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This is Amelia Rayno's second season on the Gophers' basketball beat. She learned college basketball in North Carolina (Go Tar Heels!), where fanhood is not an option. In 2010, she joined the Star Tribune after graduating from Boston's Emerson College, which sadly had no exciting D-I college hoops to latch onto. Amelia has also worked on the sports desk at the Boston Globe and interned at the Detroit News.
Follow Rayno on Twitter @AmeliaRayno
Posts about College basketball
Ellenson: "I definitely just wanted to play."
Posted by: Amelia Rayno Updated: January 4, 2013 - 2:23 PM
Gophers wing Wally Ellenson was well aware of the cons when he fought for giving up his redshirt and playing this season.
After all, the freshman had already missed 11 games – all but two games of the non-conference schedule – with a broken left hand. He would be tossed into the ring just as the Gophers started the tough and gritty Big Ten schedule. And he would effectively lose his full four years of eligibility, which he could have had if he sat out this season.
No matter. In getting off to an exciting start, the Gophers had proven they could be something this season and Ellenson just wanted to be involved.
“I definitely just wanted to play,” he said. “I want to play the game. I have bigger goals and dreams, like I want to go to the NBA and I just didn’t want to be in college for five years.”
He talked with coach Tubby Smith, who ultimately agreed to let the freshman play even though he couldn’t guarantee how many minutes the wing would get with such a deep squad this season. In Minnesota’s game against South Dakota State, Ellenson made his debut, playing four minutes and getting his first point on a free throw. In the second half of the Lafayette blowout, the Wisconsin native played 15 minutes, getting a dunk and a hitting a three-pointer.
But against Michigan State in the league opener, Ellenson didn’t play at all. The freshman isn’t worried, though.
“I feel like I can get those minutes, I can earn them,” he said. “But it’s really up to coach and my shot. I’m going to hit my shot and its just keep working on it every day in practice.”
Smith seemed prepared to redshirt Ellenson at the beginning of the year, and he did make that decision with the team’s other freshman, Charles Buggs. But it makes sense that the coach would take Ellenson’s opinion into such heavy consideration with the freshman’s brother, Henry, at the top of the Gophers’ wish list for 2015.
Ellenson might be getting a baptism by fire in league play, but so far he’s not concerned, and is simply enjoying being a part of this team.
“I guess it will be good, because all I’ll know will be Big Ten, so I’ll just play up to that competition and feel that out,” he said. “It’s so fun. The guys are great. The locker room is just a great experience. Everyone is happy, excited, we know we have a great team, we’re going to have a great season and we just want to see how far we can go.”
Other notes:
- Gophers’ Sunday opponent, Northwestern hasn’t been on the best steak lately – their best player, Drew Crawford is out for the season with a dislocated elbow. And last night, the Wildcats started out their Big Ten season by getting absolutely dominated on their home court by Michigan. But Rodney Williams knows not to overlook Northwestern, whose Princeton-style offense gives the Gophers a different look than they’ve seen thus far, and their 1-3-1 defensive zone has given Minnesota plenty of problems in the past. “You’ve got to come prepared every time,” Williams said. “You’ve got to watch a lot of film on them. Their offense is, it’s a different offense, man. They’ll back-door you all day. And that 1-3-1 is real tough to score on. We’ve got a good game plan and hopefully we can come out and execute on Sunday.”
- Mo Walker, who had been dealing with a sore shoulder for a week or so, is mostly back to normal, Smith said on Friday. “He’s been in contact, so I haven’t had any … problems,” Smith said. “He’s been getting treatment, so I think he’s feeling a lot better.”
- Smith indicated that the shorter bench we saw against Michigan State in the second half could be typical going forward, with the starters playing more. “We’re going to try to stick with those guys and they’re probably going to log those types of minutes,” he said.
Are the Gophers underrated?
Posted by: Amelia Rayno Updated: January 3, 2013 - 11:23 AMInteresting tidbit from ESPN’s Jay Bilas yesterday, who listed the Gophers as one of his top 5 underrated teams right now.
Coach Tubby Smith, he said, has dealt with his fair share of health and off-court issues, but with the team healthy, we’re finally seeing their potential (and his, with a squad he build from the ground up).
