Around three weeks after decommitting from the University of Iona, former Minnesota Gophers point guard Isaiah Washington (JellyFam founder) has found a new home. This time, Washington is headed to Long Beach State University, the home of none other than Don Monson.

Yes, the same Don Monson who coached for the Gophers back in the day.

Washington, who transferred out of Minnesota after the 2018-19 season, recently left Iona after Rick Pitino (Richard’s dad) accepted the head coaching job. Now, the Jellyfam founder is once again tied back to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Monson, who has been the head coach at Long Beach State for 13 years, held the reigns at Minnesota for seven seasons, from 1999-2007. 

After taking the job following the infamous academic scandal under Clem Haskins, Monson compiled a 118-106 (.527) record through his seven seasons with the Gophers. He led the Maroon and Gold to four NIT appearances and one NCAA tournament appearance. But, following a 2-5 start to the 2006-07 season, Monson resigned. 

Dan Monson’s Tenures

Then, in the spring of 2007, Monson accepted the job at Long Beach State. Compiling a 200-196 (.505) record thus far, he has led the 49ers to only one NCAA tournament appearance and three NIT appearances. Not to mention his three straight losing seasons. 

Not the Best Fit

Apparently, Washington is ready to help change that. After averaging 8.7 and 4.3 points per game in his freshman and sophomore years respectively, Jellyfam Dimes increased his average to 11.3 points per game at Iona during the 2019-20 season. He also averaged 4 assists in his 33 minutes per game.

It looks like Coach Monson may have sold him on being his star. However, there’s one glaring problem: Long Beach State already has too many guards. Last year, the top three scorers on LBSU all played a guard position… and all three are returning this year. Washington will just add to an already crowded backcourt.

Unless one of those players decides to transfer from LBSU, I don’t see Isaiah Washington garnering the 33 minutes he’s used to. But however it works out, it’ll be nice to (hopefully) see the former 4-star guard settle down in one place after a somewhat rocky career thus far.

Carson Ruen | Minnesota Sports Fan

Iona guard Isaiah Washington has entered the transfer portal, source told ESPN. Averaged 11.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists last season.

Started his career at Minnesota under Richard Pitino.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) May 21, 2020

Anyone could’ve seen this one coming. Former Gophers point guard Isaiah Washington has decided to transfer from the University of Iona, only nine weeks after Rick Pitino (Gopher’s HC Richard’s father) accepted the vacant head coaching position.

Washington, the co-founder of JellyFam, transferred from the University of Minnesota after his sophomore year. With the Gophers, he averaged 8.7 and 4.3 points per game in his sophomore and freshman years, respectively. You may remember his double-double against North Florida his freshman year.

But after his playing time diminished his sophomore year (16 minutes compared to 20 minutes his freshman year) and his grandmother not in the best of health, Washington transferred to Iona and then head coach Tim Cluess. 

In his lone year at Iona, Washington averaged 11.4 points, 4.0 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, including an excellent effort vs. Monmouth in which he recorded a season-high 25 points.

Bad blood with the Pitino family

All good things must come to an end though, and for Washington that happened to be head coach Tim Cluess resigning after the season, due to health concerns. 

The elder Pitino hasn’t been Isaiah Washington’s biggest fan. He made this comment back when Washington played at Minnesota. What a small world…

“I like his team this year. I’m not crazy about the point guard position… Now, if Washington can mature out of the social media world and into the real basketball world of how to get it done, then they’ve got great promise. If not, he’s just got to find a different point guard and move in a different direction.” – Rick Pitino

The Jellyfam leader took to social media to show how he felt about the Rick Pitino hire at Iona. He quickly deleted the tweet. According to Washington’s longtime advisor Roosevelt Byers, that wasn’t the reason at the forefront of his transfer.

I’d say the writing was on the wall with this one. Rick Pitino roasted Isaiah Washington when he was playing for Richard at Minnesota. Isaiah then didn’t appear particularly excited about the Rick to Iona rumors. #JellyFam pic.twitter.com/LNUHMOeG2t

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) May 21, 2020

“At the end of the day, we appreciate what Iona has done, and Iona giving Isiah Washington the opportunity,” Byers said. “As you saw out there, he became comfortable toward the end and played pretty well. He proved from Minnesota from what he averaged there to this year, almost 12 (points), five (rebounds), and four (assists), this kid has a lot left in his tank.”

With Washington’s grandmother thankfully recovered and healthy, he figures to explore all options. There’s currently no information on where Washington will transfer, but coming out of high school, he received offers from Rutgers, Providence, Seton Hall, and VCU just to name a few.

Feel free to follow my twitter @carsonruen

BREAKING: Iona will hire Rick Pitino as its next head basketball coach, per Gaels’ Athletic Director Matt Glovaski.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 14, 2020

Rick Pitino returns to college basketball … at Iona

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) March 14, 2020

We all needed a little buzz inside of the sports world this afternoon and Rick Pitino is here to give it to us. The senior Pitino will return to the world of college basketball next season, as the head coach at Iona University.

