Where Richard Pitino whiffs on in-state talent, he connects on international talent.

On Sunday morning, Turkish guard David Mutaf announced that he has committed to coming to Minnesota and playing for Pitino. Mutaf, a 6’6” guard, picked the Gophers over Arkansas, USC, Georgetown, and others.

Mutaf is a monster get for the Gophers. With 2020 Hopkins (MN) High School guard Kerwin Walton leaving the state to go play at UNC and Drew Peterson committing to USC after decommitting from the Gophers, Mutaf was a must-get for Pitino. Here’s what he will bring to the table:

Shooting

When watching the video above, one thing sticks out above the rest: his shooting. 

First, he does a pull-back between his legs, steps back, and knocks it down:

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Then, he rolls off a screen, sets his feet, and bangs one home:

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Lastly, he shows off his catch and shoot ability and puts it through the bucket:

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These are just three of the countless threes he made in the video.

Although the Gophers finished the season ranked 6th in the Big Ten in 3-point percentage, 57th in the NCAA, the addition of Mutaf should push that percentage up towards the best in the country.

Can you imagine Gabe Kalscheur, who was number one in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made, and Mutaf on the wings together? Seems too good to be true for this Minnesota Sports Fan.

Passing

Another thing that sticks out when watching Mutaf? His passing ability. Let’s recap some of those passes.

First, he grabs the rebound, goes coast-to coast, gets the defense to commit to him, and throws a behind the back pass right to his teammate for a make:

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Another time he spits the defense, drives the lane, and right when you think he’s stuck, kicks it out to the open man:

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Finally, Mutaf grabs another rebound, goes coast-to-coast again, and then passes it to his teammate on the other side of the lane for a layup:

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The passes Mutaf made above will allow Marcus Carr (if he returns to school) to play off the ball more often, making the defense decide who they want to take away. This will help the offense run more effectively. 

IQ 

Mutaf shows an incredible amount of IQ in this video also. Although we’re only watching the good highlights of Mutaf, it seems that he’s always making the right play. Here’s a couple examples:

While Mutaf is running the point, he sees his teammate rolling off a pick and lobs a perfect pass for an easy lay-up:

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Another example is when one of his teammates is driving the lane, Mutaf moves into the corner to allow for an easier passing angle. Although slight, it was a smart play:

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From his passing and shooting ability, Mutaf resembles a young Amir Coffey; he can shoot the ball, pass with ease, and has an excellent feel for the game.

All these elements make him an excellent pick-up for Richard Pitino and company. 

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Mutaf has committed to the #Gophers, he told 247… https://t.co/dy5hXCvWFw

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) May 24, 2020

Richard Pitino added a 3-star recruit to his 2020 class on Sunday morning. Turkish guard David Mutaf has told 24/7 Sports that he will be attending the University of Minnesota, to play basketball for the Minnesota Gophers. 

Mutaf is 6’5 guard from Turkey, most recently playing for Fenerbahce Basketbol Subesi. Mutaf averaged 22 PPG, 6.75 RPG, and 2 APG in a small sample size in the 2019-2020 season.

“I decided to go University of Minnesota because I believe that Gophers is a good program for me and during recruiting process I had good communication with coach Pitino and his staff.” Mutaf said. “I believe they have good team and great fans. I am really excited to play there.”

247Sports.com

Mutaf chose Minnesota over USC, Georgetown, Arizona State, and Arkansas to name a few. Now, Mutaf joins 4-star recruits Jamal Mashburn Jr and Martice Mitchell in what seems to be a solid recruiting class for Pitino and company.

Hopefully, with Mutaf, Mashburn Jr, and Mitchell joining the Gophers, the U can become competitive in the Big Ten once again and battle for a spot in the “Big Dance” this year. I have a feeling Pitino’s job relies heavily on this incoming class. 

Cam Thompson | Minnesota Sports Fan