Here’s an excerpt from the piece:
Tubby Smith had to listen to the naysayers question him all summer, when he has done a terrific job at Minnesota. Smith had to deal with injuries, a suspension or two and a lack of continuity late last season because of those two things. This season everyone is healthy, and the results are clear. The polls are even starting to catch up (No. 9 in the AP), but the Gophers' place on this list is a reflection of just how good they are and how (relatively) little recognition they're getting.
So here’s the question – are the Gophers UNDERRATED?
After all, they’re currently ranked No. 9 in the nation and for a squad that only has one truly impressive win (against Michigan State, which came after Minnesota was already put at No. 9), that’s not bad. The Gophers have had some solid wins over Memphis and Stanford, at USC and at Florida State, but none of those teams have really turned out like we’ve expected and therefore didn’t challenge the Gophers like we thought they would. Don’t get me wrong, the Gophers are playing really well. But underrated?
Underrated implies the attention a team is getting is beneath what it should be. But it seems to me the Gophers have gotten intriguing press ever since winning two of three in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas. They have steadily climbed the rankings, week-after-week. They’ve been lauded for their defense, their balance, their athleticism, their impressive offensive rebounding. Should the Gophers be higher than No. 9 as conference play is starting? Perhaps Bilas thinks Minnesota should be talked about as a contender for the league title. If that’s true, should the Gophers be a contender for the National Championship too? Indiana and Michigan are in that conversation – if the Gophers are underrated, should they be in that conversation too?
I think the Gophers have plenty more to prove before they can be introduced to that level of respect, but right now, they’re doing all the right things. There’s no need to talk about the Gophers being underrated right now. Perhaps they were at the beginning of the year, but now, they’re gaining more respect week after week. To elevate any higher – or even keep their spot – they’ll have to earn it on the Big Ten court.
Things we learned from Minnesota's win over Michigan State
Posted by: Amelia Rayno Updated: January 2, 2013 - 1:39 PMMonday’s win over Michigan State was a big one for the Gophers and a significant momentum boost going forward. Certainly, it was just one game – one of 18 in the Big Ten that should be mostly challenging the whole way. But with a victory over better competition (excepting Duke) than the Gophers have played all season, there was plenty to garner from their biggest test since challenging the Blue Devils in the Bahamas.
In the next few weeks, a lot can change – but for now, these are three truths we learned about this Minnesota team from the Michigan State win:
This team is tough. As I told Paul Allen today on KFAN, the thing that maybe impressed me the most about the Gophers in this game is that they matched the intensity and physicality of Michigan State – a team renowned for its grit. The Spartans’ came in ranked No. 1 in the conference in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, and yet the Gophers plowed into the post time and time again, shot 63 percent from the field and out-rebounded a team that has been very good in that regard – holding MSU to 32 boards. Only Kansas and Boise State have held the Spartans to fewer rebounds, and the Spartans had their worst effort of the year on defensive boards (with 16). Just as notable was the mental toughness the Gophers exhibited, coming back from a Michigan State lead late on going on their best run of the game at the very end.
The Gophers have lots of depth, but they don’t always need to use it. The bench helped out Minnesota plenty in the first half when the starters were clearly tired. The second group came in and gave the team a little spark, led by Oto Osenieks, who has looked pretty solid in his last couple games after a really slow start to the season. But that was mostly against MSU’s reserves. When the Spartans starters returned, the Gophers bench struggled, and with the game on the line, coach Tubby Smith barely played the reserves at all in the second half (Julian Welch, Andre Ingram, Elliott Eliason and Maverick Ahanmisi each got a handful of minutes). In years past, Smith has sometimes relied very heavily on the bench, even as it was getting pounded. Perhaps his decision to stick mostly with his first five on Monday was an indication of his trust in the bunch, more than he’s had in his teams in the past. In any case, Dre Hollins and crew lived up to the challenge and shut down the Spartans mostly on their own.
There are still flaws. The Gophers made just two of six shots from three-point range, made only 13 of 22 free throw attempts and had a disturbing barrage of turnovers, particularly at the start of the second half. Minnesota still looks lost against zone defenses and can be forced out of its game and into silly mistakes (in-bounding the ball, anyone?) when up against it. In other words, there are still plenty of blemishes with this team. Another way of looking at it: the Gophers had a good win, and they weren’t even playing their best. In any case, if Minnesota wants to continue this success, it’s got to clean these things up. The competition will only get stiffer …
aMAILia BAG: Who is most important to the Gophers? Early prediction for Big Ten POY? Difference between Yeti and Sasquatch?
