Ralph Sampson III News

Al Nolen doesn't have to shoot to impact the game. But the Gophers would be a much more dangerous team if they had a scoring threat at point guard.

During the most turbulent week in coach Tubby Smith's tenure at Minnesota, the Gophers finally got a chance to focus on basketball Thursday night.

Trevor Mbakwe acknowledges the crowd after dunking again during scrimmage at Golden Gopher Basketball's 'Tubby's Tipoff' on Friday, October 16, 2009, at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.

Trevor Mbakwe's status clouds the Gophers men's basketball team as it begins practice.

Coach: Tubby Smith . Last season's record: 22-11 overall, 9-9 in Big Ten . Postseason: Lost in first round of NCAA tournament to Texas.

Germantown High School standout, and son of Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins, said this week he is committed to play for the University of Minnesota next basketball season.

Elliott Eliason, a 6-foot-11, 235-pound center at Chadron High School, Neb. University of Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith picked up his first oral commitment in the 2010 recruiting class today from the top player in the state of Nebraska: Big man Elliott Eliason.

Each is a rising sophomore and the son of a former No. 1 overall draft pick. But Klay Thompson and Ralph Sampson III don't have comparable burdens.

Klay Thompson made shots at the Colorado Springs, Colo., tryouts and subsequently made the Under-19 U.S. team that eventually won gold in New Zealand this summer.

THE GOOD NEWS: Minnesota returns all but two players from last year's team and adds one of the best recruiting classes in the nation.

The Howard Pulley pro-am summer league began another season Monday evening at the Salvation Army gym in St.

Is it too early to start talking college hoops? I don't think so. Let's take a look at one of the premier basketball schools in the nation: The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers... by E Paul Lian 6 reads Opinion June 24, 2009 Is it too early to start talking college hoops? I don't think so.

Posted on June 22nd, 2009 5:08 PM By Myron Medcalf For years, Howard Pulley's pro-am summer league has given basketball fans a chance to see some of the top local players compete in what really amounts to high-level pick up ball.

Every year a current or incoming University of Minnesota basketball player has a breakout summer in the Howard Pulley Pro-City League.

JANUARY 15: Ralph Sampson III #50 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Marcus Landry #1 of the Wisconsin Badgers look to rebound the ball after a free-throw at the Kohl Center January 15, 2009 in Madison, Wisconsin.

University of Minnesota freshman big man Ralph Sampson III was among 17 players invited to tryout for the USA under-19 men's national basketball team this summer.