University of Minnesota Athletics
2003-04 Men's Basketball Season Outlook
11/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
"Our offseason didn't lack for drama or news," said head coach Dan Monson, now entering his fifth season in charge of the Gopher program. "Ups and downs are part of basketball and a part of life. It may not have been the group we envisioned at the end of last season, but we're very excited about the players we have to start this season. Despite the distractions, our veteran players have kept the team focused on their conditioning throughout the offseason and we're definitely a stronger and more fit team coming into this year."
In 2002-03, Minnesota recorded its most wins (19) under Monson. They again fell one victory short of an NCAA Tournament berth, but qualified for their third straight NIT and advanced to New York City before losing to Georgetown in the semifinals. The Gophers have won at least 18 games the past three seasons, a stretch only matched two other times in Minnesota basketball history. From 1979-80 through 1982-83, the Gophers won 21,19, 23 and 18 wins, respectively; and from 1992-93 through 1997-98, which all games but the first season were later vacated due to NCAA violations. Those violations severely limited scholarships and put strict recruiting sanctions on the program since the summer of 1999, coinciding with Monson's arrival in Gold Country. This past summer was the first Monson and his staff could recruit on par with every other college basketball program. Minnesota is limited to 12 scholarship players this season, one under the NCAA allotment, and that will conclude the penalties that have taken five years to get through.
"Progress is never as fast as you'd like it to be, especially from a coach's perspective," Monson said. "But, the program is back on firm ground. We have quality players and, more importantly, quality people in our basketball family. We have the same goals every season: win a Big Ten title; win the Big Ten Tournament; qualify for NCAAs and compete for a national title regardless of the circumstances."
POSTS
The biggest difference from last season to this upcoming year for the Golden Gophers will be in the frontcourt. Gone is long and lean and back in vogue is big and burly. Junior Jeff Hagen (7-0, 262), redshirt freshman Aliou Kane (6-10, 246) and true freshman Kris Humphries (6-9, 236) are now the men up front for the Maroon and Gold replacing Jerry Holman and Rick Rickert.
"We've addressed our need for bigger, more physical players who can bang in this conference," Monson said. "We're not as long as we were the last couple of years, but we got stronger and we didn't lose that much athletic ability. Our guys still have the ability to get up and down the floor and play our up-tempo style."
Hagen, a redshirt junior from Hopkins, Minn., has come a long way since arriving as a gauky walk-on three seasons ago. Hagen is one of the most improved players in the conference and displays Kevin McHalesque post moves combined with an excellent touch around the hoop. He played in all 33 games a year ago and averaged 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds and finished 15th in the league in blocked shots (0.81 bpg) in only 10.7 minutes of work per night. His best game as a Golden Gopher was against Michigan when he scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 11 minutes.
"Jeff is an extremely hard worker and has great basketball sense. We need him to play a larger role for us this year." Monson said. "A lot of guys get physically stronger through college, but they either don't improve their skill level or can't 'think' the game. Jeff has improved in every one of these areas every year he has been here."
Redshirt freshman Aliou Kane will see his first action in a Gopher uniform this season. The Mauritania, Africa, native was a consensus top 100 player coming out of high school, but has only played organized basketball for four years. His redshirt season was extremely beneficial for his physical and basketball development. His defensive stature should help under the glass and in the paint, an element the Gophers have been missing the past two seasons.
"We hope Aliou continues to develop and works his way into the rotation," Monson said. "We need him to be physical, get to the glass on the offensive end and change shots on the defensive end."
The newcomer everyone in Gold Country has been talking about since the summer is Humphries. A freshman from Hopkins High School (Minn.), Humphries is the second McDonald's All-American Monson has recruited to the program. Humphries originally committed to Duke last fall, but changed his mind during the spring and signed with the Gophers. He will be eligible to play this season and brings an abundance of skill and size to the table. The second team USA Today All-American is physically able to play in the Big Ten right away, can score with his back to the basket, and step outside and hit long-range jumpers.
"We were very fortunate to get Kris as late as we did," Monson said. "He's a tremendously skilled basketball player. He can play anywhere in the frontcourt, works extremely hard, and will be a huge asset to this year's team."
