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David Levine -> RE: Gopher Basketball (Mens) (9/15/2014 1:36:55 PM)
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Pitino Blog: Week 2
By Richard Pitino on September 12, 2014 9:27 AM
Good morning Gopher fans,
Barely two weeks have passed since our players came back to campus for the school year. We have had a total of six individual instruction workouts with our guys. Along with working our players out on campus, our staff has hit the road recruiting.
I have been impressed with several players. As for the newcomers, Bakary Konate has stood out the most. This year will be perfect for him to learn under Elliott and Mo. He is a legit 6-11, plays with a high motor, and is very skilled. He also is a phenomenal kid and a quick learner. We are very excited! Andre and Deandre continue to progress on the court as well as in the weight room. They should prove to be a very strong backcourt.
Next week we will start team practice for a total of two hours a week. We will bring them along slowly starting with the basic fundamentals on defense. The look of this year's team will be different. We will certainly miss our veterans and they will be tough to replace. All of our newcomers are eager to learn and will have to impact this team immediately. It will be fun to see who separates themselves.
September 9th marked the beginning of the recruiting period. The first three days I was in Minnesota, Kansas, and several different locations in Florida. Last year's NIT championship and 25 wins has certainly helped in recruiting. We hope to deliver a very strong recruiting class that tailors to our system. We will try to get quicker and more athletic. We constantly talk about our tremendous fan base and our second-to-none basketball conference. Expectations will be higher this season. They should be! We will embrace the challenge.
Hoops season is just around the corner and we need to be ready. Not too many programs open up their season vs. a top-five team on national TV. Gopher fans, I must warn you. Ignore anything and everything that comes out of my father's mouth leading up to this game. He does it on the golf course all the time and will start playing mind games with all of us soon enough! Pay no attention to him. He will say they are young and inexperienced. They are talented, athletic and obviously well-coached. He will tell everyone we are the overwhelming favorite. Prepare yourselves. He tried to coach my team last year during the NIT championship. I am looking forward to watching him try to coach both teams at once on November 14th! Haha.
Thanks to Land O' Lakes for their generous donation. Our basketball program is extremely grateful.
The immediate upgrades to Bierman and to our Williams Arena locker room are first-class. The barber shop was also a nice touch. I have said it before and I'll say it again, we have one of the best athletic directors in the country. Norwood Teague will continue to move this athletic department forward.
Good luck to the football team on Saturday. Should be a fun one!
Go Gophers!
Richard Pitino
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