby Smith was high on before the competition was reported on the scene. At this point, only Oregon State has made an offer.

I didn't link to the Scout and Rivals articles where some of this information was culled, because the services are subscription only. I encourage any fan interested in following recruiting to get a subscription. It's worth it.

Festus' Stock Rising

A very nice article on Yahoo today highlights why the interest in Festus Ezeli is rising.

Ezeli's skills, while still raw, are not far from those of former Newark high school prospect DeVon Hardin 4-5 years ago. Still just 17 years old, Ezeli has that muscular, freakish-athleticism that you simply have to see to believe. His wingspan spreads an impressive 7-foot-5 – which is slightly longer than former Cal great Leon Powe.

Ezeli is at the RBK U camp in Philadelphia this week. And he's turning heads. This next report from Rivals.

Here is a guy that will be the center of attention for a number of programs this week and the rest of the month. The 6-foot-8 Nigerian is prep school bound (maybe New England academic powerhouses like Brewster Academy or New Hampton) and he'll go there with a handful of offers. The rugged big man has a frit to his game that few have shown here at the camp already. He had nine rebounds and three blocked shots in a tight win. UCLA, Ohio State, DePaul, Cal, Oregon State, Virginia and others are involved. Mix in the fact he's a big time student with off the charts numbers on the academic side of things. Ezeli will be a name that receives plenty of ink here this week. Believe that.

Minnesota wasn't mentioned in that mix, but Tubby Smith was one of the first to notice Ezeli--which would mark the second time during Tubby's short stint here that he has been high on a big man before anyone else caught on. Ralph Sampson III is another example, and while he has some cachet to his name, he hadn't been popping up on the radar screens of big programs until recently. Tubby found Ezeli early on.

In April, Ezeli's coach told Rivals that Tubby was the first knocking on the door.

At this point I would say Minnesota just has interest although I would not call it hard. Some of the other schools have come after him looking to visit.

The various recruiting services don't have any information on where Ezeli stands with the colleges. As it appears he will attend prep school for a year to get more accustomed to U.S. academics, there might not be a rush to offer Ezeli. But the interest is certailny out there for this young man who graduated high school in Nigeria at age 14. He's described in the Yahoo piece as a "very intelligent kid" who wants to either go pre-med or major in business.

Ezeli's full name, in case you are wondering is Ifeanyichukwu Festus Ezeli (yes I had to copy and paste that). And since we are partial to intersting names here at PJS, the Ezeli sweepstakes have us paying close attention.

And while it's hard to tell how much interest Tubby Smith has in Ezeli or how much the propsect has in the U, it's a good sign, in my opinion, that Tubby was on the scene first in the recruitment of Ezeli and Sampson.

Green Won't Help Tubby Fill Out 2008 Class

According to published reports, Draymond Green has picked Michigan State.

This is unfortunate, albeit expected, news for Minnesota fans who were hoping Green would follow Tubby Smith to the maroon and gold. Green, the #78 player in the Class of 2008 according to Rivals, had given a verbal to Tubby at Kentucky. He withdrew that commitment when Tubby left the commonwealth.

One thing to note here is that according to Greenandwhite.com the Green signing wraps up the Spartans' 2008 recruiting class. That enables Tom Izzo and company to begin concentrating on 2009. Tubby Smith has not come close to finishing off his 2008 class. The only Minnesota committ at this point is Texas point guard Nathen Garth.

If my tally is right, that leaves 4 available scholarships for Tubby's 2008 class--his first class in Minnesota.

Tubby has offered two four-star shooting guards in Oak Grove, Ill. prospect Iman Shumpert and Devoe Joseph of Ontario, Canada.

Shumpert is being heavily recruited from some heavyweights, and has offers from Marquette, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech. Shumpert has also expressed interest in Duke and Illinois, according to Rivals, but those schools haven't yet offered the shooting guard.

The Gophers would seem to have better odds at landing Joseph, the 22nd best 2008 shooting guard according to Rivals. He currently has offers from Duquesne, Washington St, Santa Clara, Fairfield and other mid-majors.

