Tubby lands Iverson, fishing for Sampson
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6'10" Colton Iverson, who tips the scales at 235-lbs., committed to the Minnesota Gophers basketball team recently, locking in one of two big men spots that Smith is hoping to fill in his first recruiting season with the Gophers. Iverson needs to learn to play at a Big 10 level, but has all the makings of a scrappy rebounder, shot blocker, defender of the first order.
The question is now whether Iverson bonded with Ralph Sampson III of Duluth, GA, enough to make a difference in Sampson's final decision. It's early in the "early commitment" period, but Sampson is being heavily courted by Georgia Tech and Kentucky, in addition to Minnesota.
Sampson is said to have no favorites among the three yet, but Iverson and Sampson seemed to like each other and the idea of playing as teammates, so Coach Smith is hoping Iverson's commit to Minnesota will help turn Sampson's sentiments toward Minnesota.
The ideal would be if Sampson goes against the home-state odds favoring Georgia Tech, and commits to Minnesota, whether it happens now or later on. However, while Sampson is 6'11" and the son of an NBA All-Pro, he's not the only big man on Minnesota's radar if Sampson goes elsewhere.
Among the big-men being courted by Tubby are the following:
- Orlando Allen, Paris Junior College, Texas * Eloy Vargas, Plantation, Florida * Stan Simpson, Chicago * Josh Crittle, Chicago * Steve Goins, Chicago * Edgar Garibay, Los Angeles
Of those, Allen recently visited Minnesota and could be solid. But the sleeper among that list just might be a player who knows more about Tampa real estate than I do, Eloy Vargas, who is at least from Florida, unlike yours truly. Word is, he's solid at 6'10" and perhaps a bit more Big 10-ready at the post than Iverson.