This is awesome news for basketball in America. Rick Pitino became the scapegoat of a nationwide college sports + shoe sponsorship scandal because he had the only graduate assistant coach doing things stupid enough to get them caught.

Rick will return as the coach of Iona College, which means Iona is about to be good at basketball for a few years, until Rick moves on to a bigger school.

While starting out, Rick’s team will be lead by a kid nicknamed “Jelly”, who happens to know Pitino’s pretty well. That’s right (in case you forgot), Isaiah Washington is now the point guard at Iona.

#GAELSWIN!!!

Isaiah Washington makes @IonaGaelsMBB history with the third triple-double in program history!

It’s #ICMBB‘s first since @_ScottMachado on February 12, 2012 against Marist.#MAACHoops #maAChoops20 #GaelNation pic.twitter.com/kByALUUx9o

— Iona Athletics (@ICGaels) February 28, 2020

As you can see, Isaiah seemed to grow up a little bit this year (the competition level may have helped). He had the 3rd triple-double in school history in February (tweet above) and his stats are pretty damn solid on the year.

He averaged 11.4 PTS | 5.1 REB | 4.0 AST | 1.7 STL | 2.2 TO in 33 MPG last season. Those are pretty solid, especially the TO… We’ll see if he can get even better under Rick. I haven’t heard anything early on, that Rick may not want Washington as his PG or that Isaiah doesn’t want to play for him, but Rick has said some questionable things about Jelly in the past…

That was Rick Pitino on Isaiah Washington, just 1.5 years ago. It’s quite possible Rick believes Isaiah has matured, like he’d hoped. Or maybe not…… this was tweeted earlier today, before it was deleted.

This is a since-deleted tweet from Iona’s Isaiah Washington, possibly in regard to the Rick Pitino rumors. Remember, Washington transferred to Iona from Minnesota, where Pitino’s son, Richard, is still the head coach: #MAACHoops #ICMBB pic.twitter.com/CILJnBfBvJ

— Daly Dose Of Hoops (@DalyDoseOfHoops) March 14, 2020

You just cannot make this shit up.

Eric Strack

After seeing some of the quotes that were coming out of the locker room this week, leading up to the Gophers v Illini game last night at The Barn, I thought this contest would be over before halftime. The Gophers have been playing much better of late and Illinois, although they recently upset #13 Maryland, just isn’t very good, outside of their Sophomore PG Trent Frazier, who had another massive game yesterday.

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But, (per usual — just ask my wife) I was wrong. Illinois actually led going into halftime 39-37… But then, Pitino handed the keys of the offense to Jellyfam himself, Isaiah Washington. The best part, though… he didn’t even fuck it up this time.

It’s weird how putting a true point guard in charge of an offense full of playmakers (and one dead-eye shooter) could make said offense actually look smooth and efficient… Washington finished the game with 12 points, 4 assists, and 0 turnovers.

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You’ve been waiting a lot longer than expected to see a game like this (against a Big Ten team) from Jelly if you’re a Gopher basketball fan. He was so highly touted out of high school, yet I currently have him transferring after this season. I don’t know anything about that on the inside and I haven’t heard any rumblings but Washington isn’t going to play ahead of Marcus Carr or Payton Willis, who are both currently sitting out after transferring in the offseason.

Is he willing to sit on the bench as a Junior without a viable path to a lot of playing time, outside of an injury to someone ahead of him? Probably not. I wouldn’t… Not with the following he has. I’m sure he’s been hearing a lot from his hundreds of thousands of social media followers.

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However, the NY native has time yet this season to turn things around and the Gophers need him to do so. Without a true point guard currently on the roster outside of Jellyfam, the Gopher offense truly misses a natural signal-caller when Jelly is messy.

That also means that an efficient Washington (like last night) would make a big difference and stick out naturally as the guy with the ball in his hands (like last night), allowing him to claim his PG position for next year and beyond. AND, he doesn’t have to put up big numbers. Having him play point guard with the starters just makes the offense better because it moves Amir Coffey, Dupree McBrayer, and others into their more natural positions.

Now, with all of that being said…. I need to see A LOT more of this type of play going forward to regain faith in Mr. Jellyfam. We’ll see how he does vs this upcoming schedule.

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The full-game highlights are below if you missed it or want to watch it over.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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It feels like a tundra in Minnesota this weekend but The Barn was on fire this afternoon with the Hawkeyes in town to play the Gophers.

I hope you bet the over.

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In an unbelievable turn of shooting fortune, the Gopher offense kept them in the game and even controlling the lead throughout the first half vs. #19-ranked Iowa.

