While Gophers fans are getting a look at what next season holds at the Howard Pulley Pro City Summer League, they are also getting a glimpse of what could have been as well what still may be.
Incoming Minnesota men’s basketball recruits and current Gophers have been on display at the summer league in St. Paul since last week. League CEO and executive director Rene Pulley said the league is NCAA-sanctioned and gives the Gophers players a chance to compete against collegiate talent while they are unable to practice formally with the team.
In fact, every Gophers player besides Ralph Sampson III is taking part in the league, including junior transfer Trevor Mbakwe, whose status with the team is up in the air due to his pending court trial. Junior Devoe Joseph as well as freshmen Maurice Walker and Oto Osenicks are on rosters, but have yet to make an appearance.
Former recruit Royce White is also playing in the league, facing his former teammates. The highly-touted recruit who never played a game for the Gophers and left the University in February after legal troubles has been participating in the summer league while rumors swirl about his recruitment to Kentucky. Last week he told the Pioneer Press that his chances of returning to the Gophers are “slim and none.”
On Tuesday night while watching from the sidelines, White said he was going to make an official visit to Iowa State on Wednesday, and that he has been talking to Baylor and Kentucky about playing there in the future.
“All three of them are still in the mix,” White said. “I don’t which one I’m going to go with.”
It is not immediately clear when White would be eligible to play for any Division I school.
Mbakwe has been playing alongside senior Blake Hoffarber for the Errol Carlson Playaz while he awaits a July 26 trial date on charges of felony assault that sidelined him all of last season. The trial has been pushed back numerous times since the alleged incident occurred last April, but Mbakwe is confident it will get resolved this summer and that he will see the court for the Gophers next season.
Should the trial date get pushed back yet again and if Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi doesn’t lift Mbakwe’s ban from playing, Mbakwe said, “Most likely I will for sure leave [the Gophers].”
Mbakwe received permission to explore his transfer options from Maturi in mid-May.
While uncertainty surrounds the highly-touted class of 2009, the incoming crop of freshman is looking to prove they have just as much talent.
One incoming freshman catching the eye of fans and teammates alike is Austin Hollins, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Tennessee, who has drawn some comparisons to a former Gophers player.
“He’s lanky, he’s a good slasher, he’s almost a little bit like Damian Johnson but smaller,” Hoffarber said. “I think he’ll be useful this year, he’s just got to keep working hard.”
Hollins scored 22 points on Tuesday night, making several hustle plays to force steals and creating fastbreaks. Hollins played alongside junior Colton Iverson and fellow incoming freshman Elliot Eliason for the Pat Madison Magic squad.
Pulley said he likes to put most of the freshman on the same team to get them acclimated with each other.
Eliason, a 6-foot-11 forward, was a two-time Nebraska Gatorade player of the year in high school, but may need to add some pounds of muscle if he hopes to be able to compete in the post in the Big Ten. Iverson said he can relate to Eliason’s situation.
“All freshmen when they come in need to get a lot stronger,” Iverson said. “The Big Ten is a lot different than high school.”
Sophomore Dominique Dawson, who walked on to the team last season, looked impressive Monday night going up against his Minnesota teammates, scoring 21 of his 25 points in the first half.
Dawson was a redshirt last season, but said he expects to play a role for the Gophers next season. His teammates have noticed Dawson’s improvement.
“I think he’s working on his game a lot, and he’s definitely progressing as a player,” Hoffarber said. “That’s what we want from him, and hopefully he can showcase some more of his stuff this summer.”
Hoffarber is just getting back into the game after taking two months off due to a double-sports hernia surgery. Hoffarber said he had been dealing with the pain since December, but took medicine for it until having the surgery after the season.
Sophomore Rodney Williams, the only recruit from 2009 whose future is secure with the Gophers, looked to the jump shot whenever possible, but with mixed results. He finished the game with 24 points.
“It hasn’t been dropping that much, but it’s something I’m working on,” Williams said. “I’m hoping for it to get a lot better.”
While this year’s recruiting class hasn’t been as well-regarded as last season’s, which was a top-25 class as ranked by Rivas.com, Mbakwe is confident they will make an impact.
“The incoming freshmen are great; they’re going to take the Big Ten by storm,” Mbakwe said. “A lot people are down on them…but they stay in the gym and they’re hungry, so I know they want to prove everyone wrong who doubt [they’re] high-caliber players.”
The Pro City Summer League regular season runs until July 15th, with playoffs until the 26th, at the downtown St. Paul Salvation Army and admission is free.