GOPHERS BASKETBALL: Setting the table for success
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New Golden Gophers men's basketball coach Tubby Smith is setting the table for future success with the program. Reports on TwinCities.com indicate that he's bringing in two big men soon for their first Gophers recruiting visit on September 7.
Those big men are prep basketball stars are 6'11" Ralph Sampson III of Georgia, and 6'10" Colt Iverson of South Dakota. While Iverson may have considered Minnesota even without Tubby Smith at the helm, it's a lock that the only reason Sampson is visiting Minnesota is due to the already legendary reputation of the former Kentucky coach.
The basketball Gophers, who recently accepted the transfer wishes of sophomore Bryce Webster, now have nine scholarships available over the next three years of recruiting, which should give Coach Smith plenty of leeway to rebuild the team in his image.
Coach Smith already has one commit out of PG Nate Garth, out of Dallas' Woodrow Wilson High. Garth is a nationally-ranked PG recruit and looks to be the ball distributor the Gophers have lacked for several seasons.
With Garth locked in and potential recruits like Sampson and Iverson drawing interest in playing for Smith in Minnesota, it's looking like Tubby could be the best thing to happen to Gophers basketball in a long, long time.