I’m not sure where we found our shooting touch but it was a good thing we did because both teams were on fire and spouted off a total of 101 points in the first half alone…

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The second half started off even better for the Gophers. Iowa couldn’t handle Minnesota’s offense no matter which defensive scheme they switched too… Hard to believe, I know. And Fran threw all of his defenses at us…

I saw a man, 2-3 zone, 1-3-1 zone, and a full -court trap. None of it worked. The Gophers were up and down the floor and scoring in all varieties. Fran was red.

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Iowa couldn’t be held down forever though and they made it close in the last 4 minutes. They cut the lead to 4 and took control of the ball before the Gophers got a turnover and scored on the other end. The Hawkeyes never got closer.

It was a massive win for the Gophers, who are now 5-4 in conference play (15-5 overall) and hold big wins over ranked Wisconsin at the Kohl Center and now 19th-ranked at The Barn.

On Wednesday, the Illini come to town and the Gophers should be foaming at the mouth for a W after they were embarrassed in Illinois a few weeks ago.

Here are some highlights to tonight’s dub:

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Now that I need a new TV, after throwing everything within reaching distance through my current one, during the 1st half of yesterday’s Gopher-Illini game; I’ve had some time to reflect in silence about one of the worst losses in Richard Pitino’s career at Minnesota.

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It’s been a rollercoaster of emotion for me since the loss (a rollercoaster with a lot of valleys and very few peaks).

At one point I was ready to force an Isaiah Washington transfer. How is a guy who was Mr. Basketball (New York) so bad now? How much better could Amir Coffey be if he played wing full-time? How much better would our team be?

I wondered why Gabe can’t shoot anymore….  why can’t anyone shoot? What happens when every team starts playing a trap zone on us from the tip? What happened to Jordan Murphy? He’s just forgotten how to play basketball all of a sudden? When will we see Eric Curry back to being NEAR full strength?

During one of the lowest of the lows, I even pondered the firing of Richard himself….

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It’s been a tough night.

Yet, I continue to come back to the same thing. Something that happened just as the season was starting, after weeks and weeks of waiting games, of course. Not only does this pre-season NCAA decision play into a lot of the Gophers’ problems, but it’s the direct cause of some.

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Pittsburgh transfer Marcus Carr was denied his appeal to play for the #Gophers this year.

Richard Pitino calls the new NCAA eligibility waivers a “flawed process.” https://t.co/6z7CHGy1iM

— Sam Ekstrom (@SamEkstrom) November 16, 2018

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Marcus Carr transferred here from Pittsburgh this offseason, where his coach was fired after only getting two seasons to run the program. That’s somewhat of a rare occurrence in college basketball (and college football – just ask PJ Fleck about year 0 and 1).

Normally, you need to sit out one season after transferring to another school. Pitino and the Gophers requested a waiver that would allow Carr to play immediately, given the sudden change at Pitt that resulted in his transfer.

And, things looked good for a while because the NCAA seemed to be giving out transfer waivers like they were molly at Summerset. But in classic Minnesota fashion, the NCAA decided to stop that narrative with Marcus Carr. He was denied his waiver, he appealed, and that was denied a few days later. No matter who jumped to his defense, the NCAA remained the stuck-up assholes they are known to be, who are out to prove points that nobody wants them to prove.

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On what basis can JUSTIN FIELDS of ⁦@OhioStateFB⁩ seek a waiver from the transfer rule of sitting out 1 yr? Just curious / in hoops ⁦⁦@GopherMBB⁩ transfer MARCUS CARR was denied eligibility & he had legit reason as Pitt fired his coach . https://t.co/NK7FLKaUMO

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) January 11, 2019

NCAA denied Marcus Carr’s waiver request. Ridiculous. Carr was in a dysfunctional program at Pitt, coaching staff was fired, but he didn’t have a legit reason to leave? “Student Athlete welfare”? NCAA is wasting a year of Carr’s athletic life…for what? https://t.co/AQhsU1u1JC

— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) November 7, 2018

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Here we sit now. As Gopher basketball fans, we’ve been complaining about Isaiah Washington’s lack of growth while we lament at the flow of our offense vs good defenses (especially zones). All season, Coffey has looked like the NBA player we know he can be, but let’s just admit that he doesn’t look comfortable running the point. He would be so much better off (and so would the team) if he could play wing full-time.

What would fix a lot of these issues? A true, natural, #1 point guard.

Like Marcus Carr.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Well, here we are. The Vikings season is over and it’s time to move on. And, if you are going to move on, the Minnesota Gopher Men’s Basketball team might be the first place to park your bandwagon.

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Richard Pitino’s squad has faced a tough schedule already this season, racking up wins vs Utah, Washington, Oklahoma State,  Texas A&M, and Nebraska on their way to an 11-2 start. The only two losses came to Ohio State in one of two early-conference games, and Boston College in the ACC – B1G Challenge.

But shit is about to get real tonight. Amir Coffey, Jordan Murphy, and Co. will head East to take the Kohl Center court against our most hated rival, the Wisconsin Badgers.