Also contributing in the paint will be walk-on transfer junior Matt Smriga. At 6-8, 255 pounds, Smriga is another large body who can hold his own physically in the Big Ten.
WINGS
The position Minnesota has the most returning letterwinners and the greatest depth is on the wing. The Gophers have a variety of versatile players who can play more than one position.
Fifth-year senior Michael Bauer is the veteran member of the group. Bauer fought through a bevy of injuries early in his career and has now become one of the best three-point shooters in the country. He is on pace to become Minnesota's all-time leader in every three point category and also ranks in the top 10 in career blocked shots. Bauer should also move into the 1,000-point club early in 2003-04. The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection last season suffered an ankle injury during the summer, but expects to be full-go at the beginning of preseason practice. Bauer creates matchup problems for opponents with his size and shooting ability. If the Gophers play big, he'll play on the wing. If Monson wants to use a smaller lineup, Bauer can play the '4'.
"We expect big things from Mike on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor," Monson said. "Everyone knows Mike is a good shooter, but we need more from him this year. He's worked hard at becoming a more complete player and we expect him to show that this season."
The most underrated player in the Big Ten is Maurice Hargow. Last season, "Moe" made a bigger jump in one year than any other player in the conference in terms of points (+9.9), rebounds (+3.7), assists (+2.2) and steal (+1.0) production.The 6-5 junior is the fourth-best returning scorer in the league this season after averaging 13.2 points, 12.1 in conference games. He finished in the top 15 in league statistics in scoring, assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection last season is the Gophers top returning scorer, best perimeter defender and the most athletic player on the team. Like Bauer, he missed fall workouts due to an injury. He broke a bone in his right wrist during a summer league game and had a pin inserted in late September. He should be full-strength by the beginning of the regular season.
"Moe has quietly become one of the best wings in the Big Ten," Monson said. "Moe always draws the toughest perimeter defensive assignment and he's a focal point of our offense either at the off-guard or small forward positions."
Sophomore Stan Gaines is another combo forward who can play a couple of different positions. With his size (6-7, 245), he can bang inside with the big guys, but he also has the ability to step out on the perimeter and play away from the basket. Gaines played in 32 games last season and averaged 9.9 minutes and 2.1 points per game. In the offseason, he's put on an impressive 11 pounds of muscle and will look for his role to increase.
"Stan's confidence improved as last season went along," Monson said. "At the end of the year, he was playing his best basketball and he carried that into his offseason workouts. We love the upside of Stan Gaines."
Another veteran who has struggled with injuries throughout his career in Gold Country is Brent Lawson. Whenever it appeared Lawson was going to break into the rotation, he was injured again. Lawson broke a finger and sprained his knee midway through the year to severely limit his playing time. Lawson does a lot of little things on the floor that could produce playing time this season.
A newcomer to this group is freshman Kerry Wooldridge. Wooldridge, from San Leandro, Calif., is a lanky athletic small forward who can slash to the basket or step outside and shoot threes. Wooldridge will hope to break into the rotation at a variety of positions.
GUARDS
For the first time in three seasons, the Gophers will have a new starting point guard. North Carolina transfer and local product Adam Boone will battle with junior Aaron Robinson for the starting nod. Regardless of the outcome, Minnesota now has depth at that position for the first time in Monson's tenure. Boone, a redshirt junior, sat out last season after returning to his home state. Boone started his first two years at North Carolina averaging 7.2 points his sophomore season. The former Minnesota Mr. Basketball shot .430 from beyond the arc in 2001-02 and brings big-game experience to the Gopher backcourt.
"Adam provides leadership, athleticism and is an outstanding shooter at the point guard position," Monson said. "The year off helped him get stronger and quicker. He was the first player I tried to recruit when I took over the program, it will be great to see him in a Gopher uniform."
Robinson improved all season in 2002-03, but was injured at Indiana and did not play the last seven games. He had surgery on his knee and rehabbed during the offseason. He will be at full strength when preseason practices begin. Before he was injured, Robinson played in 23 games and became a dependable player off the bench for the Gophers averaging 11 minutes per contest. His quickness and energy jumpstarts a game when he's on the floor.
"Aaron made major strides in his game last year," Monson said. "It was unfortunate when he got injured because he was really playing well, but he'll carry the confidence and experience he gained last season into this year."
