2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represented the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

in the college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

is Tubby Smith

Tubby Smith

Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...

. This is his second year as Minnesota's head coach. The Golden Gophers played their home games at Williams Arena

Williams Arena

Williams Arena, located on the Twin Cities main campus of the University of Minnesota is the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's and women's basketball teams, and the men's and women's hockey teams until 1992, when the hockey teams received their own buildings...

in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...

. The Big Ten Network included the team in a two and a half hour special that featured Midnight Madness

Midnight Madness (basketball)

Midnight Madness is an annual event on college campuses that celebrates the first day in mid-October that the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits formal basketball practices each college basketball season. In some cases, the name has literal meaning since an event is scheduled...

events from several Big Ten campuses on October 17, 2008; the Minnesota event to kick off the season was called "Tubby's Tipoff". The Gophers started the season on a twelve-game winning streak for the first time since the 1948–49 season. The team became ranked on December 22, the first time the team had been ranked since the 2002–03 season.

Recruit Royce White signed with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but did not play due to shoplifting and trespassing charges. He transferred to Iowa State in July 2010.

Roster

#	Name	Height	Weight (lbs.)	Position	Class	Hometown	Previous Team(s)
0	Al Nolen	6'1"	180	G	So.	Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Minneapolis Henry HS Patrick Henry High School (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Patrick Henry High School, locally known as Patrick Henry, is a Minneapolis public high school located in the Camden area of North Minneapolis with about 1300 students...
1	Paul Carter	6'8"	195	F	So.	Little Rock, AR Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Little Rock Mills HS Mills University Studies High School Mills University Studies High School is a secondary school in Little Rock, Arkansas serving students in grades 9 through 12 and is one of six high schools within the Pulaski County Special School District. The school opened in 1970 and is named after the late Congressman Wilbur Daigh Mills... Missouri State-West Plains Missouri State University Missouri State University is a public university located in Springfield, Missouri, United States and founded in 1905. It is the state's second largest university, with an official enrollment of 20,802 in fall 2011...
3	Kevin Payton	6'5"	215	G/F	RJr.	Camden, NJ Camden, New Jersey The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Camden HS Camden High School (New Jersey) Camden High School is a four-year comprehensive community public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from the city of Camden, New Jersey, United States. The school is part of the Camden City Public Schools, which is classified as an Abbott District. The school,...
4	Travis Busch	6'4"	220	G/F	Jr.	Mounds View, MN Mounds View, Minnesota As of the census of 2000, there were 12,738 people, 5,018 households, and 3,387 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,096.6 people per square mile . There were 5,130 housing units at an average density of 1,247.1 per square mile... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Mounds View HS Mounds View High School Mounds View High School is a public high school located in Arden Hills, Minnesota. A part of the Mounds View Public Schools district, the high school is located in a suburban area approximately nine miles north of downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul and includes seven cities with 76,193 residents...
5	Devoe Joseph	6'3"	170	G	Fr.	Ajax, ON Ajax, Ontario Ajax is a town in the Durham Region in the Greater Toronto Area.The town is named for the HMS Ajax a Royal Navy cruiser that served in World War II. Ajax is a part of the Greater Toronto Area and the... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	Pickering HS
11	Jonathan Williams	6'9"	250	G	Sr.	St. Cloud, MN, U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Notre Dame Prep Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts) Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic high school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester. The population of the school is average 32–42 students. It is a small sized boarding and day school... St. Cloud Apollo HS Apollo High School (St. Cloud, Minnesota) Apollo Senior High School is a high school located at 1000 44th Ave N. in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Apollo is one of St. Cloud's two public high schools, the other being Technical Senior High School.- Meaning of name :...