Everyone faces an automatic disadvantage when they enter the state of Wisconsin. The smell of moldy cheese and rotting trash is so pungent that Wisconsin state officials have begun to hand out the flimsy paper masks that you see at hospitals, as you enter the state.

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Yet, they continue to grow good sports teams. 

The 10-3 Badgers have faced a schedule, so far this season, that is no fucking joke either. They hold wins over Xavier, Standford, Oklahoma, and Iowa already, with their 3 losses coming at home to a #4 ranked Virginia team and on the road vs Marquette, who’s an in-state rival + one randomly terrible loss @ Western Kentucky…

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The Positive:

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The Gophers are seemingly getting healthy. Eric Curry, who missed all of last year due to a knee injury, graced the floor last game where he put up 4 points and 6 boards against Mount Saint Mary’s last week. When he gets back into the swing of things, I’d expect him to be a top-4 player on this team.

Meanwhile, last year McBrayer and Coffey dealt with nagging injuries all season, leaving Murphy to be eaten alive by defenses. So far this year, the team has had personal trauma that’s rocked the locker room, with Dupree’s mother sadly passing, but no issues on the injury or discipline front is a far different story than the one we were facing this time last season.

Isaiah Washington has started playing a lot better. He might be embracing a role where he looks for his shot less and others’ more. It’s worked out for him against lesser opponents, where he reached double-digit assists vs both NC A&T and N. Florida.

Washington holds the key to the 2019 Gophers. If he is good and can even prove himself as a reliable starter…. the ceiling is through the roof. If not, the lack of a true point guard will come back to bite this team at some point. I don’t care what Richard Pitino says.

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The Negative:

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This Wisconsin team is really good. That’s the biggest worry going into the game tonight. Ethan Happ is still playing. I don’t know how this guy keeps on gaining years of eligibility but I know that he’s been playing basketball for Wisconsin since at least 2008. I’m worried about how Freshman, Daniel Oturu will fair against a guy who is at least 30 by now.

The Kohl Center is one of the toughest places to play in the entire country. I’ve already talked about the home-field/court advantage that every Wisconsin team holds vs opponents but no matter the reason, people don’t go into the Kohl Center and beat the Badgers very often.

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A lot of Minnesota Kids Playing in this game:

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I haven’t looked deep into it to try and count the total number, but this game will have at least 5 Minnesota Kids that will play large roles, just off the top of my head.

The Gophers have all three of their Minnesota freshman, who will all get valuable minutes, in Oturu, Kalscheur, and Omersa. And, don’t forget about Junior, Michael Hurt who will also get plenty of minutes off of the bench.

Maple Grove native, Brad Davison is one of Wisconsin’s top-3 players as Sophomore. You’ll be sad, yet impressed, if you haven’t seen him play yet.

To beat the Badgers, the Gophers will have to find a way to slow down Ethan Happ with Oturu, Curry, and Murphy. If they can limit that old man, we have a shot.

We will also need to hit outside shots. That’s something that has proven difficult for 2 years now. Gabe Kalscheur has cooled down and a heat up could go a long way toward a victory tonight for the maroon and gold…

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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Unlike their new athletic facilities, the University of Minnesota’s 2017-18 Men’s basketball team hasn’t lived up to expectations. The Gophers entered the season ranked as the 15th best team in the country. As of Thursday, Richard Pitino’s squad sits 11th overall in the Big Ten. That’s out of 14, if you didn’t know. The name of the conference doesn’t make that easy.

Drop it Dropped like it’s hot, drop it dropped like it’s hot. Both on and off the court, the program’s year has been an absolute shit show.

Positives associated with the Maroon and Gold’s campaign have been few and far between. There are PLENTY of things you can read right now on the Gopher Basketball Team (on and off the court) that are PLENTY negative. Try Google or Twitter. I’m not here for that (and I started writing this before any of today’s events unfolded).

Let’s look to the future of this basketball team because that’s something we can be positive about.

Jordan Murphy’s emergence is a good place to start. The guy has been dominant. But, I want to look even farther than that, but not quite 2018-recruit-farther. We’ve been down that road many times already.

Despite losing eight straight games, over the past five of those defeats (Jan. 30th – Feb 13th), Freshman (and VERY highly-touted) Isaiah Washington has taken his game to the next level.

Isaiah Washington has went from a guy you simply didn’t want to see shoot a three early in the year, to the second best shooter on the team right now (he’s now at 34% at the arc)

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) February 14, 2018

During the past handful of contests, the Harlem native has averaged 16.6 points (47% FG), 4.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. Just as encouraging, despite a hiccup game (5 TOs) vs. the Hoosiers, he has only 3 total turnovers over the other eight halves of basketball.

In the Gophers’ contests on January 10th and 13th, Jelly shot a combined 5-25 from the floor. Per my Minnesota math, that’s only 20% shooting. Richard Pitino responded by holding the Freshman guard to a combined twenty minutes over the next four contests. Something appears to have clicked over that brief lapse in playing time.

