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Health & Fitness

Gopher Basketball: Transfers Hurt, But Lack of Develoment More to Blame for Team's Struggles

A die hard Gopher sports fan rants

Watching the end of the Gopher men's basketball game Wednesday night against Iowa, one couldn't help but wonder a couple thing.

1) How much better would the Gophers be with Royce White and Devoe Joseph making key plays down the stretch; and

2) Why hasn't Ralph Sampson improved at all over the last 4 years?

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Sadly for Gopher fans, the second question is a more troubling one, and sheds light on the struggles the leam has endured over the years.

Over the first five seasons of the Tubby Smith campaign, the program has seen its fair share of transfers. This is not unlike many Division 1 sports teams these days, as players constantly search for the "right fit" and a chance to play right away. There just doesn't seem to be the same level of patience with kids these days to sit and develop over time, as players look to play and make an impact immediately.

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If a player is unhappy with his playing time, or lack thereof, he is likely to transfer to a program elsewhere where he might have a different opportunity.

The Gophers have been depleted in recent years by transfers from the following players: Paul Carter, Justin Cobbs, Royce White, Devoe Joseph, and Colton Iverson. In the case of Royce White and Paul Carter, the situations can be looked at differently (White had legal problems and never played a minute for the Gophers, while Carter transferred to be closer to his little sister who was in the hospital at the time).

In the cases of the other three, however, no doubt Smith needs to accept some responsibility for losing players that would have significantly helped the team the past two seasons. Joseph and Cobbs are both currently starting and are solid contributors on their respective teams (Joseph at Oregon and Cobbs at Cal). 

The other more glaring problem that has plagued Smith's Gopher teams in his first few seasons is the consistent lack of development by his players. The one member of Smith's heralded 2008 recruiting class that HAS stuck around the whole time, Ralph Simpson III, has shown little to no improvement over his 3 and a half years on campus. When he signed, there was hope that Sampson would blossom into a dynamic, low post scorer, and anything close to his father (former college superstar Ralph Sampson, JR.).

Unfortunately for Smith and Gopher fans, Sampson still plays disinterested and soft in the post, preferring to shoot perimeter jumpers like a shooting guard. His game couldn't be more ill suited for the Big Ten.

The big question for Gopher fans (and the future athletic director) is why haven't more of Smith's players shown significant improvement under his tutelage? Al Nolen never learned how to consistently shoot from the outside in four years under Smith. Rodney Williams has the same problem. A blue chip recruit for Smith three years ago, Williams still doesn't handle the ball well enough to capitalize on his otherworldly athleticism, nor does he shoot well enough to keep defenders from playing off of him.

There was talk of Williams NBA prospects when he first set foot on campus three years ago, but right now he looks like a freakishly athletic D League prospect at best.

All of this wouldn't be nearly as glaring or troubling if not for the direct contrast taking place 250 or so miles east down I-94 in Madison. Year in and year out for the past decade, Bo Ryan has been winning with marginal recruits and less talent than many rival programs.

Yet he consistently develops players such as Alando Tucker, Jon Leuer, and Jordan Taylor that lead the Badgers to the NCAA tournament each year. To further analyze the struggles of Smith and his coaching staff in cultivating talent, compare Smith to Clem Haskins' teams of the late 80's and early 90's (of course we'll ignore for the time being that whole widespread academic cheating scandal that occurred on Haskins' watch :)).

Haskins never had a top 30 recruiting class like Smith did in '08, but still made deep tournament runs by developing players such as Willie Burton, Kevin Lynch, John Thomas, Bobby Jackson, Sam Jacobson, Eric Harris, Quincy Lewis, etc. None of those guys were highly recruited with the possible exception of Jacobson, yet some of the most successful and exciting Gopher teams played during Haskins' tenure.

Tubby has two more years on his contract. The new University of Minnesota President, Eric Kaler and whoever he appoints as his new athletic director this summer have a difficult decision to make. Smith might be a sexy name with national recognition for having won a past national championship. But that was almost fourteen years ago at Kentucky.

The Gophers will never be able to hand-pick talent like a program such as Kentucky can. At the 'U', player development has got to be a key element to success. So far that has been sorely lacking under Tubby's watch.

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