For the #13 Minnesota Golden Gophers, senior two guard Blake Hoffarber is going from “shooter” to “scorer.” And he has to, especially since their fourth leading scorer Devoe Joseph has now left the program.
After this significant defection, the Gophers should (if I may quote Dave Chappelle playing Prince in a basketball themed comedic sketch) “purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.” As the 6-4 sharpshooter from Minnetonka is the team leader in scoring, assists and minutes this college basketball season.
At Big Ten media day, I asked Hoffarber about how many shots he takes a day to keep his range in tact and his marksmanship true.
“People always ask me that, but i tend to shoot as long as it takes to make me feel good, I always know when I’ve completed enough because I’ve started to get enough momentum and confidence in my shot to where I feel good that day. it could be 500 or 1000 or 200, whatever it takes,” Hoffarber said.
On March 14, 2008, in the Big Ten Tournament, Hoffarber made a game-winning jump shot as time expired against the Indiana Hoosiers, which attracted nationwide attention and has been compared to the famous Christian Laettner shot against Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA tournament.
ESPN later announced that Hoffarber’s miraculous shot against Indiana was nominated for an ESPY for the Best Play of the Year, Hoffarber’s second such nomination.
On December 15, 2009 Hoffarber tied and then broke the UM record for 3-point shots made in one game, when he hit 8 out of 10 in an 89-48 win over Northern Illinois University. “The Hoff” set a single season record at the University of Minnesota for three pointers made during his junior season in 2009-10 with 85.
I also “hassled the Hoff” about how he came to develop his deadly shot; where he picked up the fundamentals.
“kind of came to it naturally, my grandfather, uncle, high school coach mentored me, taught me how to shoot, I also watched a lot of players in the NBA and college I like watching JJ Redick, and Chris Mullin, a lefty, of course, back in the day.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to the Tribune’s Chicago Now network, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
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