Jelly’s current heater seems to have started on January 30th in Iowa when he was let out of his coach’s proverbial doghouse.

Any NCAA Tournament chances for Minnesota are dependent on what would be a miracle Big Ten Tournament championship. Since the year isn’t 1980 and this isn’t the Olympics (and we aren’t playing hockey), my mind is on the future. Our highly accoladed, aggressively confident, point guard of the future being light-years ahead of where he was just a few weeks ago, is good for my peace of brain.

To close, I want it to be known that I love me some Nate Mason. My Jelly centered mindset is no disrespect to our current starting ball-handler. With Mason being a senior and our conference record being 3-12, the situation is what is it. “On to the next one.”

With that being said, I hope the Gophers’ second leading scorer has one more thirty+ point performance before his collegiate career ends, next month. If ever there was a time for a final Mason explosion, and a much-needed Big Ten win, our next game seems like the one.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

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High ?

We’ll see you in 2018… when it’s time to #BringItHome! pic.twitter.com/BEpSmRsebI

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 31, 2017

We're doing something special here.#BringItHome pic.twitter.com/JsBBiA6RZr

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 31, 2017

We wouldn't be where we're at without fans like you, but we're not done yet.#BringItHome pic.twitter.com/38HkVBtmBV

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2018

The fast start paid off and the #Vikings clinched a first-round bye.

?: https://t.co/as5b3pCGbP pic.twitter.com/DSX0Gqc0JV

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2018

A great ending to a great year.

?: https://t.co/9yFaiLTu5n pic.twitter.com/QgWS8cPRCk

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2018

"The House of Pain is going to be unbelievably loud. I can't wait." – @PAOnTheMic

?: https://t.co/I9vUqF2Kx9 pic.twitter.com/DrVpwoZZ0z

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2018

Two weeks from now — @Vikings playoffs against Who Cares. Best defense in #NFL will be ready as the team makes run to “Valhalla.” 13-&-3, second best record 56-year history of the team. Happy New Year to best fan base in the league. #skol

— Paul Allen (@PAOnTheMic) December 31, 2017

⚡️ The Minnesota Vikings are ready to #BringItHome during the playoffs: https://t.co/YrQ2lvE9VJ

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? for @LataviusM! pic.twitter.com/2ILRwXIR5p

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Case Keenum finished the year 2nd in the NFL in Total QBR. A look at some of the Vikings' significant regular-season stats: https://t.co/lOG7RbzGkX

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) January 1, 2018

The Vikings are the team to beat in the NFC, writes @SouhanStrib. https://t.co/8Re1uW2zgZ pic.twitter.com/UabaVZ5QB0

— Access Vikings (@AccessVikings) January 1, 2018

#Vikings finish regular season with 23-10 victory over Chicago to clinch NFC's No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They'll have a bye next week. More from @GoesslingStrib https://t.co/6SmfHpdaRC pic.twitter.com/9y2knBBsbJ

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) December 31, 2017

Vikings receiver Adam Thielen really does have hands of gold https://t.co/I327XSW1xx pic.twitter.com/hzMyWDfwlE

— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) January 1, 2018

Let’s hear it for another #VictoryMonday! pic.twitter.com/U3YqUKidiN

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2018

Zimmer had some choice words about the Vikings' post-season 'curse'#SuperBowl #CHIvsMIN @AccessVikings @StribSports pic.twitter.com/sRB4uHDYvi

— Mark Vancleave ?+? (@mvnclv) December 31, 2017

The #Vikings will face a familiar foe in first playoff game https://t.co/ZIbPNntSmE pic.twitter.com/Y8HiokqlrO

— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) January 1, 2018

A league-best defense and clutch performances on offense have given the @Vikings the division crown and a week off before the big work begins. Here's @JonKrawczynski from Sunday's coronation. https://t.co/U3KMqkyqOI

— The Athletic (@TheAthleticMIN) January 1, 2018

Best of @TheAthleticMIN 2017: A Minnesotan takes a perilous journey to North Korea in the name of hockey, and friendshiphttps://t.co/Gv4jieqVmZ

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 31, 2017

107-90 win!
Final stats ?⤵️@JimmyButler 26p | 6r | 5a | 3s@KarlTowns 18p | 14r | 4a | 2s | 6b@TajGibson22 17p | 9r | 2b@22wiggins 14p | 2r | 2a@GorguiDieng 8p | 6r@1Tyus 6p | 6a | 2s@JCrossover 8p@NemanjaBjelica 4p | 2s@ShabazzMuhammad 2p
Brooks 2p

— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) January 1, 2018

#twolves earn road rout with 107-90 win over Pacers. @JerryZgoda with more from Indy https://t.co/j4ClnHMqZE pic.twitter.com/m5PFhWHRiO

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) January 1, 2018

Jimmy Butler had 26 points, six rebounds and five assists, and the @Timberwolves never trailed in a 107-90 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. | https://t.co/jkQx8oGngW

— WCCO – CBS Minnesota (@WCCO) January 1, 2018

Who Plays Today?