Posted by: Amelia Rayno Updated: January 1, 2013 - 1:41 PM
aMAILia BAG is a weekly installment on this blog in which you send me questions, and I answer them here. Send your queries for next week to amelia.rayno@startribune.com. Sign your email however you want to be referred to in the post (ie: first name, full name, home town, Twitter handle, etc.). As always, thanks for all your great questions!
Happy New Year’s everyone. I hope everyone had a fun (and safe) night last night after the Gophers win over Michigan State. Your loyal Gophers beat reporter over here has been toiling over your questions on New Year’s Day. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is. Hopefully everyone is awake and in want of some stimulating reading material now.
Let’s jump to the questions (in bold; my responses in normal type):
Injuries are inevitable. Who's the most important piece for our Big10 run?
@akjoshgray47
Hmm, that’s a tough one because this year’s team has so much balance – anyone can take over the game on any given night, so in that way NO ONE is any too important. At the same time, in order for that unselfish dynamic to work, EVERY man is important. The starting rotation has so much parity, and that keeps defenses spread thin and honest. Just look at last night in the win over Michigan State – Dre Hollins notched 22, Rodney Williams 15, Austin Hollins, 12, Trevor Mbakwe 11. Even Joe Coleman, who had eight points, was a big contributor with three assists to one turnover, with two blocks and three steals – but that’s another story.
In any case, if I HAVE to pick one player, I’m going to go with Andre Hollins, for the simple fact that he’s your point guard now. He’s embraced his role and impresses me more and more each game this season with the way he’s starting to “click” in that regard. Last night was especially encouraging, both from a floor general perspective and, of course, as a scoring threat (which he’s harnessed much better this season also).
If something happened to Hollins (knock on wood, Gophers fans) this season, Maverick Ahanmisi would likely be the one to step in and replace him in the starting lineup. And while I really like the improvements Ahanmisi has made this year, he’s perfect for the role he’s currently in – he’s a little too limited, defense-wise, to be THE point guard, and while he can really shoot some 3s, he wouldn’t have the same scoring potential in that spot. Moving him to the starting lineup would also force Julian Welch into the role of main backup point, and I like him better as a shooting guard.
Tubby played 11, but no Ellenson. Do you think he will have a chance to crack the rotation as the year progresses?
@MakiatBSU
I was a little surprised that Ellenson didn’t play at all last night, considering the good work the freshman did in the final minutes of the Gophers’ win over Lafayette. The fact of the matter is, Ellenson is still far behind in terms of knowing the plays and executing on defense. Tubby Smith is quick to state that about the guard, and on Saturday he reiterated that he isn’t sure how many minutes Ellenson will get this season.
It’s only been one game since Ellenson has been officially eligible that he hasn’t played, so of course there’s a chance he can break into the rotation. Smith used a shorter bench than usual Monday anyway, and frankly, he was probably a little more concerned about winning the game than getting Ellenson comfortable. The wing will play if he proves himself. Problem is, the timing to prove yourself at the start of the Big Ten schedule, when every game is going to be a battle, just isn’t good. This was part of why I was surprised Smith took away the redshirt.
Mailbag: why no time for [Oto] after excellent first half especially winemaker MSU making big run?
@GagTjgag1
Winemaker MSU? Is this an auto correct? A New Year's Eve joke? Some term I’m not familiar with? An indictment of the Spartans’ habits?
My guess is the first. Anyway. As I said above, Smith didn’t play a long bench at all yesterday, particularly in the second half when only four players – Elliott Eliason (1), Julian Welch (5), Maverick Ahanmisi (2) and Andre Ingram (2) – got any minutes at all. I really liked that move, with the starters cruising and the second group, while providing a spark against MSU’s reserves in the first, not doing a good job of hanging with the Spartans’ starting lineup. As for why Osenieks didn’t get more second half minutes in place of, say, Welch, I couldn’t tell you other than I think Smith really believes in Welch and wants to get him going. Osenieks – and the rest of the crew – played their part in the first half. The starting five was clearly exhausted (Williams actually appeared to signal that he wanted a reserve at one point) and the second group was great in relief. They simply weren’t needed as much in the second. In the past, it’s been frustrating to watch Smith make a line change at seemingly unnecessary times, so I had no complaints over his use of the bench in the second.