The grizzled veteran of the group is Ben Johnson. The fifth-year senior spent his first two collegiate seasons at Northwestern before donning a Minnesota jersey last year. He is only 143 points shy of 1,000 points for his career. Johnson was another Gopher who struggled with injuries during the season, or more precisely, sickness. Johnson was diagnosed with mononucleosis that forced him to miss four games, but the illness was a factor during a large part of the season. Johnson returned healthy and contributed double figure points in three of the last eight games of the year including 15 points vs. Georgetown in the NIT semifinals. Previous to the diagnosis, Johnson had only scored in double figures four times in the first 20 games.
"We're a better team with a healthy Ben Johnson," Monson said. "He gives us flexibility in the backcourt. We can move Moe to the '3' and that makes us more athletic and quick on the perimeter. Ben needs to have a productive senior season for us to be successful."
SCHEDULE
The Gophers will play another demanding schedule in 2003-04. They open with the Preseason NIT against Missouri-Kansas City at Williams Arena, and if they can get past the Kangaroos, they'll face either Georgia State or Utah for a trip to Madison Square Garden for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Other highlights of the nonconference schedule include a visit to Charlottesville, Va., for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Gophers hold a 3-1 record in the challenge. Minnesota could face Bobby Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders twice again this season, once in the Preseason NIT semifinals, if both teams advance, and again, in Lubbock on New Years Day. Both games would be televised by ESPN. The Gophers open the Big Ten season on Jan. 7 at Penn State. On Jan. 13, Minnesota will host Iowa on ESPN2, and on Sun., Feb. 8, Illinois visits the friendly confines of Williams Arena for a nationally-broadcast CBS game.
"We have some good tests in the nonconference portion of our schedule to get us ready for the Big Ten season," Monson said. "We'll have a lot of answers about who we are by that time. The Big Ten is always tough and this year is no exception. There are no easy games in this conference."
The Golden Gophers return six letterwinners and two of their top three scorers from last season's NIT semifinal qualifying squad to try and make the next jump up the Big Ten standings. It was a busy offseason for head coach Dan Monson and the Gopher basketball program as their top scorer and All-Big Ten First Team selection Rick Rickert opted to enter the NBA Draft and they received a late recruiting commitment from a Kris Humphries, a McDonald's All-American forward.
"Our offseason didn't lack for drama or news," said head coach Dan Monson, now entering his fifth season in charge of the Gopher program. "Ups and downs are part of basketball and a part of life. It may not have been the group we envisioned at the end of last season, but we're very excited about the players we have to start this season. Despite the distractions, our veteran players have kept the team focused on their conditioning throughout the offseason and we're definitely a stronger and more fit team coming into this year."
In 2002-03, Minnesota recorded its most wins (19) under Monson. They again fell one victory short of an NCAA Tournament berth, but qualified for their third straight NIT and advanced to New York City before losing to Georgetown in the semifinals. The Gophers have won at least 18 games the past three seasons, a stretch only matched two other times in Minnesota basketball history. From 1979-80 through 1982-83, the Gophers won 21,19, 23 and 18 wins, respectively; and from 1992-93 through 1997-98, which all games but the first season were later vacated due to NCAA violations. Those violations severely limited scholarships and put strict recruiting sanctions on the program since the summer of 1999, coinciding with Monson's arrival in Gold Country. This past summer was the first Monson and his staff could recruit on par with every other college basketball program. Minnesota is limited to 12 scholarship players this season, one under the NCAA allotment, and that will conclude the penalties that have taken five years to get through.
"Progress is never as fast as you'd like it to be, especially from a coach's perspective," Monson said. "But, the program is back on firm ground. We have quality players and, more importantly, quality people in our basketball family. We have the same goals every season: win a Big Ten title; win the Big Ten Tournament; qualify for NCAAs and compete for a national title regardless of the circumstances."
POSTS
The biggest difference from last season to this upcoming year for the Golden Gophers will be in the frontcourt. Gone is long and lean and back in vogue is big and burly. Junior Jeff Hagen (7-0, 262), redshirt freshman Aliou Kane (6-10, 246) and true freshman Kris Humphries (6-9, 236) are now the men up front for the Maroon and Gold replacing Jerry Holman and Rick Rickert.