Minnesota Sports Fan News, Articles, Tweets, Stuff:

We are LIVE talking Vikings Postgame and the playoffs coming up! #SKOLhttps://t.co/68ctvcPsa5

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

The #Gophers need #JellyFam to be better. #SkiUMah〽️

?: @TheJohnnyMN https://t.co/hnaYBu54jl

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

Pretty soon, you won't be able to say you were one of our first 1000 followers…

4 digits baby…. so close.

Thanks again for all the love, #MinnesotaSportsFam!

HAPPY 2018!!! ??? pic.twitter.com/Lfyb03n462

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

Not gonna make it to midnight. Stuff to post in the AM.

Thankful for ALL OF YOU this year! We’ve gained 8,000 follows since FB & Twitter went up on 2/15/17.

Launched the site in April & 25,000 views/Month now. ALL BECAUSE OF YOU!

‘18 is gonna be SO MUCH MORE.

Can’t wait. pic.twitter.com/XUSDbRVW4u

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

Zimmer doesn't see Philly making to the NFC Title Game either ???

"We're staying in this place the rest of the way." – Coach https://t.co/c0JlxlR1DU

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

.@stefondiggs is so fly.

? #23 wants in on this cele so bad… ha, sorry little bro. Dancing is for winners.pic.twitter.com/xjBziNnsZc

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

Pour some champagne out for one of the greatest football segments of all time. RIP. pic.twitter.com/btReBpE3Es

— Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN) January 1, 2018

KAT w/season high six blocks pic.twitter.com/5jUo9Cepmg

— Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN) January 1, 2018

Joe Buck really upset he doesn’t get to do the Packers game this week… pic.twitter.com/iw0NtRVZNS

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

Adam Thielen is really good at this game.

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

Bad pass…

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

Where’s the illegal hands to the face? pic.twitter.com/RqRMNWo2ln

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

Linval hungry for safety #2

— Jacob Narloch (@JNarlochMSF) December 31, 2017

Mike Zimmer reading back our old tweets about Trae Waynes: pic.twitter.com/1OFyCNEFTZ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

Others in Minnesota:

If you thought 2017 was chaotic: Remembering heroes and heartaches from 1968 https://t.co/pM6zJhe6zK via @startribune

— Jeff Lambert (@LawyerLambert) January 1, 2018

#Gophers women's basketball falls 79-74 to Nebraska in Big Ten home opener. Game details from @hlrule on assignment for us today at Williams Arena https://t.co/ARh554iwVt pic.twitter.com/v9FVjiVQ1t

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) December 31, 2017

#Gophers women fade down stretch, lose Big Ten home opener to Nebraska https://t.co/AKWogXdsyO #B1G https://t.co/bmgGRFMCGJ pic.twitter.com/Z9mQNTnvY7

— Pioneer Press (@PioneerPress) January 1, 2018

National Stories to Watch:

Elsewhere in the NFL today: Turnover-prone, shorthanded Packers blown out 35-11 at Detroit to finish 7-9 (https://t.co/zl0AwTijOx); Browns lose 28-24 to Pittsburgh to complete 0-16 season (https://t.co/A15HHq1wCw) pic.twitter.com/c4NcJiqktN

— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) December 31, 2017

He's made $3 million in incentives; Gronk gets another $2.5 million if he's the AP first-team All-Pro https://t.co/tJF7rqPDBH

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 1, 2018

Nick Foles: No reason not to be confident https://t.co/F5gdFbz1FM

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 1, 2018

Saquon Barkley wrote a letter to Penn State fans as he declared for the NFL draft. pic.twitter.com/02HSUlIKaL

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 1, 2018

"Jon Gruden is going to be the next coach of the Oakland Raiders." – @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/S4RiYzHXTq

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 1, 2018

Well good morning, @SI_PeterKing. https://t.co/kgVYZEItSz pic.twitter.com/RsmIWCqZvm

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) January 1, 2018

Social Media:

2017 was a good year, but we're on to bigger and better things in 2018!

Happy New Year! pic.twitter.com/tVuU4pPZLB

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 1, 2018

2017 NFL Divisional Playoff Schedule

Saturday, Jan 13
4:35 PM ET: at @Eagles (NBC)
8:15 PM ET: at @Patriots (CBS)

Sunday, Jan 14
1:05 PM ET: at @Steelers (CBS)
4:40 PM ET: at @Vikings (FOX)

Championship Games

Sunday, Jan 21
3:05 PM ET: AFC (CBS)
6:40 PM ET: NFC (FOX)

— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) January 1, 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

– and –

HAPPY GAME DAY!!! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/OlrMhCtN2l

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 1, 2018

Don’t be the team that fucks this up…

… (wait for it) https://t.co/djT818bLX3

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

I'm about to make the most ??? Jeff Fisher hype video for the Bears HC opening

— B1G Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) January 1, 2018

Yes. PLEASE hire Jeff Fisher.

