Royce White v. Damien Johnson

Royce White, who we're all excited to be donning maroon and gold come fall 2009, has given the punditocracy another reason to question his maturity.

In an item I didn't see until it was pointed out to me today, it's reported that White had a little altercation with Damian Johnson during a summer league game. Now, White insists it was simply competitive sparring. But the funny business got him ejected.

This Star Tribune blog post by Myron Medcalf (after burying the lede) informs us that White was tossed for trash talking and throwing a ball at Johnson's back when he was turned away. Yeah, that's not cool, considering Johnson was arguably the Gophers' MVP last season and was easily the player who grew the most under Tubby Smith. Show some respect, Royce!

Medcalf also decides to paraphrase Tubby Smith second hand. Here's the paragraph that made the editor in me cringe:

Tubby Smith was upset and befuddled when he learned about White’s verbal
sparring session with his future teammate. During a conversation with a
colleague, Smith questioned White’s immaturity.

I believe Tubby would be questioning White's "maturity," and this incident might give credence to those who suggest White is "immature." Whatever.

This little note proves two things to us: 1) Royce White hasn't learned a microscope is on him and 2) the Star Tribune isn't going to save us from another year of questionable reporting and grammar from pup reporter Myron Medcalf.

Friday Randomness Talks Brewster's Recruiting

Grandpa Sid Hartman had an interesting tidbit in his column this week on Tim Brewster's hyped 2008 recruiting class.

The big question about the Gophers football team's highly ranked recruiting class is how many of the players haven't passed their entrance tests or don't have the credits to gain admission to the university. The scholarships given to recruits include money for enrolling in summer school. Some people, who should be in the know, report that coach Tim Brewster is not happy with some of the decisions that the school's admissions office could make. More than a couple of
the top recruits might not be admitted.

That's the first indication that Tim Brewster's top-20 national class might not be all he's spun it to be. On its face it is impressive that Brewster was able to lure as much talent as he did to Minnesota after a 1-11 season. But, as Papa Sid reports, this recruiting class might well take a step or two backward before the first game is played this fall.

I'm no expert on college football recruiting and on the kinds of things that are offered to these kids (like money for summer school), but it would seem to me that doing such a thing is a measure taken by a coaching staff or administration that values winning way too highly above academics. Didn't Brewster learn anything from the Harold Howell experiment? Every other college passed on Howell because of academics (and also probably because his football skills were poor) but Brewster bit at the opportunity to bring in an athlete despite academic issues. The result? Howell struggled on the field before being unceremoniously booted for academic reasons.

So, the question is who is this year's Howell?

*** So, the SEC is considering starting its own network. You didn't see much ranting here against the Big Ten Network, because living out in Northern Virginia and having DirecTV, I absolutely loved having it. I was able to watch every Gophers basketball game. How sweet that was.

But for the blog Coaches Hot Seat to opine about how grand the BTN was, well, they obviously weren't paying that close of attention. Basically, I'm nitpicking' here as much of the rest of the piece is spot on. But here's the' line that I couldn't help but add my two cents on.

Overall the Big Ten network programming is very well done, and the studio shows and play-by-play/color commentators are practically network/ESPN quality

Yeah, um, the production on the BTN, the commentators, the color analysts, the booth guys especially, were close to downright horrible. Gene Keady, while aesthetically pleasing, is not cutout to do booth work or color commentary. Gary DiNardo and Howard Griffith? I couldn't stand to watch them, and I don't think I was alone.

*** Highschoolhoops.com ranks Royce White as the #2 small forward in the 2009 recruiting class. Of the Minnesota commit, the Web site states: "White is one of those rare players who mixes superior talent with hustling. The Minnesota bound forward also finishes around the basket with ease." That sounds good to me.

*** If you weren't aware, Minnesota AD Joel Maturi seems to be a prospect to fill the same position at Notre Dame. Maturi has only stated (that I've seen) that he's happy at Minnesota. But one has to think an opportunity to go to his alma mater would be appealing. Goldhelmet.com did a rundown of ND AD candidates and listed the good and bad on Maturi. On the good side was his effective lobbying to get the football stadium passed and his hiring of the late Terry Hoeppner when Maturi was at Miami (Ohio). The bad? You guessed it, the "questionable" hiring of Tim Brewster.

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.

Reusse Targets U Fanbase, Tubby, Royce White

I've defended Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse in the past. I've even (gasp!) agreed with him.

