I know I'm about to bring up College ball, but are there anyother Gopher fans as happy as I am with the recruiting job Tubby is doing?!?!? With the commitments from Devoe Joseph, Ralph Sampson III and now Royce White....Man!!! I'm getting really hype! Now I just hope we can get that "Beast-boy" Krys Faber too. This kid played in Cali and averaged 15.8pts, 17.5 boards and 5.6 blocks!!! Beastin' it!!!
Krys Faber - His heart is telling him Minnesota Basketball Recruiting by Nadine Babu March 21, 2008 Time and time again over the past couple of seasons, the Gopher basketball team has been devoid of rebounding and consistent interior defense. First year coach Tubby Smith made it a priority to add big men with the first five guys he signed in the Fall – filling two needs with Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson . But with its two starting big men leaving due to graduation, Tubby still has holes to fill and has been looking out West at Krys Faber , who put up monster numbers in his senior year in California. Faber, who averaged 15.8 points, 17.5 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game, has the size and presence that earned him a scholarship offer from the Gophers in the fall, and has garnered the interest of Northern Illinois , Notre Dame , UCLA and St. John’s . At 6-11, 250lbs, Faber has kept in close contact with the Gopher coaches since his official visit in November, and just a day after spending time with Tubby Smith in Cali, Faber took time out of his schedule to chat with GopherHole about his recruitment, his interest in playing at The U, and what he’s looking for in a college. GH: Where do you currently have offers from? KF: Minnesota , Northern Illinois and St. John’s . GH: Coach Tubby Smith just paid you a visit yesterday, can you tell me about that? KF: The visit was mainly for my parents. I went in the back Coach Smith talked to my parents. They got to the bottom of things. My parents are mainly concerned with academics. Coach talked to my parents the whole time and answered all of their concerns. GH: What other Gopher coaches have you had a lot of contact with? KF: Coach (Vince) Taylor . He’s also talked to my coach a lot (William Middlebrooks). When I was on my visit, I got to hang out with him and his son. GH: When did you have your official visit to Minnesota? KF: In the fall. I was here with Verdell Jones . I hadn’t met him before that, but we got to talk and watch practices. GH: What do think about The Barn? KF: I love that gym. GH: What do you like about it? KF: I thought it was neat that the floor is raised. GH: What do you like about Minnesota? KF: I liked that it was in a city; most of the colleges are tucked away. It reminds me of home, Los Angeles. GH: Did you get to watch many of our games this year? KF: My Dad got the Big Ten Network, so I was able to watch a lot of the games. GH: Have you academically qualified for Minnesota? KF: Yes. GH: How do you compare Northern Illinois with the University of Minnesota, since they have such different campuses, and programs? KF: One of the things I like about Northern Illinois is that it’s a school that you can play all four years and you feel comfortable. They have shown the most interest in me since freshmen year. One of their assistants there, Dennis Gates , used to be at California and he’s recruited me since my sophomore year. GH: What’s going to happen with you if Kevin Love goes pro? KF: It’s funny, because I was just talking to one of my friends, Malik Story , who committed to USC, about this. I thought about that factor, but part of me doesn’t want to stay here, I want to move somewhere else. GH: How do you feel about the opportunity to play with Ralph Sampson III, and Colton Iverson? KF: It’ll be a big change from high school. It will be nice to be able to run a high low with other bigs. If someone else is the 5, then I can be the four and be able to run around more. GH: What will you be working on in your off-season? KF: In the off-season I have already been lifting, running to stay in shape, work on my fastbreak. My coach also wants me to be 260 or 255 before leaving. GH: What are your greatest strengths? KF: Rebounding. GH: Are the Gophers recruiting you as a 4 or 5? KF: Primarily as a 5. GH: When do you plan on committing? KF: The first day of the signing period, April 15th. GH: Why haven’t you committed already? KF: My Coach has told me to keep my mouth shut, but I would have given a verbal a long time ago. He’s a marketing genius; he wants me to make other visits. Before the season, I was listed as a low major, now it’s big schools. GH: Do you have any other visits lined up? KF: DePaul is coming in this week. GH: What is your heart telling you? KF: Minnesota.
Man, I totally hear ya. The job Tubby did with this team this last season and then to do the recruiting job he did, he deserves a lot of credit.
