Recruiting needs.

[Kermit]

Kolpack's blog today advocates for immediate help from a JC post player. There is no doubt the Bison need help inside--but the two most recent recruits are front court players. Andy Nagel will be a freshman center next year (redshirt?). Saul said, "He is a big, bruising physical presence. He solidifies us for the near future at the center and big forward position.” Eric Carlson should help at the 3 and/or 4 spots next year. Plus, the Bison should have Lorenzo Riley back in a couple of weeks. I think there is an even bigger need for a point guard to spell Woody (and eventually take over).

Do the Bison even have another scholarship available for next year? I am assuming the answer is yes, since they were after Austin Dufault..

[Swat_Team10]

The Jc Post comments have been flying around here all year. I do not understand what the current staff was doing,not recruiting a couple more players for this season. Its pretty much the same staff, why did they sit on 2scholarships?!! Unless my math is wrong! (please correct me if so!) It makes more sence to have potential player in the program now, getting ready for the big dance year, then bring a person in to "figure it" out next season.

[heymch86]

Zo Riley coming back will not help. The guy can barely handle a pass. No offensive game at all. So clumsy on the offensive end. Defensively- will help some rebounding. When he's matched up on a guy who has the ball, the offensive player just has to give Zo a pump fake and Zo will jump 10 feet in the air to try and swat it in the 8th row.

Definitely need a strong low post scorer for next year.

Luke Moorman last night: 1 point 0 rebounds. ZERO rebounds. NO rebounds for our 6-10 starting center

[SDbison]

Zo Riley coming back will not help. The guy can barely handle a pass. No offensive game at all. So clumsy on the offensive end. Defensively- will help some rebounding. When he's matched up on a guy who has the ball, the offensive player just has to give Zo a pump fake and Zo will jump 10 feet in the air to try and swat it in the 8th row.

Definitely need a strong low post scorer for next year.

Luke Moorman last night: 1 point 0 rebounds. ZERO rebounds. NO rebounds for our 6-10 starting center
That is an amazing stat about Luke............Not only does the coaching staff need to improve on the recruiting, but they need to light a fire under Luke and the other Soph / Junior players that look scared to shoot or put the ball on the floor. They just pass the ball off and move around. Not even good at that as I saw very few good picks and no one getting open. After Woody, Nelly and Winks showed up with confidence in their first year there has been absolutely no offensive help from anyone. Maybe the scared to shoot guys should be scared to face coach after such pathetic performances.

[Mr. Burgundy]

If you think that Zo won't help, you are not a "great basketball mind." He is the one thing we don't have right now. An athletic post. He won't dominate, but he will average more put back dunks than Luke had rebounds last night. Seriously, he is 6'6 and does try to block everything, he is known for getting in the popcorn popper to often when going for jump fakes, but oposing players know where he is. The block he had at Drake 2 years ago was the best block in Bison history....and I might not be exaggerating. His athleticism leads to blocked and altered shots, and god forbid we have a guy who wants to dunk!!! While he has offensive limitations, he can run the court and can play post defense. I hope he is the shot in the arm our defense needs. To say he won't help is just bizarre. You must not have the Big 10 Network, because you must have missed the layup line the Gophers had in the 2nd half.

[BisonBlogger]

You are so right Burgundy. Altered shots are just as important as blocked shots. The complexion of games can change so much by getting the opposing team to miss baskets in the paint. It can many times lead to opportunity baskets on the other end which were few and far between because the Gophers were able to set up their defense after made baskets.

When our guys worked so hard on the defensive end with very few stops it just compounded their problems going against pressure on the offensive end. Tired ball players start making mistakes and missing shots. Last night was a prime example. Working hard on defense with very few stops takes the life out of a team. Any team.

[heymch86]

haha, im no john wooden, i'll tell you that. but if you think, "hooray, zo is back, now we'll really start to take over"! you're fooling yourself. lets hope he stays out of foul trouble. how many times toward the end of the season did we see zo in and out because of fouls? i cant quite remember the game but he had 4 fouls in the first half!

just too much of an offensive laibility to have him in during a close game down the stretch. I can't wait to see some of his power dunks and huge blocks, but definitely not the answer to our problems. not even a band aid for our wounds

[HoopsBison]

While Zo is not the answer he will provide this team with a spark with his great blocks and big dunks. He may not be able to dominate a game but when another team does go on a run like the gophers did last night at the end of the first if Zo can make just one big block or put back one big dunk, it will def spark the others.

Again Zo is not the answer but is athleticism does offer a spark that is needed.

[NDSUstudent]

While Zo is not the answer he will provide this team with a spark with his great blocks and big dunks. He may not be able to dominate a game but when another team does go on a run like the gophers did last night at the end of the first if Zo can make just one big block or put back one big dunk, it will def spark the others.

Again Zo is not the answer but is athleticism does offer a spark that is needed.

Amen, Zo isn't going to be the answer but the guy will bring some intensity on defense and crashing the boards. His impact will definitley be felt when playing the mid-major teams on our schedule.

[HooliganBison]

Simple answer to recruiting needs, More Athletes.