But his column today criticizing the Gophers for continuing to pursue Royce White after an admitted academic mistake at DeLaSalle--which preempted his departure from the school--is off base in my opinion. Here's the gist of Reusse's take:

We are nine years removed from Minnesota becoming the basketball program by which all others compare themselves when it comes to academic fraud.

There's no evidence that White's verbal commitment was greeted with hesitation by coach Tubby Smith, or his boss, athletic director Joel Maturi, or Maturi's bosses.

They can't comment on the qualities of recruits before they sign, but certainly it was in Smith's power to tell White, "Let's cool it here until next fall -- make sure you have your act together academically and elsewhere before you make an announcement."

And if Smith wasn't willing to take that stand on White, then Maturi should have ordered his coach to deliver this message: Tell the young man the offer is off the table until he proves himself somewhere other than the basketball court.

Reusse's suggestion certainly sounds like a reasonable one. But he fails to mention that Tubby Smith and the Gophers can change their minds on Royce at any time. Tubby very well might have told Royce to keep his house in order or else he'd be kicked out quicker than Brandon Smith. Additionally, should White fail to qualify academically, there isn't much Tubby or Maturi could do to sneak him past the admissions office.

Reusse goes on to take potshots at the University of Minnesota fan base, calling us fans "Gopher Acreage." This would be sort of cute if it were the first time Reusse had taken the phrase Red Sox Nation and adjusted it to mock the fan bases of the local franchises. A reference to Twins Region comes to mind.

After that unfortunate bit of attacking his own readership, Reusse goes on to suggest that playing basketball for Hopkins--where White is now enrolled--is tantamount to admitting zero academic interest. He bashes Kris Humprhies and Dan Coleman, Hopkins grads both, by stating: "If White's one season there preps him as well for the Gophers as did the Hopkins experience for Kris Humphries and Dan Coleman, Tubby has a chance -- come the fall of 2009 -- to find himself with a combination of a ball hog featuring inconsistent effort."

Reusse is right on his analysis of both Humphries and Coleman. But to assume that White will be anything like them is simply a reach on Reusse's part.

And the last point that Reusse failed to mention is that during Humphries' stint at the U and for the majority of Coleman's stay, the coach on the sidelines was Dan Monson, he who developed the reputation of letting his players run roughshod over him. Monson sold his soul and the team aspect of the college game and gave into Humphries and Rick Rickert. Tubby Smith is no Dan Monson. Tubby has groomed many players. He's seen as a father figure by many of his former players.

So, unless Royce White screws up again, and until we see players walk over Tubby Smith, let's give White, Maturi and Tubby the benefit of the doubt.

Friday Randomness

PJS Note: The next part in the basketball year in review is still on it's way, but for now I'm going to launch a new installment which will run every Friday. I'll touch on smaller items that don't deserve a singular post and other random things, from movies to other good reads from the blogosphere.

** Free advice for Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster: As a public relations professional myself (yes, I'm now a paid flack after leaving the dying print newspaper business), I fully understand your desire to drum up interest in your product by any means necessary. I also understand your desire to re-brand the Golden Gophers football program. These are good goals all.

However, for you to state that you've spent the last six months working with Nike to design the program, well, that might give some the perception that you've been playing with crayons instead of figuring out how to stop an opposing offense (we do remember your first version of Gophers were an NCAA worst in this department).

There were some other minor mistakes in the introduction of these new uniforms. Timing, my friend, is everything. Having a press event at the same time that Tubby Smith received a verbal from local big man Royce White and the Vikings signed and traded for Jared Allen, well, that was poor timing. Perhaps the press availability could have been rescheduled. Obviously you'd have to come up with an excuse for this, but most of us fans, and the three reporters who attended, would understand if you were taking part in a coaching camp somewhere.

Finally, you said "As you can see, it's a clean, classic look. It's about clean. It's about sleek. It's about pride."

I have no idea what this means. The uniforms themselves? Decent. But anything is better than the gold-on-gold atrocity we saw last season. See them via a STrib video here. While I didn't mind the new unis, Marxist Gopher on the other hand ...

** You know, I have been putting off coverage of football. 1-11 was beyond painful after Brewster's penchant for bad public relations set expectations sky high and then the season ended up worse then something Jim Wacker put together. However, I guess I can look forward to Brewster's defenders coming on here and telling me I'm too hard on the guy.

