NOTEBOOK: Nate Mason's Leadership, Amir Coffey's Offense & Michael Hurt's Cutting

(photo credit: Brian Curski, Cumulus Media)

Entering his senior year, all-conference point guard Nate Mason had a lot of responsibility.

He’d be required to be a linchpin in the Minnesota Gophers’ pursuit of a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, but he would also be expected to mentor his eventual replacement, prized recruit Isaiah Washington.

One might anticipate some dissension between two competitive individuals playing the same position, but Mason and Washington developed a close relationship throughout the offseason, which gave Mason enough comfort to have a difficult conversation with Washington after a series of lackluster practices.

“Isaiah Washington was not practicing hard at all,” said Gophers head coach Richard Pitino, “and it didn’t matter what I said. He was not listening to me. All it took was Nate having a conversation with him, and it changed his habits, and that’s important.”

Washington might have received another wake-up call Wednesday against Niagara when the Purple Eagles closed a second-half deficit after the freshman was inserted into the game.

Pitino has said before that he likes Washington’s “infectious” personality. He’s also emphasized that Washington is a “gym rat.” Mason’s mentorship, though, will be important in showing Washington that the natural athleticism that won him Mr. Basketball in New York will not allow him to coast in the Big Ten.

“[Nate]’s not real loud, and that’s OK,” said Pitino. “He doesn’t need to be loud. You can still be a really good leader and not be loud, but just continue to act like a senior. Continue to be a good influence on the players.”

Coffey taking strides

Amir Coffey’s offensive game is rounding into form.

The sophomore scored 15 points in the first half against Niagara with three 3-point shots —- an area where he struggled at the beginning of his freshman season.

Coffey hit a six-game stretch from Nov. 28 to Dec. 23 last season when did not make a long-range shot. Through his first 12 games, he was shooting 20 percent from distance. Then something clicked. From that point on, Coffey hit 40 percent of his 3s and made two or more in a game on eight separate occasions.

“A lot of it was just confidence,” said Coffey, who is 7 for 13 on 3s this season. “Shooting the ball with confidence and believing in my shot. After a while, I just started shooting with confidence, and I started making more.”

Coffey put on 10 pounds of muscle and worked a lot on his shooting in the offseason. A more accurate jumper will only open up more driving lanes for Coffey, who is at his best when he attacks the basket.

He was famously shy as a freshman, to the point where Pitino would jokingly bombard him with questions to make him squirm. Through three games this season, he’s been more vocal and more willing to show emotion.

“[Amir] seems shy, but then you walk in a locker room, and he doesn’t know you’re behind him, and he’ll be the one joking around, and then he’ll see you and he’ll stop,” said Pitino. “We’ve got to get him to get closer to doing that in front of the coaches. He’ll do whatever you tell him to do. He’s very easy to coach. But we want him to be comfortable, and I think he’s getting better and better at that.”

Hurt’s cuts

Sophomore Michael Hurt only has 10 points, three rebounds and four assists this season. That being said, he’s had the best plus-minus of all bench players in the last two games: a plus-10 at Providence and a plus-23 versus Niagara.

“Good things happen when he’s in the game,” said Pitino. “He moves the ball really well, something we’ve been harping on our guys.”

The head coach also declares Hurt the best cutter on the team, something he excelled at during his high school years at Rochester-John Marshall.

“Something Mike’s really good at is somebody drives, and he’s in the corner. Everybody’s consumed with the catch-and-shoot 3s; they all want catch-and-shoot 3s. Well, Mike back cuts, and he’s done that several times. I think in high school he’s always been good at that, and I think it’s just carrying over.”

Hurt had difficulty getting going his first year, scoring just 18 total points on 2-of-14 3-point shooting. But his presence this season has been a welcome stabilizer for a bench unit that includes a pair of freshmen.

“He’s making winning plays,” Pitino said.


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