Gophers Point Guard Mathieu Exceeds Expectations
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Gopher basketball team opens the Big 10 Thursday against Michigan.
One of the bright spots thus far has been point guard Deandre Mathieu. He came with Coach Richard Pitino from Florida International University. So far, he's been better than most expected.
Deandre Mathieu was sold on his recruiting trip to transfer -- not because of the weather, but because of the people.
"Even though it snowed on my visit, I had no problem. I knew this was where I wanted to be," he said.
They gave him the keys to the car and told him to drive the offense and make others better.
"He's a good offensive player. His outside shot is going to continue to improve, and it's gotten better," Pitino said. "When we recruited him, we liked him because he was kind of a pure point guard. He's proved to be that."
It's possible that's why he's fit in with the Gophers line-up this year, because he is a true team player. That said, he obviously can still score as well.
"I had to score a bit in the past on some of the teams I've played on, but I still want to be a passer," Mathieu said. "The guys on the team made it really easy for me to transition into this style."
One thing's for sure, it will be interesting to see if he can do against Big 10 teams what he has done in November and December.