20	Lawrence Westbrook Lawrence Westbrook Lawrence Westbrook is an American professional basketball player. As a senior point guard for the Minnesota Golden Gophers basketball team, he averaged 12.2 points per game in the 2008-09 season, and was the Golden Gophers' leading scorer.-High school career:As a junior at Chandler High School in...	6'0"	195	G	Jr.	Chandler, AZ Chandler, Arizona -Demographics:As of the Census of 2010, there were 236,123 people, 86,924 households, and 60,212 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 73.3% White, 4.8% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American, 8.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 21.9% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.3%... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Winchendon Prep
22	Devron Bostick	6'5"	210	G	Jr.	Racine, WI Racine, Wisconsin Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	St. Catharine's HS SW Illinois Southwestern Illinois College Southwestern Illinois College is the sixth largest community college in Illinois with campuses in Belleville, Granite City, and Red Bud, plus 20 off-campus sites throughout the district, including Scott Air Force Base and East St. Louis Community College Center...
24	Blake Hoffarber Blake Hoffarber Blake Hoffarber is a Senior shooting guard on the University of Minnesota men's basketball team. The 6'4", 200 lbs Hoffarber is a Minnetonka, Minnesota native who gained fame by way of numerous highlight reel shots during the course of his basketball career...	6'4"	200	G	So.	Minnetonka, MN Minnetonka, Minnesota As of the census of 2000, there were 51,301 people, 21,393 households, and 14,097 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,893.0 persons per square mile . There were 22,228 housing units at an average density of 818.9 per square mile... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Hopkins HS Hopkins High School Hopkins High School is a public high school located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, a southwestern suburb of Minneapolis. It offers classes for grades 10, 11, and 12. Hopkins High School is part of the Hopkins School District 270 and draws students from the city of Hopkins, central and eastern parts of...
33	Jamal Abu-Shamala Jamal Abu-Shamala Jamal Abu-Shamala is a Jordanian American basketball player who formerly played college basketball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Abu-Shamala plays internationally for the Jordanian national team, first playing internationally in 2008...	6'5"	210	G/F	Sr.	Shakopee, MN Shakopee, Minnesota Shakopee is a city southwest of downtown Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Scott County. Located on the south bank bend of the Minnesota River, Shakopee and nearby suburbs comprise the southwest portion of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, the thirteenth largest... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Shakopee HS
34	Damian Johnson Damian Johnson (basketball) Damian Johnson was an American college basketball player who played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He graduated after the 2009-10 basketball season.-High school career:...	6'7"	195	F	RJr.	Thibodaux, LA Thibodaux, Louisiana Thibodaux is a small city in and the parish seat of Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the banks of Bayou Lafourche in the northwestern part of the parish. The population was 14,431 at the 2000 census. Thibodaux is a principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Thibodaux HS Thibodaux High School Thibodaux High School is a public high school serving students in grades 9–12 in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA about 75 miles southwest of New Orleans. It is one of three high schools in the Lafourche Parish Public Schools district...
45	Colton Iverson	6'10"	235	F/C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Fr.	Yankton, SD Yankton, South Dakota Yankton is a city in, and the county seat of, Yankton County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 14,454 at the 2010 census. Yankton was the original capital of Dakota Territory. It is named for the Yankton tribe of Nakota Native Americans... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Yankton HS Yankton High School Yankton High School is a high school in Yankton, South Dakota, United States.-Administration:* Wayne Kindle, Principal* Jennifer Johnke, Assistant Principal* Wally Bosch, Activities Director...
50	Ralph Sampson III Ralph Sampson III Ralph Lee Sampson III is a college basketball player who currently plays for the University of Minnesota. His father, Ralph Sampson, was the first overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft and a 4-time NBA All-Star....	6'11"	220	F/C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...	Fr.	Duluth, GA Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia and an increasingly more affluent and developed suburb of Atlanta. Unincorporated portions of Forsyth County also have Duluth as a mailing address, though this area is outside city limits... , U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	Northview HS Northview High School (Johns Creek, Georgia) Northview High School is located in Johns Creek, Georgia, U.S.A. The school is a part of the Fulton County School System.One of its many notable achievements is earning the Governor's Cup in 2004, 2005, and 2006, which was presented by Sonny Perdue for the largest numerical improvement in SAT...

Incoming signees

2008–09 Schedule and Results

Rankings

Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Wk 17	Wk 18	Wk 19	Final
AP							23	21	22	18	21	NR	19	NR
Coaches							23	21	19	17	20	24	19	NR

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