** Maybe we should have some fun with Brewster. How about a nickname contest? Twins bloggers gave Carlos Gomez--geez, does this kid swing out of his shoes on every pitch--the lame nickname "Go-Go." We can come up with something for Brewster. Myself and others have previously called him "Punky Brewster," and "Brother Brewster," and while I really like the former, I'm not sure how original it is. Drop your suggestion in the comments or send me an email.

** Without uttering a word last week, Tubby Smith won another round in the public relations realm between the two second-year Minnesota coaches. We covered the verbal commitment from Royce White here. Others were impressed. CSTV says "Tubby gains huge college pledge." The hope is the White signing is a precursor for even more talent coming to Minnesota.

** Michael Rand at the STrib's RandBall interviewed Erin Andrews. Here's Part 1. And Part 2. I completely agree with everyone who likes to look at Andrews, but some of the stuff is a little nuts? Millions of hits for Youtube vids of her? Who has time for this stuff?

** Saw "Smart People" last night with Miss PJS. I'm somewhat of a movie buff. Ellen Page was in this and it was a decent follow-up for her after the success of Juno. In this she plays a smart-allecky Young Republican. It was a fairly well done movie and Dennis Quaid, who usually does nothing for me, plays the role of a bitter, widowed, know-it-all college professor well. Watchable and somewhat humorous? Yes. Must see? No. Reason to see it? Thomas Haden Church is pretty damn funny, if his usual monotone self.

** Speaking of movies, I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about the best movies of the past year. We both agreed that "Gone, Baby, Gone," was vastly underrated. Casey Affleck put on a great performance (much better than the snore-fest known as "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford).

That's it for today. I'll be back early next week with the next installment (promise!) in the Year in Review series.

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.

On Royce White

The Star Tribune reported Wednesday that DeLaSalle basketball standout Royce White has been dismissed from his high school. White is a heavily recruited junior forward who is considered by some a "must get" recruit for Tubby Smith and the Golden Gophers.

Because of that status, White is somewhat of a public figure. If he scores 40, we rave. If he gets in a argument with his coach, we criticize. The dismissal from DeLaSalle is certainly eyebrow-raising. But there has been absolutely zero discussion of what transpired that led to White's dismissal. Nonetheless, many unnamed pundits at various Minnesota forums have begun taking White to task. The Gophers should ignore him, they write. White should go to college somewhere else, they suggest.

Down With Goldy has also picked up on this and he is exactly right. Here's a taste of what DWG wrote:

People. CALM DOWN. We don't even know what happened. There is no info on this, and people are ready to condemn White. This is knee-jerk speculation at best. Completely irresponsible idiocy at worst.

Sometimes it's wise to remember that college recruits are kids. White is 16, maybe 17 years old. I wonder what some of the holier than thou crowd did at that age they might not want debated on message boards. It's been rumored that he was caught cheating. Whatever. Rumors have also persisted that he didn't get along with the coaching staff. It happens and it was the reason behind Lawrence Westbrook transferring to a prep school during his senior year. If White didn't break a law, we ought to lay off a little bit.

My point is, high school kids have all sorts of problems, ranging from family issues to drugs, alcohol, tempers, social anxiety, etc. etc... And in many instances kids are able to work through them. I'll relay my experience. In high school, I was a drunk. I breezed through classes to a 3.8 average, but I spent weekends and summers boozing with my friends. Had I been a 4-star recruit, the online punditry would have lambasted me when I received an underage drinking ticket. They would have told me not to attend their college of choice. I would have been labeled as having "character issues." What they would have missed out on was a college student who matured, who grew tired of alcohol and binge drinking and who went on to get a job at The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer out of college. Not bad for character issues!

Anyway.....let's take it a little easier on Royce. .... at least until we know more. And for those saying Minnesota should stop recruiting Royce, I'll ask this: Do you trust Tubby Smith? I do. And I believe that if there is any major concern, Tubby will shy away. And I also believe one reason we hired Tubby is that he is an all aroud good man. He's been considered a father figure by former players. He's obviously helped Al Nolen, who many thought wouldn't qualify academically. Nolen was honored last week for his academic excellence.

White Bio: Royce is a 6'7, 210 pound junior forward who has been heavily recruited. Michigan State, Minnesota, USC, Arkansas, Purdue and many others have offered scholarships. Many more have taken a strong look at him. According to Rivals, Royce is the #9 small forward in the 2009 recruiting class.