Please. https://t.co/I37LbkApPT

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

If only he wore 99 it would be perfect…

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

Let's see if we can get @BaseballByTom, the newcomer of of the year at @TwinsDaily and co-author of the #TwinsProspectHandbook, to 1000 followers!!

— Seth Stohs (@SethTweets) January 1, 2018

Yes! Tom is a great follow! https://t.co/wVnXg10fN1

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

2017 NFL Divisional Playoff Schedule

Saturday, Jan 13
4:35 PM ET: at @Eagles (NBC)
8:15 PM ET: at @Patriots (CBS)

Sunday, Jan 14
1:05 PM ET: at @Steelers (CBS)
4:40 PM ET: at @Vikings (FOX)

Championship Games

Sunday, Jan 21
3:05 PM ET: AFC (CBS)
6:40 PM ET: NFC (FOX)

— Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) January 1, 2018

joe buck……………………….

?

Whatever….. just win.

This belongs right in this title: https://t.co/MgRvaxnzhv https://t.co/Xyugyxp2rH

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

Not to pile on — especially since I greatly respect @Seahawks personnel knowledge — but why a team would sign a guy whose lack of clutch kicking once personally sent them forward into the playoffs is beyond me.

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 1, 2018

“Not to pile on…”

… But WTF were you thinking? https://t.co/hQpFNx9zR3

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

But seriously… how nice was it to see the @Timberwolves DOMINATE a game from start to finish!!!

— Dave Benz (@tweetdavebenz) January 1, 2018

Extremely nice. https://t.co/tEj3vlkwPY

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 1, 2018

2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣7️⃣ was an ELITE year for #Gophers football and men’s basketball recruiting. Hoping 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣8️⃣ is even MORE ELITE. Happy New Year to all who proudly wear Maroon and Gold, say #RTB and #SkiUMah, and dream of championships in the future! pic.twitter.com/3dOB1rRm7Y

— Gophers Forever (@RTBGophers) January 1, 2018

“It’s fuckin’ cold as balls!” ??? pic.twitter.com/t9Uk0VfszI

— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) December 31, 2017

Same shit over here, Tom https://t.co/VJGJqhLf6H

— Johnny Minnesota (@TheJohnnyMN) December 31, 2017

Oops pic.twitter.com/EnGf6vR2Ki

— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) December 31, 2017

Yup, @Eagles really ready for the playoffs…. https://t.co/R7MMCEbhz9

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 31, 2017

You don't have to worry about the Catch Rule if you underthrow every deep ball and pray for DPI. pic.twitter.com/JVmmo4mqwk

— Andy (@AndyCarlsonShow) January 1, 2018

TFW you won two games in one day. #skol #BringItHome pic.twitter.com/SrKAGoZM5E

— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) January 1, 2018

LAR if they win

OR (if ATL beats LAR)

winner of CAR-NO https://t.co/ZRQXr6ehe4

— Mike Wobschall (@wobby) January 1, 2018

The #Lions have already begun the process of submitting slips. I’m told #Texans DC Mike Vrabel is on the list. Matt Patricia coming too.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 1, 2018

Shurmur using all the pages of the playbook today pic.twitter.com/t5D8LpoLoA

— Dave Schwartz (@Dave_Schwartz) December 31, 2017

Bengals' DC Paul Guenther, whose contract is now up, is an enviable position: he is expected to be a leading candidate to become Jon Gruden's DC in Oakland or could be HC candidate in Cincinnati depending on how the Marvin Lewis situations unfolds, per league source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR FANS! Wishing you many miracles in 2018 ? #NewYears #2018 pic.twitter.com/C0E3ZLnoIP

— Fort Myers Miracle (@MiracleBaseball) January 1, 2018

2017's top QBs in adjusted completion percentage pic.twitter.com/Z3bFzxhML1

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) January 1, 2018

Half of the NFC North coaches have now been fired in the last hour.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 1, 2018

Yo @ESPN. Your playoff machine is broken. I can't get the Seahawks in.

— Andy (@AndyCarlsonShow) January 1, 2018

Start 2018 by following our owners: @RocketPig76, @TwinsGeek, @NickNelsonMN, @SethTweets, @ParkerHageman.

— Twins Daily (@twinsdaily) January 1, 2018

The Minnesotans continue to run wild at the WJC.

