Before the start of Richard Pitino's first season as a head coach --last year at Florida International -- he hired Mike Balado as an assistant.
But Balado didn't entirely move on mentally from his previous job at High Point.
"He kept talking about this kid John Brown," Pitino said with a laugh. Balado had recruited the 6-8 center, who was heading into his freshman year at the time.
"He was pumping him up, pumping him up," Pitino said. "We always jokingly had an interest in John Brown because he'd always brag about him."
Now, Pitino will finally be able to judge whether Balado's gushing was justified. Top-seeded Minnesota will face 8-seed High Point in the first round of the NIT at Williams Arena tonight. Brown is now a sophomore, and the Player of the Year in the Big South, which the Panthers won outright.
On paper, High Point shouldn't be a challenge for the Gophers, who were still positioned on the NCAA bubble a few short weeks ago.
The Panthers' defensive efficiency is ranked 305th in the nation, according to kenpom.com, which should give the Gophers plenty of chances to rebound from their weak offensive performance in the second-round of the Big Ten tournament -- a loss which probably knocked them out of the Big Dance. Andre Hollins and Austin Hollins were a big part of the problem in that one, going just 3-for-20 from the field. The Panthers also do not handle the ball especially well, or get to the free throw line often.
Yes, matchup-wise, the Gophers should roll.