Written By Sam Ekstrom
Caught between two goals – win or develop – Gophers coach Richard Pitino has, in some ways, revealed his plans for next season. That allows us to look ahead with a fair amount of clarity.
If next season began immediately following the conclusion of this one, the lineup you see below is most likely what Pitino would send on the floor. That’s not the case, however. The Gophers get roughly eight months off before the 2015-16, and two large variables exist: offseason improvement and talent level of new recruits. For instance, Carlos Morris and Charles Buggs will be battling to have a better offseason with eyes set on the starting ‘3’ spot next year. One guard spot is all but guaranteed to be locked up by an incoming freshman. And could Joey King be threatened by an up-and-comer if he hits a senior slump? All this will factor into next year’s starting lineup.
Here’s the likeliest scenario:
STARTING FIVE
G Nate Mason
Pitino has made it clear that Mason is set in stone as a starter next season. While he’s experimented with starting Mason this season, Pitino has continually gone back to senior DeAndre Mathieu, the incumbent.
Next year, nobody will be standing in Mason’s way, and as a sophomore, he’ll be the eldest of the guards. Fortunately, Pitino refers to Mason as an “old soul”; mature for his age. “He communicates. He makes big plays. If you want to be a leader, you have got to make big plays,” said Pitino before the game against Michigan State. “Guys got to look at you and say, ‘This guy is ready to go to war, and he’s not afraid of anything,’ and Nate has shown that, so that’s immediately going to give him the credibility as a player.”
G Kevin Dorsey
A 4-star recruit, Dorsey might be Pitino’s most prized acquisition in his brief Gophers tenure. The point guard from Maryland received rave reviews from ESPN’s Insider evaluation.
“Consummate energy giver from the point guard position,” it reads. “He’s always in motion and makes a point to be an aggressive one on one defender. Should be able to impact defensively. Quick as they come and he’s long-armed so he’s unique at the point. Quick to the point where he’s effortless and almost glides to different spots.”
Dorsey and Mason could team up to be one of the best backcourts in the Big Ten. The best part? They have the potential to play side by side for three full seasons.
SF Charles Buggs
The 6-foot-9 sophomore has taken strides this season on both ends of the floor, and while his potential may be higher than Morris’s, Buggs does not currently possess the same offensive skillset as the juco transfer from Florida. Everything rides on Buggs’ offseason.
His coach wants to see him develop a great passion for the game of the basketball and turn into a gym rat. “Does he want to make that jump and have a great year next year? And that means living here. Living in the gym, living in the weight room, being serious about the game.”
Buggs admitted earlier in the season he was more comfortable at the power forward spot, but his ability to shoot the 3-pointer makes him an appealing 3-guard. He can step out on smaller guards and create mismatches. Buggs is good at moving without the ball and has solid quick-twitch instincts as a rebounder. The next step for him is developing a dribble drive.
“Buggs has that ability,” said Pitino. “He just needs to figure out how to get there.”
PF Joey King
Perhaps looking to compensate for lack of athleticism, King has developed a confident jump shot. In fact, he has some of the best all-around shooting splits on the team: 45 percent from the field, 37 percent from 3, 81 percent from the line.
The question becomes whether King, an emotional player, can harness his high-energy demeanor and turn it into quality leadership. “Joey is interesting because Joey plays hard, all about winning,” said Pitino. “Really, really cares. Works his butt off. But he’s not a great leader on the court because he kind of just zones out a little bit at times, so that’s the thing we’ve got to get him to do is be a better verbal leader, but he’s all about the right things and cares about winning, so he’s got that part, which you need.”
If King can add another layer to his game this offseason, he’ll definitely start, especially at a position of weakness for the program.
C Bakary Konate
The lanky freshman might be the biggest concern with next year’s lineup. Obviously the Gophers need size to replace the graduating Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason, but Konate needs major work in virtually every facet of his game if he’s going to play big minutes. Pitino has repeatedly criticized Konate for fouling too much on the defensive end, and his offensive numbers speak for themselves: just four made shots in 71 minutes of conference action.
The head coach has labeled Konate as next year’s starter, but the Mali native will need to take huge strides to make that a reality.
BENCH
G Jarvis Johnson
G Dupree McBrayer
SF Carlos Morris
PF Gaston Diedhiou
PF Jonathan Nwankwo
Just as the Gophers are thin at the guard position this year, they will be equally thin at the 4 and 5 spots next year. Sophomore Gaston Diedhiou and freshman Jonathan Nwankwo will provide support to Konate, but unless Pitino brings in another junior college transfer – as he’s been prone to do – the team will be very unseasoned at the post.
Conversely, the guards will be deep with an influx of freshmen talent. De La Salle product Jarvis Johnson and New York lefty Dupree McBrayer shape up to be immediate contributors. Guards generally develop much earlier than forwards, so although the Gophers’ top-4 guards may not include anybody older than a sophomore, they should have enough talent to be competitive on the perimeter.
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 Sunday mornings from 8-10 a.m. on “The Wake Up Call.” Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.