Rivlas lists four power forwards as having received offers from Minnesota. But two of those can be crossed off the list. Green is now headed to MSU, and Andrew Brommer, who once verbaled Dan Monson, was apparently told he wasn't in Tubby's plans.

The highest ranked PF propsect that has received a Minny offer is Eloy Vargas, a Rivals 4-star player ranked at #17 in the country at his position. Hes 6-10, 210 pounds for Hollywood, Florida. But Vargas indicates he has 'high' interest in Pittsburgh, which has offered. And the competition for Vargas is steep, with the Gophers in a recruiting battle here with Louisville, Clemson, Texas A&M and Miami. Vargas also indicates interst in Florida, North Carolina and Ohio State, but according to Rivals, those schools haven't offered.

Assuming Vargas does indeed head to Pittsburgh, that leaves Robert Eppinger, originally from Minneapolis, who is playing for Indian Hills Community College. At 6-8, 240 pounts, Eppinger would defintley have some weight to throw aronud. Fresno State and Seton Hall are also in the market for his services.

At center, where the Gophers will have to find a way to replace Spencer Tollackson, the Gophers have already missed out on the state's top propsect--Princeton's Jared Berggren--who is headed to the evil neighbors coached by Bo Ryan.

The only other center Minnesota has offered for 2008 is Duluth, Ga. prospect Ralph Sampson III. Tubby was high on Sampson before the son of a legend began to surface as a high-major prospect.

Tubby may have a leg up on the Class of 2009, where some local kids may opt for Minnesota. But landing Rodney Williams and Royce White will be a lot easier if Tubby has a solid 2008 class.

And there's plenty of work to be done before that happens.

Bad Recruiting News On The Horizon

As commenter cyclonejohn notes in the previous thread, Gopher fans will in all liklihood have to swallow a bitter recruiting pill tomorrow when Sagniaw, Mich. power forward Draymond Green opts against coming to the Twin Cities to play for Tubby Smith.

Green, you may remember, verbally committed to Tubby at Kentucky but later pulled back from his pledge when the new Gophers coach bolted from the bluegrass state. Minneapolis and St. Paul columnists suggested that Green would follow Tubby to Minnesota, and that to increase those odds, Tubby and the U would offer Green's high school coach an admiistrative position with the program. None of that happened and Minnesota isn't listed in Green's top 3. He has a presser set for Thursday to make his decision between Michigan State, Michigan and Indiana.

Accoding to Rivals, Green is the 78th ranked player in the 2008 recruiting class. He could have been an integral part in changing the direction of the men's basketball program.

I've had an email back-and-forth with a couple 'Tubby is a Savior' types who suggest that this development isn't of much concern. It's early on in the 2008 recruiting wars, they argue, and Green is just one of many talents Tubby has been after.

I can't argue with those points. But this does mark the first recruiting loss Tubby Smith has endured as head man of the maroon and gold. I believe it's best to withhold judgment on Tubby's extremely important 2008 class until a few more targets have made verbals.

But I do find one item disconcerting about Green's recruitment, which I will share with you after a outquote from the Detriot News.

Green is a 6-foot-7 forward who was the lone underclassman to be selected to The Detroit News Dream Team last season. Green averaged 22.5 points and scored 27 in Saginaw's 79-57 victory over Detroit Redford in the Class A state championship.

Saginaw coach Lou Dawkins said Green has made unofficial visits to U-M, MSU and Indiana, and the three Big Ten schools are at the top of Green's list. Dawkins said Green might make another unofficial visit to Michigan today.

"These are the schools who have been after him the hardest," Dawkins said. "By (tonight) he'll decide. If not, then he might make it when he wakes up Thursday."

Descriptions from all around the recruiting world were positive on Green. And writers in Minnesota looked at the Michigan standout as player who could elevate Tubby's 2008 class. What worries me is the quote given to the Detriot News by Dawkins, suggesting that Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana have been after Green "the hardest."

That, after all, was one of the knocks on Tubby in Kentucky, that he was outworked by his competition.