Who is your Big Ten player of the year prediction? Not now, but by the end of the year!
@ALuvsTwins
One thing about this mail bag that I didn’t anticipate – I’m finding that I get on the hook for many more official predictions … maybe you guys will forget when I’m wrong? Anyway, I suppose I can always count on you guys to make me think on the day after New Year’s Eve (yes, that is also known as New Year’s Day).
If your hopes are up that I’m going to name a Minnesota player, I should squash that now. With the Gophers, it’s such a team thing, so I don’t think that any one of them will win it, unless Minnesota wins the conference. In general, I like to look at the POY as the one who meant the most to his team; the one that would hurt a team the most if he was gone.
Therefore, if Ohio State were to have a great Big Ten season, it would have to be Deshaun Thomas, who is the thing keeping the Buckeyes afloat right now. If Illinois continued its success, I’d name Brandon Paul. But I’m not sure those two are going to be the top exciting teams going forward, so I digress.
If I had to pick a POY to this point, I’d name Trey Burke, who has just been stellar, as has Michigan. And considering I don’t see Burke (or Michigan) flopping anytime soon, that’s probably a safe pick for POY too – but it’s also kind of a boring pick, and no one likes a boring pick.
So I’m going to go out on a limb here, and name Iowa’s Aaron White as my prediction for end-of-the-year POY. The Hawkeyes are one of the teams I think will finish much better than they were expected to this season, and if that happens, White will be a big part of that. The sophomore has improved in nearly every category from a year ago, and I think he’s only getting started. He can impact the game on both ends of the court and has shown he can be a dominant scorer. In big games so far, he’s produced big. Yesterday, the forward was key in keeping the Hawkeyes in the game with Indiana and while he didn’t score in the game’s final 13 minutes, he did get some critical rebounds (but Iowa couldn’t pull it out). So there it is, folks.
Perhaps I missed it, but I'd love to see your prediction for our BT record... Official, and on the record! Ha.
@JordanGrote
Again with this way-ahead stuff? Well, I’ve actually put this out there already, and it doesn’t feel so tough repeating it after last night’s win. I predict the Gophers to reverse last year’s totals and go 12-6 in the league.
Does the Gophers' high ranking have anything to do with the B1G's national reputation, or are voters really that high on them?
@TheSambard
I think it’s a combination of both, but yes, I think voters really like what they’ve seen from the Gophers early on. They’ve played really solid basketball, even when not playing against top competition – anchored by tough defense and a balanced offense.
What is the Gophers biggest weakness? 3-point shooting?
@djjlav
Three point shooting is one. But after yesterday afternoon, I might go back to turnovers. What an egregious show that was for a little while there, particularly at the start of the second half. Turnovers (the Gophers almost had one miscue a minute for the first eight minutes, which the Spartans returned for seven points) were the bulk of the reason Minnesota let Michigan State take its first lead. It was ugly basketball for a little while there. Ultimately, the Gophers defense (and converting when they did hold onto the ball long enough to get to the basket) kept them in the game during that period, and they didn’t have any turnovers in the final 11:55 of the second. But whoa, 16 turnovers again? This cannot continue if the Gophers are going to keep up this success in the Big Ten.
BONUS BIGFOOT QUESTION:
What’s the difference between a Sasquatch and a Yeti? Not a Gophers hoops question, but important nonetheless!
@juliecmiller
You’re right, Julie – very important. The differences between Sasquatch and Yeti are basically the name -- each given by the original natives who saw them -- and the region. Sasquatch is the North American version and Yeti is the name for the similar creatures in mountainous Asia (mostly throughout the Himalayan range). Some say Yeti have mostly white fur (which would make sense given their surroundings) while American sasquatch are typically black or cinnamon-colored.
Postgame: Gophers start out the Big Ten season with a win over Michigan State
Posted by: Amelia Rayno Updated: January 1, 2013 - 1:06 PMWhat a start to the Big Ten season.
As I’ve said, I thought Michigan State was a good matchup for the first game of the conference schedule because I believed the Gophers were capable of beating them, yet doing so would give them a wave of hype and confidence to take forward because of the reputation that the Spartans have.
Michigan State showed that strength on Monday, refusing to be put in the rearview and making a big comeback from the end of the first half through the start of the second, but Minnesota showed a sort of poise that mostly absent a year ago.