[bisonhusker]

I understand someone saying that Zo is an offensive liability, but who are you comparing him too? Luke had 1 point and 0 rebounds? It isn't like we are going to take out a bigtime scorer to put in Zo........I am just saying he may be a shot in the arm. Defense can lead to offense. We need to get out and have some fun. They were crushed in the Barn.

[WePharm]

Couple of questions--

Where are we at with scholarships? We definately need help but do we have any schollies to give?

What do we need? Before the Gopher game, I thought we needed help inside, now it looks like we need EVERYTHING! Point guard, shooting guard, big men, you name it. Wow do we miss Andre. We won a lot of games last year playing 4 on 5. Now we have to play 3 on 5 and we can't do it.

I'm very dissappointed with our big guys & bench play. Saul needs to get Roehl, Mays and Co to come to practice and knock those guys around until they can play in a physical game. The rest of the season is going to be a disaster unless they can function under pressure and having people in their faces. 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 fouls that is what we got from Moorman, Tveidt and Sussenguth in the Gopher game-come on! Moorman you're 6'10" for crying out loud. Tveidt, you high jump 6'10". You should be leaving foot prints on the backboard. At least foul out. I agree with the previous post-we need Zo back badly. At least he'll mix it up. Saul either needs to take those three to the woodshed or have them ride the pine until they want to play ball. Centenary & Oral Roberts this week are going to be tough. We need more than 3 players on the court to be in those ball games. The bench is terrible, period. There are several players there who are empty uniforms. They need to turn them in and move on. The out look for Bison basketball is awful if they are whats up after the big 3 graduate.

If coach Saul can bring these players around, my hats off to him.

[Bison53]

As I said before, the coaches dropped the ball
on getting a JC to replace Smith. Why was everybody
thinking we were going to have a better team this year.
I feel sorry for the Wood, Winks, and Nelson, they got
let down. After they are gone, what's going to happen.

[heymch86]

Is there anyway we can hold Dufault hostage and make him change his mind? :-(

[Kermit]

Simple answer to recruiting needs, More Athletes.

The problem is the Bison have (I think) only one scholarship to give for next season (can anyone confirm?). They aren't going to get multiple athletes--unless Nagel, Carlson, and/or Riley fit the bill. The question is, if only one scolarship is available, what do they need the most? Given the three names above, I say a backup point guard.

While it appeared the Bison need everything to compete with the Gophers, the good news is NDSU is not in the Big Ten. What will the team need to win the Summit League?

[BisonBlogger]

I would say an athletic player as long as they can find. A guy that can defend the rim and rebound.

Second a back up point. This present team can most times be successful with the perimeter players they have but have a donut team on both ends of the floor.

Another guy like Riley and maybe a little longer would make a world of difference.

[Jdubs21]

with the way we have been playing lately...we need alot

[Mr. Burgundy]

The kid from Williston that went to Montana would look pretty nice in green right now. He is playing as a Freshman. If we get his brother in football, I will get over that....but not until then.

[Herd]

If you think that Zo won't help, you are not a "great basketball mind." He is the one thing we don't have right now. An athletic post. He won't dominate, but he will average more put back dunks than Luke had rebounds last night. Seriously, he is 6'6 and does try to block everything, he is known for getting in the popcorn popper to often when going for jump fakes, but oposing players know where he is. The block he had at Drake 2 years ago was the best block in Bison history....and I might not be exaggerating. His athleticism leads to blocked and altered shots, and god forbid we have a guy who wants to dunk!!! While he has offensive limitations, he can run the court and can play post defense. I hope he is the shot in the arm our defense needs. To say he won't help is just bizarre. You must not have the Big 10 Network, because you must have missed the layup line the Gophers had in the 2nd half.


I'm with you Burgundy . . . he is our Dennis Rodman. Without him we lack rebounding and a true defensive presence. He brings energy and athleticism, and is needed despirately on a roster of jump shooters. He should start in place of Tveidt, or at least be a quick 6th off the bench. Last year in Brookings he controlled the paint and showed me what he was capable of. That guy claiming otherwise is just wrong.

[Bryan]

At the St. Thomas Academy jamboree last weekend almost all of MN's top basketball players we're on display. Unfortunately because of the snow that day alot of coaches, including NDSU didn't make it. Only an Iowa State assistant and three MN coaches including Tubby we're on hand. Some kids NDSU is recruiting are junior point guard Mark Sonnen from Tartan, PF Mike Broghammer and SF/SG Raymond Cowles from Hopkins. Sonnen is kind of in the same position Woodside was in. Tubby watched him closely and likes him but not sure if he is quite good enough for BT. NDSU and UNI recruiting him hard. Three tartan kids on UNI last year so they are the favorite but he would be a nice replacement for woody. Broghammer has seen his stock fall and no longer has offers from Iowa and Purdue and MN isn't interested unless he grows a couple more inches. He will be visiting Fargo this winter. Cowles is a player the Bison had a great shot at but he was awsome on sat and really caught tubby and ISu's attention and if he plays that way all year and next summer, he may be playing himself out of NDSU's league.