When Richard Pitino was given control of the Gophers basketball team in the spring of 2013, he inherited a promising group of upperclassmen from previous coach Tubby Smith that included Andre Hollins, Austin Hollins, Mo Walker and Elliott Eliason. After two years in which the Gophers won an NIT title and followed it up with a disheartening 6-12 conference record, the majority of Tubby Smith’s recruits had graduated from the program — except for one.
The final link to the old regime, redshirt senior Charles Buggs, in heading to USC according to several news outlets, thereby shutting the door completely on the Smith Era.
The move was not entirely unexpected. Buggs struggled to find a consistent role on last year’s young team, and with transfers Akeem Springs and Davonte Fitzgerald joining the team, along with freshman Michael Hurt, Buggs was going to hard pressed to find playing time at the small forward spot. The Arlington, Texas, native recently graduated from the University of Minnesota, meaning he’ll be allowed to play for the Trojans immediately instead of sitting out for a full season.
His departure illuminates the continuation of two trends in the Gophers basketball program.
Buggs becomes the latest in a long line of players to leave the team via transfer, dismissal or legal difficulty under Pitino’s watch. He joins DaQuein McNeil, Josh Martin, Zach Lofton, Carlos Morris and Kevin Dorsey, Jr., not to mention the pending investigation involving junior transfer Reggie Lynch and an alleged sexual assault.
Secondly, Buggs is the latest example of an alluring young athlete who never realized his potential with the Gophers. He joins an even longer list in that regard: Lawrence Westbrook, Justin Cobb, Devoe Joseph, Rodney Williams, Colton Iverson, Maverick Ahanmisi; even Andre Hollins, who plateaued late in his career.
While Buggs had the disadvantage of overlapping into a new coaching staff that never recruited him, he may have been one of the most physically gifted players in the program’s last decade, rivaling the aforementioned Williams in athleticism.
Most coaches would give their kidney to find a prep player with Buggs’ measurables – 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan – and his natural ability to elevate like he’s on a pogo stick.
Yet somehow, Pitino and Buggs were unable to make it work in their three years together.
For all Buggs’ talents, the Gophers’ coaching staff was never able to trigger the mental tenacity required to unlock his tremendous gifts. After the 2014-15 season, Pitino spoke about the necessity for Buggs to stick around campus and devote himself to basketball in the offseason, but Buggs, then a junior, failed to raise his game heading into a season where the Gophers sorely needed upperclassmen leadership.
“He’s just different,” said Pitino in November. “You’ve got to get to know him. Me and him have worked. I’ve worked very hard with building trust with him, coaching him a different way.”
Buggs was benched for an entire game during the non-conference season against Oklahoma State and lost his starting job at the beginning of the conference slate. During a six-game stretch late in the season, Buggs played fewer than 18 minutes in five of six games.
Despite pleas from the coaching staff, the long-legged forward never showed enough assertiveness to get to the basket unless he was in a fast break situation. Instead, he often settled for contested 3-pointers. “He’s just got such a quirky game,” Pitino said early last season. “Like last night we had dinner, and I asked him, ‘Why don’t you shoot an open 3?’”
Buggs’ reply left Pitino flabbergasted.
“’I like it when guys are in my face,’” he countered.
“He’s like Manny Ramirez sometimes with the things he says,” joked Pitino.
Though Buggs enjoyed rocking the rim with highlight slams, he often shied away from the spotlight.
According to the coach, Buggs had a hard time harnessing his over-excitement on the court and channeling it toward his unique skillset. Offensively, Buggs looked to defer too often when he should have been more aggressive, and his carelessness with the ball, at times, made him a liability. Pitino called him out after a loss to Indiana last season for a late turnover. “Charles’ biggest problem,” said Pitino, “is he has these mental lapses.”
Though Buggs enjoyed rocking the rim with highlight slams, he often shied away from the spotlight. In a home win against Iowa on Feb. 25, 2014, Buggs scored 13 points and went 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in 19 minutes. After the game, he hid from the media to avoid having to talk. “He actually is very thought out and very intelligent,” said Pitino, “but he’ll say some wacky things.”
Buggs finished his Gophers career with 4.0 points per game and now heads to the Pac-12, a conference where past Gophers’ transfers have gone and had great success, namely Devoe Joseph at Oregon at Justin Cobbs at California (see below).
If Buggs can thrive in his new environment, it will be the latest indictment of the Gophers’ player development.
As assistant coach Dan McHale said about Buggs back in 2014, “He’s the type of kid that showed flashes. If the light bulb goes on, he’s an extremely talented player.”