We know that Green was ready to play for Tubby at Kentucky. So, it's more likely Green preferred Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State to Minnesota, than it is his decision is a referendum on Tubby's recruiting.

And while it's far too early to judge Tubby's 2008 recruiting class, I don't like reading three Big 10 schools recruited a coveted recruit harder than we did.

Countering Tubby's Buddy

A few posts down, I gave frequent Gopherhole.com commenter "Friend of Tubby" considerable space to convince readers that Tubby Smith is the answer Gopher fans have been waiting for.

I was shocked when the news arrived that Joel Maturi had hired Tubby Smith. For the first time in probably 10 years, my interest in Gophers basketball rose. During that decade, Dan Monson took a once proud progam and turned it into a laughingstock. So, Is Tubby the answer?

I won't fight with the statistics that "FOT" rattles off. And I won't fall into the trap of believing everything some rabid Kentucky fans say to slight their former coach. But I will make a few points, which highlight my reservations with the hire.

** First, this is likely Tubby Smith's last job, unless he's planning to use this gig as a jumping off point for another big-time program. But it would seem Tubby is tired of the spotlight and could get comfortable in Minnesota. So, how long does he want to stick around? At 55, turning 56 on June 30, it might be a stretch to think Tubby will be around 10 years. In my opinion, it will take him at least three years to change the direction of the Gophers program. Does he have the stamina? He's won his national title. Does the fire still burn? Does he have the energy for another rebuilding project?

** Recruiting: The one area where I think Kentucky fans have a legitmate point. But it's not as if Tubby Smith was landing Dan Monson-like recruiting classes. So, for us, recruiting should improve. But just a few months in, one of the knocks on Tubby in Kentucky may be showing up in Minnesota.

Let's take Stan Simpson as an example. In a Rivals.com article, it states that Simpson, as of June 7, was only starting to hear from Minnesota. The article states: "Simpson is just now starting to hear from the Gophers staff who has only been together for a couple of months." Maybe that was just a throw away line that didn't mean anything. But it tells me that the Gophers were late in talking to Simpson. This is the #24 power forward in the country, and a top 100 recruit. But it took Tubby's staff two months to start knocking on his door/text messaging him.

That anecdote by itself means little. But the one point Kentucky detractors make that I buy is that Tubby's passion isn't recruiting. For balance, I should point out that Tubby was on the Ralph Sampson bandwagon before the rest of the country. According to this Rivals.com article on Sampson, the Gophers and Tubby, along with Georgia Tech, were after Sampson before the rest of the country. Now, according to Rivals, Sampson's stock is rising. Tubby was there first. He needs to bring the product home.

This section on recruitment goes to show that Gopher fans shouldn't completely dismiss what Tubby's Kentucky detractors said about his recruiting abilities. At the same time, at the very least, we should see a better caliber player coming to Minnesota. Only time will tell whether Tubby has the stamina and desire to get the best of the best year after year.

** Gophers football coach Tim Brewster has wowed Gopher Nation with his enthusiasm. We didn't need a "Rah, Rah, Ski U Mah" from Tubby to excited about his hire. He's quoted as saying he wants to be here and feels wanted in Minnesota. As Minnesota fans, we wanted Tubby. But does he really want to be in marron and gold? Tubby's decision to come to Minnesota, in my opinion, was made abrubtly as a way to escape Kentucky.

I can't argue with the name value Tubby brings. But would the men's basketball program be better off with someone whose reason for coming here was to win first, not escape a hotstile situation?

In the end, I'm completely excited about Tubby. He's a class-act, and is well-respected throughout the game. And I beleve the program will be much better off as a result of his hire. But, was hiring an aging coach who wanted out of Kentucky more than he wanted to be at the U the best we could have done? You tell me. Clearly, I'm somewhat on the fence.

This site has been Tubby-centric the past week, culminating with a Chubby 4 Tubby conversation yesterday. In the next couple days, I'll review the camp Tim Brewster held this week for high schoolers, and continue my series on new assistant coaches with a look at defensive coordinator Everett Withers.