gophers/ncaa

I am excited to see how much Andre has grown as a player and a leader as the season progresses. Leading the Gophers to the NIT Championship game at MSG, this experience will definitely help him next season! It has been a while since the Gophers has this type of PG that can assist and score. Hoping that Mbakwe comes back next season...the Gophers will have a strong team. Rodney, please work on your shooting this offseason, it will make him hard to guard next season.

The NIT has been great for the Gophers.It has extended the season and shown us a glimps of whats to come next season.Yea I know some people compare winning the NIT is sort of like winng best looking at an ugly contest but im still excited for this team, these young men dseserve some good press and cudos from the fans for all their hard work and its a great spring board for next year.Win or loose the next game i am proud if this team and am really excited about next year.

Great run in the NIT Gophs. Good for next years chances. Nice to see young talent progress, at last. Does anyone really think that this team would be where it is today if Tubby would have been able to keep playing the III as he did most of the season? Nice run guys.

Glad to also see that Andre (ACT a 28) is a strong student as well. Thanks for adding that to an uplifting article.

Great run by the Gophers players AND coach. Yes, the Gophers would still be here if Sampson had not been hurt. They have improved because Andre Hollins has finally become healthy after being hurt for much of the season. No team excells without a big time point guard who make the rest of the team better. I really get tired of people bashing Sampson, he is a college student who does very well in the classroom too. Can't we just enjoy the run and look forward to an exciting season next year?

I wish the lads well tonight and am happy for them for having reaching the NIT final in MSG. The NIT run has helped to sort out who can play well at crunch time and certainly Hollins the younger has proven that he can and even Williams has put together several complete games in a row rather than just a highlight reel dunk from time to time as was the case most of the season in the Big Ten. Chip and Mav will probably have to move on in order to get playing time and maybe Welch as well given the liabilities they represent at crunch time. Coleman is a liability at crunch time as well but is only a freshman and he may improve in that regard over time although given that mental rather than physical issues are in play, he may not improve in that area.

I note on his "bio" indicates a two-parent family backgound. I have heard it from enough coaches that so many of these kids, without two tough-minded old-buzzards in the household can't deal with ANY coaching criticism--that's from football coaches, anyway. It's taken awhile, but it looks like Tubby has found someone at the point he can "connect with."

Nice to see the NIT run. BUT....for gophs to continue to build long-term program and compete in Big Ten, practice facility and new area are needed. Look around the Big Ten and the country. The Barn is antiquated and combine that with state of the art arenas for other schools plus those programs offering practice facilities, recruitment is going to be tough. Boosters and legislature have to step up.

Finally, the Pose4 admits that he does throw people under the bus. Just ask Royce.

Hollins' development has been dramatic over the past 10-15 games; with continued work he could be the best Gopher guard since Bobby Jackson. It would be a nice finish to the season to win the NIT, but I won't be satisfied until this team is regularly competing in the top tier of the B1G and in the NCAAs. Until Smith starts making that happen, he hasn't done his job.