EP's Casey Mittelstadt has one goal, Rosevile's Joey Anderson just scored his second & Blaine's Riley Tufte assisted on the other USA goal as they lead Finland 4-2 thru 2

(Check out @joeyandy19's 2nd tally here… it's a gem…) https://t.co/FOMfa7Qjhu

— Chris Long (@ChrisLongKSTP) December 31, 2017

FINAL: @Vikings clinch a first-round bye in the #NFLPlayoffs! #SKOL#CHIvsMIN pic.twitter.com/CKbbB0NMMG

— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2017

The top 5 interior defenders in run stops for 2017 pic.twitter.com/hcjhVnFyBR

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) January 1, 2018

Dios mio gracias!Feliz año nuevo para todos mis familiares ,amigos y seguidores! Declaramos que este nuevo año sea de cosas sobrenaturales,sea el Espíritu Santo obrando en nosotros y podamos alcanzar cosas maravillosas! 2018 VOY POR TI SAAEE ???⚾️ My God, thank you! Happ… pic.twitter.com/8WzOh1er7z

— Jose O. Berrios (@JOLaMaKina) January 1, 2018

MSF Daily tag-teamed by Johnny Minnesota (@MNsportsNstuff) & The Boss@RealMNSportsFan

As the calendar year comes to an end, so does Gopher Basketball’s non-conference schedule. 2018 will feature 16 straight Big Ten matchups before Minnesota Men’s Basketball begins postseason play.

For the Maroon and Gold to fulfill expectations, and finish in the top 3-4 in the Big Ten, Isaiah Washington needs to be better.

Isaiah Washington entered this game shooting 36 percent from the field, lowest among #Gophers that average more than a minute per game. He’s opened this game 1 for 9. https://t.co/Pq6YiMyW0g

— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) December 30, 2017

The above Tweet was sent during Saturday’s game vs. Harvard. Washington shot 3-8 the rest of the way. He finished the victory 4-17 from the floor, in over 35 minutes of action, with starting PG Nate Mason out with an injury.

The 6’1″ Freshman guard deserves all the credit in the world for the 13 rebounds he grabbed vs. the Brainiacs. Despite the shooting problems, he kept his head-up and continued playing with effort, and that’s fantastic. Coach Pitino and I LOVE that shit.

With that said, in Big Ten play, Minnesota can’t afford games where Isaiah Washington shoots below 30%.

Another tough outing for Jelly came in November vs. Miami. Obviously, that was a difficult stage for a Freshman to make his NCAA D1 starting lineup debut. Regardless, the 5 turnovers he had in 27 minutes greatly contributed to that loss.

Despite flashes, the start to his college/Gopher career hasn’t been as smooth as some fans imagined it would.

Isaiah Washington brought the JELLY to college ? (via @BigTenNetwork) pic.twitter.com/cs7om5eVtz

— Overtime (@overtime) December 30, 2017

It’s better to make the mistakes now. If Nate Mason and Dupree McBrayer can stay healthy the rest of the way, their early season injuries may turn out to be a blessing. With those two banged up, Washington’s been able to procure more minutes out of the gates, than he would have with those two at full-health.

Struggling at your new job is a tale as old as time. Not even a sandwich-making wizard, former-Subway superstar is hanging “Employee of the Month” plaques after their first few shifts at Jimmy Johns. Initially, you don’t even know how to punch out. Think about that… Millions of people every year, literally don’t know how to leave work.

A month later, that same Jimmy Johns’ employee is firing Dave from Wisconsin for stealing cheese (never trust a Sconnie around cheese). Things change quickly. Ask Jimmy. Even he took a little while to warm up to his new teammates.

With his fellow Sandwich Artists forced to miss time, Isaiah Washington has been putting in double-shifts. Hopefully, ironing out the wrinkles now, will pay off during the proverbial lunch-hour.

Does Isaiah Washington’s game have the ability to translate to Big Ten Basketball?

Does Jimmy Butler get buckets? There’s a reason Jelly was so highly coveted coming out of high school. He (rated an 85 overall by ESPN) was a MUCH higher rated recruit than: Nate Mason (77), Jordan Murphy (77), & Reggie Lynch (60).

For the Gophers to “succeed” this year, he needs to crank his level of play up a notch (or two). As for what “succeed” in this realm means, that depends on who you ask. I’ve been defining it as a Top 3 Big Ten regular season finish and a Sweet Sixteen appearance. As this stage, there’s zero wavering from that definition.

Along with injuries, lack of bench scoring has been a worry throughout the first almost two months of the season. The playmaker that is Isaiah Washington has the solution to that problem written all over him.

Assuming Mason and McBrayer can get, and stay healthy, Jelly will move back to the role in which Richard Pitino originally envisioned. With better play out of the New York City sensation, this Minnesota Gophers team will be just fine.

And as for Isaiah’s future as a sandwich artist (or Big Ten PG)? He’ll be JUST fine. Actually, REALLY fine.

COMING TOMORROW TO VICE SPORTS: At the age of 18, @Jellyfam_Dimes is both a New York City legend and a basketball anomaly. pic.twitter.com/RKF7srKGqQ

— VICE Sports (@VICESports) July 13, 2017

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com