University of Minnesota Athletics
2010-11 Minnesota Basketball Season Preview
10/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Fresh off their third consecutive 20-win season for the first time in school history, which included a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Gopher men's basketball team enters the 2010-11 season with high hopes. The Gophers return nine players from last season's 21-14 squad, including three starters from last year's NCAA tournament team. With head coach Tubby Smith entering his fourth season in Minneapolis, Minnesota will look to compete for the program's first Big Ten title since 1982.
Captained by seniors Blake Hoffarber and Al Nolen, the Gophers return an experienced roster to "The Barn" in 2010-11 that has Tubby Smith excited for the season. Hoffarber is the team's top returning scorer at 10.0 ppg and was one of the best three-point shooters in the country, shooting 46.7 percent from behind the arc last year as a junior. His shooting ability and leadership will be critical to the Gophers success. Nolen will also be looked upon for senior leadership. The sure-handed point guard is ready to get back on the court, having sat out the final 17 games of last season due to academic ineligibility. Nolen was the team's starting point guard before the suspension and his defensive ability and reliable ball handling skills were missed during his absence.
Juniors Ralph Sampson III, Devoe Joesph, and Colton Iverson return for their third seasons and have shown capability to lead the Gophers as well. The three upperclassmen were instrumental during the team's run to the Big Ten Tournament championship game and figure to play key roles in Minnesota's success this year. Sampson led Minnesota with 5.8 rebounds a game and started all but one game last year. Joseph assumed the point guard role during Nolen's absence and matured throughout the season. The Canadian averaged 14.0 ppg during the Big Ten Tournament and hopes to build on his end-of-the- year-success. Iverson finished second on the team in rebounding at 4.4 per game and combined with Sampson, gives the Gophers one of the biggest and most experienced front courts in the Big Ten.
The Gophers will add a significant low post presence to go along side numbers 50 and 45 in 2010-11 when Junior Trevor Mbakwe takes the court. Mbakwe, a native of St. Paul, redshirted last season after transferring from Miami Dade College. Mbakwe led the nation in rebounding while at Miami Dade at 13.2 boards per game.
High flying sophomore Rodney Williams is also back and will look to build on a freshman season which saw him earn 11.9 minutes a game. The Minneapolis native will look to make a bigger impact on the glass in his second season. Gopher starting wide receiver Bryant Allen will rejoin the team upon the conclusion of the football season as he did last January. A high school finalist for Mr. Basketball in Missouri, Allen will add guard depth to a team that lost two key backcourt contributors from a season ago. Freshman Dominique Dawson, a 6-7 forward from Minneapolis, will also see his first minutes after redshirting last season.
Minnesota will need to replace Damian Johnson and Lawrence Westbrook who graduated in the spring. Johnson, a team captain and two-year starter, was a defensive leader for the Gophers and his departure leaves a significant void on both sides of the ball. Westbrook was the team's leading scorer at 12.8 ppg and a three-year starter as well, whose offensive productivity will need to be replaced.
New faces on the Gopher rosters this year will be freshmen Maurice Walker, Austin Hollins, Elliot Eliason, Maverick Ahanmisi, Chip Armelin and Oto Osenieks, as well as sophomore transfer Chris Halvorsen.
Walker, a 6-10 center from Ontario, Canada, was ranked as the ninth best center in the nation by espn.com and figures to compete for early playing time. The Brewster Academy (N.H.) product is a three time member of the Canadian National Junior Team and averaged 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game a senior in high school.
Guard Austin Hollins will also look to make an immediate impact in his first season at Williams Arena. The son of Memphis Grizzles head coach Lionel Hollins, Austin averaged 18.9 per game during his senior year of high school at Germantown High School in Tenn. 6-11 center Elliot Eliason comes to Minnesota with a national pedigree as well. The Chadron native was a two -time Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Nebraska.
Joining Hollins in the backcourt will be Ahanmisi and Armelin, both of whom feature long range shooting ability. Osenieks, a power forward, comes to Minnesota from Latvia and is the first European born Gopher since 2003. St. Paul native Chris Halvorsen is a transfer from Valparaiso and will have to sit out the season after playing one season with the Crusaders.
The Gophers will kick of the 2010-11 season with the fourth edition of Tubby's Tip-Off on Friday, Oct. 15 at 10:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Minnesota will then play two exhibition games against Northeastern State on Nov. 2 and Winona State on Nov. 8 before their official season opener at home against Wofford on Nov. 12 at 7:00 pm.
