Written By Sam Ekstrom
After being hired in April of 2013, Richard Pitino didn’t have a full season to lure prospects to Minnesota in his first year with the program. A year later, Pitino has finally begun the process of bringing in his own guys to play at Williams Arena.
This season, the second-year Gophers coach will have three freshmen contributing, though he hopes to have four once Senegal-native Gaston Diedhiou passes his English literacy test to join the team next semester. For now, Pitino rolls on with guard Nate Mason, forward Josh Martin and center Bakary Konate.
You could lump two of these freshmen in the standard mold of a new college player: tentative, not-quite-coordinated enough and partially-blinded by the bright lights of D1 college basketball.
And then there’s one who is ready for the big stage already, and he’s only 19 years old. He’s got a flare that the other two lack, and he might be the best shooter on the team.
STILL RAW
Martin and Konate are two young men that don’t physically appear to be college freshmen – except when they’re on the basketball court.
Martin is 6-foot-8, 225 pounds out of Bothell, Wash., and lit the state on fire as a senior, averaging 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. He played on the same high school team as current Timberwolves rookie and first-round pick Zach LaVine, who played at UCLA during Martin’s senior campaign at Bothell High.
Martin claimed in a Pioneer Press story back in January that his ball handling was improving and he was growing more confident every game. But the adjustment to the college game has proved difficult as it has for so many late-developing bigs (just glance at seniors Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason). Pitino has bluntly told the media that Martin lacks confidence at this stage.
“The biggest question mark that we have as a team is the back-up power forward spot,” said Pitino after the team’s win over Division-II Franklin Pierce. “[Sophomore] Charles Buggs and Josh Martin, they've still just got a long way to go when it comes to defense, when it comes to rebounding the ball … Josh Martin’s not real confident.
“Just needs to get reps,” Pitino said after the Gophers win against Western Kentucky. “He's got physical talent, he's a great kid, he works hard – freshman. You can see that certainly because he's just nervous.”
Martin possesses the tools to be great but hasn’t put them on display yet. He is extremely athletic and can score from any place on the floor; even possessing a good outside shot. His high school teammates used to call him “Hulk” because he liked the Marvel character, but he is also very strong and can overpower smaller forwards, especially if the defense is forced to switch on him. He may end up spelling Joey King at the ‘4’ this season.
Martin has nine points on the young season in 27 minutes played. In his team’s drubbing of Franklin Pierce, Martin was able to tally eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. Pitino isn’t terribly concerned with scoring, however (and that goes for any of his players). The offspring of legendary coach Rick Pitino wants to see hustle and energy from Martin.
Kind of like a certain Miami Heat role player.
“He needs to be like, and I’ve already told him, he needs to be ‘Birdman.’ He needs to be a Chris Andersen,” said Pitino. “Without all the tattoos obviously.”
Let’s move now to Konate, a freshman who actually turns 21 in December. The lean, 6-foot-11 big man and Bamako, Mali, native has intriguing potential. He is a three-star prospect who shone at the Nike International Junior Tournament as a teenager. He picked the Gophers over Tulane, Texas A&M and Creighton.
He’s another one that Pitino describes as “not overly confident.” The coach is also trying to work with Konate and his massive wingspan at playing defense without fouling. Konate fouled out of the Gophers’ exhibition win over Minnesota-Duluth.
Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng, another lanky post player with African heritage, who played under then-assistant coach Richard Pitino at Louisville, has worked out with Konate as well.
"I like to see African guys like me be successful," Dieng told the Pioneer Press. "When I see a lot of good Africans coming in with a chance to get better, I think we need to help them."
Konate has eight points in 36 minutes so far. While Pitino raves about Konate’s potential, he is realistic about his role on the 2014-15 Gophers. Eliason and Walker have the center position covered, so barring injury Konate may not see the court much once the Big Ten season begins.
“I don't know how many more minutes he's going to get because of Elliott and Mo,” said Pitino on Thursday. “I want to get him to the point where he's ready, where he can be in our starting five next year, but that's really the key. He's still very raw, but he's got the size. It's going to take a while for him.”
READY FOR THE LIMELIGHT
Combo guard Nate Mason from Decatur, Ga., is the Gophers’ first-year player with the most to offer.
He isn’t afraid of taking charge. Most coaches would prefer to see ball movement and efficiency within the offense in blowout preseason games. Mason, the true freshman, however, is already throwing up heat checks … and making them … and his coach is okay with it.
“He was the one guy versus Louisville where the lights weren't too bright for him. I really like him,” said Pitino, who emphasizes that he doesn’t want his shooters to be scared of pulling the trigger. “He's been really good at practice, this isn't just like a [one-game] thing. He's been very good. Very solid across the board with everything.”
Mason was a sharpshooter in his high school days and showed his entire offensive arsenal in the West Coast All-Star Classic in Seattle, causing future teammate Josh Martin, who was also in attendance, to call him a “beast.”
“He’s an amazing player,” said Martin in the Pioneer Press. “For him to almost drop 30 the first time I played with him, that gives me a lot of excitement.”
Mason also hit a dramatic half-court shot as a junior that brought NBA great Shaquille O’Neal out of his seat. Mason, a Shiloh High School product, called it the highlight of his young basketball career.
Now he has a chance to make memories at a higher level. Mason scored 10 points with five rebounds against both no. 8 Louisville and Sun Belt foe Western Kentucky in his first two collegiate games. He then scored 15 points to go with four rebounds and five assists against Franklin Pierce, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range. He is 7 of 11 from distance in his last three games.
Leading by 48 late in the game against FPU, Mason pulled up in transition from NBA range and drained a 3-pointer that gave the Gophers an even 100 points. It was his second 3 in as many possessions. He did the exact same thing in the first half against Western Kentucky, drilling two straight triples, the second of which seemed like it was closer to half court than the 3-point arc. Yes, Mason is only four games into his college career, but his 3-point stroke has a Steph Curry-like feel to it.
Pitino loves Mason as a complement to his seasoned starting backcourt of Andre Hollins and DeAndre Mathieu, not just on the shooting end but on the defensive end as well.
“I like our perimeter rotation a lot where this year if a guy makes a mistake I feel like I can pull him, explain it to him, and there's no drop off defensively,” said Pitino.
Mason should be an immediate contributor to this Gophers team and will take a very prominent role next year after three-fifths of the starting lineup graduates.
Konate and Martin possess the raw tools but still have work to do.
And if Pitino is anything like his father, he’ll get the most out of them.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket and a play-by-play broadcaster in Burnsville, Minn. Hear him on 105 The Ticket weekdays from 2-3 p.m. on “The Michael Knight Show” or Sunday mornings from 8-10 a.m. on “The Wake Up Call.” Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.