Down by five with 9:22 to go, the Gophers started a steady comeback. They led by 1 with three minutes remaining when Andre Hollins took over. The sophomore guard instigated a 12-0 finishing run that featured six points from him as well as an impressive play from Austin Hollins and Mbakwe, who snatched a steal, then started a three-pass back-and-forth break with Hollins, who slammed it home to put Minnesota up by seven.
“We just didn’t panic,” Andre Hollins said. “We knew it was going to be a close game … we knew we just had to keep our composure and focus on the little things and start executing.”
Wow. There were plenty of things to be impressed with in this game, not the least being the crowd of 14,625, which was probably the loudest I’ve ever heard there.
Some other notes on the 76-63 win over Michigan State:
- It’s hard to criticize the starting five at all, but Trevor Mbakwe and Andre Hollins were particularly impressive today. I thought Hollins showed real leadership down the stretch and made some really nice passes– we’re watching him become a point guard in front of our eyes. Mbakwe, on the other hand, played without his knee brace for the first time and looked convincing in one of his most explosive outings of the year. He was just playing tough all game, not taking off a single play. Very encouraging performances from those two.
- RE the brace, Mbakwe said: “I don’t want people thinking about my knee anymore. I’m glad that’s over with. I’ll probably throw it away. (kidding) I don’t think our trainer would be too happy about that. Those things cost a lot of money.”
- A stunning percentage of the offense (for the Gophers) came from the starters. Andre Hollins (22), Rodney Williams (15), Austin Hollins (12), Mbakwe (11) and Joe Coleman (8) combined for 68 of the Gophers’ 76 points, good for 89 percent of Minnesota’s scoring. Only Julian Welch (4) and Oto Osenieks (4) scored off the bench, all of their efforts in the first half.
- Smith played a much shorter bench than usual in the second half, playing only Maverick Ahanmisi, Julian Welch, Andre Ingram and Elliott Eliason for one quick stretch in that period. The bench didn’t score at all in the second.
- The Gophers had some excruciating struggles with botched in-bounds passes in the second, goofing up six times in a row in one stretch. Coach Tubby Smith blamed the lapses on Michigan State’s 2-3 zone they used some in the final half. “They take a lot of those angles and gaps away from you, so were having a lot of trouble, and then they’re so long and athletic,” Smith said. “We laid some very weak cuts at the time because they had no one really on the ball, pressuring the ball, but now five guys are guarding four guys.”
- In general, turnovers continued to be a big problem for the Gophers, who turned the ball over eight times in the first 8:05 of second half play, which Michigan State cashed in for 7 points (they had 14 points off turnovers overall). Minnesota stopped turning over the ball completely from there, but 16 miscues is just too many for the Gophers to be consistently successful in this league.
- On today’s crowd at Williams arena, Andre Hollins said: “That was the loudest I’ve ever heard the Barn. That was great. Got my blood flowing.”
- Smith was asked where he sees the Gophers going after watching today’s win. “I’m not a prognosticator,” he said. "We’ve got to be better. If we can get better off today’s game then the sky’s the limit.”
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recent posts
- Wally Ellenson: "I definitely just wanted to play."
- Rayno: At No. 9, are the Gophers still underrated?
- Rayno: Things we learned from Gophers win over Michigan State
- aMAILia BAG: Who is most important to the Gophers? Early prediction for Big Ten POY?
- Postgame: Gophers start out Big Ten season with a win
- Late surge leads Gophers past Spartans
- Rayno: Are the Gophers ready for the Big Ten?
- Gophers played their first game without Walker today in 2010
- Rayno: Bench more productive as Gophers head into Big Ten play
- Gophers' wishlist includes shooting, win over Michigan State
- aMAILia BAG: How will Gophers start? Coleman as 6th man?
- Ellenson makes most of second-half minutes
- Postgame: Mbakwe starts; Eliason doesn't play at all.
- Pregame: Mbakwe in the starting lineup vs. Lafayette
- Smith: Mbakwe could start as soon as Saturday
- Rayno: Mbakwe in the starting 5? Smith might not want to
- More aMAILia Bag: Recruiting, guard play, Wally Ellenson and monsters
- aMAILia BAG: Oto, the break, the 'big six' recruits and more
- Tubby: Break beneficial for players needing individual work
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