"We've addressed our need for bigger, more physical players who can bang in this conference," Monson said. "We're not as long as we were the last couple of years, but we got stronger and we didn't lose that much athletic ability. Our guys still have the ability to get up and down the floor and play our up-tempo style."
Hagen, a redshirt junior from Hopkins, Minn., has come a long way since arriving as a gauky walk-on three seasons ago. Hagen is one of the most improved players in the conference and displays Kevin McHalesque post moves combined with an excellent touch around the hoop. He played in all 33 games a year ago and averaged 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds and finished 15th in the league in blocked shots (0.81 bpg) in only 10.7 minutes of work per night. His best game as a Golden Gopher was against Michigan when he scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed four rebounds in 11 minutes.
"Jeff is an extremely hard worker and has great basketball sense. We need him to play a larger role for us this year." Monson said. "A lot of guys get physically stronger through college, but they either don't improve their skill level or can't 'think' the game. Jeff has improved in every one of these areas every year he has been here."
Redshirt freshman Aliou Kane will see his first action in a Gopher uniform this season. The Mauritania, Africa, native was a consensus top 100 player coming out of high school, but has only played organized basketball for four years. His redshirt season was extremely beneficial for his physical and basketball development. His defensive stature should help under the glass and in the paint, an element the Gophers have been missing the past two seasons.
"We hope Aliou continues to develop and works his way into the rotation," Monson said. "We need him to be physical, get to the glass on the offensive end and change shots on the defensive end."
The newcomer everyone in Gold Country has been talking about since the summer is Humphries. A freshman from Hopkins High School (Minn.), Humphries is the second McDonald's All-American Monson has recruited to the program. Humphries originally committed to Duke last fall, but changed his mind during the spring and signed with the Gophers. He will be eligible to play this season and brings an abundance of skill and size to the table. The second team USA Today All-American is physically able to play in the Big Ten right away, can score with his back to the basket, and step outside and hit long-range jumpers.
"We were very fortunate to get Kris as late as we did," Monson said. "He's a tremendously skilled basketball player. He can play anywhere in the frontcourt, works extremely hard, and will be a huge asset to this year's team."
Also contributing in the paint will be walk-on transfer junior Matt Smriga. At 6-8, 255 pounds, Smriga is another large body who can hold his own physically in the Big Ten.
WINGS
The position Minnesota has the most returning letterwinners and the greatest depth is on the wing. The Gophers have a variety of versatile players who can play more than one position.
Fifth-year senior Michael Bauer is the veteran member of the group. Bauer fought through a bevy of injuries early in his career and has now become one of the best three-point shooters in the country. He is on pace to become Minnesota's all-time leader in every three point category and also ranks in the top 10 in career blocked shots. Bauer should also move into the 1,000-point club early in 2003-04. The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection last season suffered an ankle injury during the summer, but expects to be full-go at the beginning of preseason practice. Bauer creates matchup problems for opponents with his size and shooting ability. If the Gophers play big, he'll play on the wing. If Monson wants to use a smaller lineup, Bauer can play the '4'.
"We expect big things from Mike on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor," Monson said. "Everyone knows Mike is a good shooter, but we need more from him this year. He's worked hard at becoming a more complete player and we expect him to show that this season."
The most underrated player in the Big Ten is Maurice Hargow. Last season, "Moe" made a bigger jump in one year than any other player in the conference in terms of points (+9.9), rebounds (+3.7), assists (+2.2) and steal (+1.0) production.The 6-5 junior is the fourth-best returning scorer in the league this season after averaging 13.2 points, 12.1 in conference games. He finished in the top 15 in league statistics in scoring, assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. The All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection last season is the Gophers top returning scorer, best perimeter defender and the most athletic player on the team. Like Bauer, he missed fall workouts due to an injury. He broke a bone in his right wrist during a summer league game and had a pin inserted in late September. He should be full-strength by the beginning of the regular season.
"Moe has quietly become one of the best wings in the Big Ten," Monson said. "Moe always draws the toughest perimeter defensive assignment and he's a focal point of our offense either at the off-guard or small forward positions."
