Rand: Plenty ties Gophers hoops, Wolves together

The connections between the Timberwolves and the Gophers men's basketball team are mounting, and it's not just because both teams seem to be about the same age. (For the record, the Wolves have five players who are 21 or younger, while Gophers' big men Elliott Eliason and Mo Walker are both older, at 22).

It starts at the top, with Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders having played for the Gophers while Gophers coach Richard Pitino was an assistant coach at Louisville when Wolves' center Gorgui Dieng was there. Dieng has helped Gophers freshman Bakary Konate since his arrival on the U of M campus.

The Wolves' Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins are Canadian, as is the Gophers' Walker. In fact, Bennett tweeted a photo from courtside at the Gophers' scrimmage Sunday, saying he was there to support Walker.

But the strongest link is between Wolves rookie Zach LaVine and Gophers freshman Josh Martin — AAU teammates and high school teammates at Bothell (Wash.) High.

"He's basically like my brother. It's been really cool to have him here," Martin said. "I've been able to be over at his crib a couple of times. I've gotten to enjoy the feeling of having family in Minnesota, which is really cool."

Upon bringing up Martin's name to LaVine, he just smiled and said, "That's my boy."

The duo played several years of AAU ball together, then teamed up in high school for one season when LaVine was a senior (he still shakes his head wondering how that team didn't win a state title).

"I would wreck him. I would win every single time. I could do stuff he couldn't do," Martin said. "But now he's throwing down this crazy, I don't even know what to say it is. But we haven't had a dunk contest since the last time I won, so technically I've gone out on top."

Is that true, Zach?

"He was fully grown by 9th grade, so he had everything. he had windmills. But by the middle of sophomore year, I started getting him," LaVine said, before adding: "Come on, man, you saw my stuff on YouTube. ... He knows what's up."