I’ve talked to a lot of people about Robbinsdale Cooper star forward Rodney Williams. Coaches, teammates and mentors have all given me their two cents about him.

But when his mother called this afternoon, I came away from the conversation feeling like I’d had the most genuine conversation about him, only a few hours before he takes his official visit to Minnesota. Shanell Williams knows the stakes. If the 6-5 Williams commits to the Gophers between now and next spring, Tubby Smith will have one of the top recruiting classes in recent Gophers history. That’s why this weekend is one of the biggest weekends of Smith’s tenure. If he can convince Williams and California point guard Justin Cobbs to play for the Gophers beginning next season, he’ll have the kind of young core that tends to dance in March. If the two, especially Williams, turn the Gophers down, Smith will have to spend another spring scrambling for a player.

But Shanell Williams wants to be sure that Smith and every other coach interested in her son knows that she rarely believes the hype. She said she wants Rodney to sign with a school that offers him a chance to get a good education. She wants a coach who will be there for her son during good times and bad. And she wants a coach who will keep his word and not make promises that he can’t deliver.

When Rodney’s family visits the Gophers this weekend, it will have a lot of questions for Smith and his staff. But Shanell Williams doesn’t believe Rodney will commit this weekend because he wants to take his time. She also said that the widely held belief that Royce White’s commitment to the Gophers will affect Rodney’s decision isn’t true. White’s commitment will be “a bonus” if Rodney signs, but she insists that he’s not going to base his decision off of someone else’s. Shanell Williams said Rodney has had a good start academically this year and doesn’t foresee any problems with him getting into whatever school he picks.

If all of this sounds like an ominous report for Gophers fans, there’s plenty for them to be excited about. Rodney’s mom said she’d like her son to stay close to home. And, she’s been a fan of Smith’s for a long time. “I watched Tubby every time I could when I was growing up,” she said. “I am, personally, a Tubby fan. I think he’s a great coach, not just as far as a winning coach but as far as teaching young men.”

This weekend, the Gophers will also be courting Justin Cobbs, a 6-1 speedy point guard from Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif., who led his team to a state title last season. His head coach, Doug Mitchell, told me that although the Gophers are high on Cobbs’ list, he probably won’t commit this weekend because he promised Iowa that he’d take a trip there next weekend.

In other news …

-Sources tell me that the Gophers’ first round of workouts have gone well. Devoe Joseph is in great shape, but he’ll need some time to develop. Jon Williams has slimmed down and looks ready to take over at the five spot. Colton Iverson’s teammates like his physicality. And Paul Carter could be the surprise of Tubby’s recruiting class. One source compares Carter to Lamar Odom and says he’s probably the second- or third-best ball handler on the team.

-While the Gophers were out West checking out Justin Cobb earlier this week, they stopped by Findlay Prep in Nevada, where Devoe Joseph’s brother, Cory, will play this season. Minnesota is analyzing about a half-dozen potential recruits from the school.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 4:57 pm and is filed under Gophers men's basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.