Sophomore Stan Gaines is another combo forward who can play a couple of different positions. With his size (6-7, 245), he can bang inside with the big guys, but he also has the ability to step out on the perimeter and play away from the basket. Gaines played in 32 games last season and averaged 9.9 minutes and 2.1 points per game. In the offseason, he's put on an impressive 11 pounds of muscle and will look for his role to increase.
"Stan's confidence improved as last season went along," Monson said. "At the end of the year, he was playing his best basketball and he carried that into his offseason workouts. We love the upside of Stan Gaines."
Another veteran who has struggled with injuries throughout his career in Gold Country is Brent Lawson. Whenever it appeared Lawson was going to break into the rotation, he was injured again. Lawson broke a finger and sprained his knee midway through the year to severely limit his playing time. Lawson does a lot of little things on the floor that could produce playing time this season.
A newcomer to this group is freshman Kerry Wooldridge. Wooldridge, from San Leandro, Calif., is a lanky athletic small forward who can slash to the basket or step outside and shoot threes. Wooldridge will hope to break into the rotation at a variety of positions.
GUARDS
For the first time in three seasons, the Gophers will have a new starting point guard. North Carolina transfer and local product Adam Boone will battle with junior Aaron Robinson for the starting nod. Regardless of the outcome, Minnesota now has depth at that position for the first time in Monson's tenure. Boone, a redshirt junior, sat out last season after returning to his home state. Boone started his first two years at North Carolina averaging 7.2 points his sophomore season. The former Minnesota Mr. Basketball shot .430 from beyond the arc in 2001-02 and brings big-game experience to the Gopher backcourt.
"Adam provides leadership, athleticism and is an outstanding shooter at the point guard position," Monson said. "The year off helped him get stronger and quicker. He was the first player I tried to recruit when I took over the program, it will be great to see him in a Gopher uniform."
Robinson improved all season in 2002-03, but was injured at Indiana and did not play the last seven games. He had surgery on his knee and rehabbed during the offseason. He will be at full strength when preseason practices begin. Before he was injured, Robinson played in 23 games and became a dependable player off the bench for the Gophers averaging 11 minutes per contest. His quickness and energy jumpstarts a game when he's on the floor.
"Aaron made major strides in his game last year," Monson said. "It was unfortunate when he got injured because he was really playing well, but he'll carry the confidence and experience he gained last season into this year."
The grizzled veteran of the group is Ben Johnson. The fifth-year senior spent his first two collegiate seasons at Northwestern before donning a Minnesota jersey last year. He is only 143 points shy of 1,000 points for his career. Johnson was another Gopher who struggled with injuries during the season, or more precisely, sickness. Johnson was diagnosed with mononucleosis that forced him to miss four games, but the illness was a factor during a large part of the season. Johnson returned healthy and contributed double figure points in three of the last eight games of the year including 15 points vs. Georgetown in the NIT semifinals. Previous to the diagnosis, Johnson had only scored in double figures four times in the first 20 games.
"We're a better team with a healthy Ben Johnson," Monson said. "He gives us flexibility in the backcourt. We can move Moe to the '3' and that makes us more athletic and quick on the perimeter. Ben needs to have a productive senior season for us to be successful."
SCHEDULE
The Gophers will play another demanding schedule in 2003-04. They open with the Preseason NIT against Missouri-Kansas City at Williams Arena, and if they can get past the Kangaroos, they'll face either Georgia State or Utah for a trip to Madison Square Garden for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Other highlights of the nonconference schedule include a visit to Charlottesville, Va., for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The Gophers hold a 3-1 record in the challenge. Minnesota could face Bobby Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders twice again this season, once in the Preseason NIT semifinals, if both teams advance, and again, in Lubbock on New Years Day. Both games would be televised by ESPN. The Gophers open the Big Ten season on Jan. 7 at Penn State. On Jan. 13, Minnesota will host Iowa on ESPN2, and on Sun., Feb. 8, Illinois visits the friendly confines of Williams Arena for a nationally-broadcast CBS game.
"We have some good tests in the nonconference portion of our schedule to get us ready for the Big Ten season," Monson said. "We'll have a lot of answers about who we are by that time. The Big Ten is always tough and this year is no exception. There are no easy games in this conference."