Also: Twin Cities Boys Hoops blog speculates that Royce and Rodney Williams, another imporatant Minnesota recruit, could end up playing prep school ball together next season.

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.

An Unofficial Visit

DeLaSalle sophomore standout Royce White made an unofficial visit to the University of Minnesota last week, according to Charley Walters, though a hat-tip is in order for a blog I just stumbled onto.

First, this is good news for Tubby and company. White could be part of Minnesota's 2009 class.

It's a good idea, I think, to explain the differences between an official and unofficial visit. After a little research, I found the following explanation. Suffice to say, an "unofficial" visit from a student from Virginia or California would be a bigger indication of the students' interest, as much of the cost of the trip is passed onto the student. Here's the best explanation I found of the differences between an official and unoficial visit.

In general, an unofficial visit is one that is financed by the prospective student while an official visit is one that is financed either entirely or partially by the institution. There are a number of expenses/benefits that if provided by an institution classifies the visit as an official visit. Official visits may not occur until the opening day of classes of the prospect’s senior year and may not exceed 48 hours. An institution may provide only one official visit to its campus for a prospect.

Unofficial Visits
A prospective student may make an unlimited number of unofficial visits.
Meal: A prospect may receive a single meal provided by the institution in their on-campus student dining facility (the meal may not be provided at a local restaurant if the dining facility is closed unless it is the institution’s policy to do so for all visiting prospective students generally). Meals may not be provided for parents or other family members.
Lodging: Lodging may not be provided to a prospect unless it is the institution’s policy to provide such lodging to all visiting prospective students generally. Note: If an institution's policy is to provide lodging only for visiting high school seniors, then the institution's athletic department may arrange/provide lodging for a senior without considering the visit an official visit (as long as all other guidelines for unofficial visits are met). If the institution does not provide lodging for visiting students, the athletic department may still arrange/provide lodging for a senior, but the visit will then be classified as an official visit. Lodging may only be provided for non-seniors if it is the institution's policy to provide such lodging for all visiting non-seniors in general.
Transportation: Transportation (including to/from the local bus/train station and/or local airport) may not be provided.

Official Visits
A prospect may not make an official visit until the opening day of classes of the prospect’s senior year. An institution may provide only one official visit to its campus for a prospective student. An official visit may not exceed 48 hours.
Meals: An institution may provide meals (not to exceed three per day) to a prospect in the institution’s on-campus student dining facility. If a prospect visits campus during a vacation period and the dining facility is closed, a meal may be provided to a prospect (and the prospect’s parents/legal guardians) in a local restaurant. The meal must be comparable to the type of meal provided in the on-campus dining facility.
Lodging: Lodging may be provided for a prospect. If provided it shall be in a manner similar or comparable to that of student housing (e.g., dorm room).
Transportation: Transportation to/from the local bus/train station and/or local airport is permissible.

Suffice to say, news that an outstate recruit makes an 'unofficial' visit is more telling than a local kid driving to campus. Nonetheless, it's good news that Royce White is intersted in the U

Tubby On The Trail

Tubby Smith may not get all of the recruits he is targeting, but thank goodness he is aiming high.

We've already learned he is pursuing a basketball legend's son in Ralph Sampson III. We know he's after Draymond Green, even though the rumors that Tubby would offer his high school coach a job haven't materialized. Both are class of 2008 prospects. Sampson is ranked as just a 3-star forward/center by Rivals, though having a Ralph Sampson on your side can't really hurt. Green is a 4-star power forward, who had previously committed to Tubby at Kentucky.

And it's been widely reported that Tubby is getting to know the two best--unsigned--local recruits for the class of 2009. One of them, Royce White, a small forward, is a five-star, top-40 player in the class of 2009, according to Rivals. The other, Rodney Williams, is a 6-5, 4-star standout.

Now, according to Gopher Illustrated (subscription), Tubby is on the trail of Stan Simpson (pictured above), a 4-star, top 100 power forward prospect being recruited by Georgia Tech, Illinois, Wisconsin, Louisville and others. Simpson is a 6-8, 220 pound big man from Chicago.

I had concerns that Tubby wouldn't have the drive to recruit as hard as he'll need to in order to right the Gophers' ship. But it seems he is proving me wrong. Now the test will be if he can convince stars like Green, Simpson and a player with a pedigree like Sampson to come to the Twin Cities.