Offering Minnesota: Explaining Recent Offers to Sota Talent

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What is going on with the recruiting of Minnesota players? We explain a few things... NOW</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2126108' first='Jack' last='Thelen'] offered by Wisconsin</strong>. This offer seemed to validate something that I expected to happen and that is..... getting size in your college program when the players are young and working with them, even if it's developmental. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The fact is, transfer bigs are very expensive in college basketball and they come at a worse value for dollar than starting pitching in free agency in MLB. Using those 15 scholarships to the fullest is finding some size you might be able to develop and getting them right out of high school. That is what I see Wisconsin doing with Jack. That is what I hope happens with [player_tooltip player_id='2417301' first='Hunter' last='Vinkemeier'], [player_tooltip player_id='2126447' first='Briggs' last='Sheridan'], [player_tooltip player_id='1819128' first='Bryce' last='Gaustad'] and others. The Summit League is being robbed by the mid-major level and I think they are about to take more chances on the size like Hunter and Briggs. And I think Jack, the biggest at 6'11/7'0 and the strongest, and the very skilled, is the top center in the state ([player_tooltip player_id='2420169' first='Ahmed' last='Nur'] is a power forward to me because of his agility). And to see him get this opportunity as a developmental talent that can be developed is a great sign. I think Jack has a great opportunity here and I would surprised if he didn't take the option soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2533408' first='Deon' last='Wallace-Johnson'] by Florida International and Stony Brook</strong>. These are some pretty random schools recruiting Minnesota for the first time so there is some pretty good connecting going on here that has worked for the DeLaSalle guard. And with Deon being a rare athlete, a rare competitor that really gets after it defensively, I am a big fan of him getting these potential opportunities. Wallace-Johnson heard from both staffs and they are putting in a nice effort to look at him. A scholarship offer to a Miami school that I have actually been to, I would take that visit quick to check it out! </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1819128' first='Bryce' last='Gaustad'] by Michigan Tech</strong>. Bryce getting offered by Michigan Tech forces me to go back and total all the options up. Those options are Michigan Tech, St. Cloud State, Sioux Falls, Concordia St-Paul, Taylor, and South Dakota School of Mines. And usually when six D2 schools offer a guy the D1 schools in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa think..... hmmm better check that guy out. And they will be checking him out at MBCA this weekend. With the Gaustad touch, I would look real hard if I were a Summit League school (especially considering that NDSU needed to replace 11 guys last year, UST had seven guys transfer out, etc). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2126466' first='Kobby' last='Sambrew'] by Minnesota-Duluth</strong>. Every year I feel like a case study should be done by a recruit doing things the smart way, the right way, and I think Kobby is that guy. Why? He found a spring/summer team that would allow him to play a ton of time and be a main focal point, and that has been HUGE. He has went into the 17u season working at all out effort every game and that has been HUGE. And he has been on display in front of a ton of schools all year and that has been HUGE. A high level worker that I think has a lot of good things in front of him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2126458' first='Luke' last='Schroeder'] by Half the League</strong>. Minnesota's most recruitable high level shooter just added three more NSIC offers this weekend from Sioux Falls, Minnesota State Moorhead, and St. Cloud State. He's been offered by CSP, Winona State and Augustana already. He's got another one or two coming getting him to the half way point in the league and he likely could have more from if some of the lower level teams in the league thought they had a shot. He has been to Jamestown, CSP, Winona State, Southwest MN State, Augustana, and others on visits. What is next? Picking one of these options OR..... a D1 seeing all of this and thinking.... if he can shoot for them he can shoot it in the Summit. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->