It's Tubby Time!

Royce White, indisputably the top basketball recruit out of the State of Minnesota in 2010 has committed to the Gophers.

Tubby Smith has provided a breath of fresh air for a Minnesota program which has long suffered from the mistakes of the past. Following the academic scandal under long time coach Clem Haskins, Dan Monson was brought in to right the ship. Unfortunately, suffering from both NCAA sanctions and his own inability to coach, the Gophers slipped from a perennial top 5 Big 10 team to the laughing stock of the Midwest.

This all changed last year when Athletic Director Joel Maturi took a secret flight to Lexington, Kentucky and came back to Minneapolis with one of the most well respected coaches in college basketball. The hiring of Tubby Smith instantly restored some of the lost credibility to the Gopher Basketball program, and also helped solidify Joel Mat's standing as the A.D.

Although the season ended with an anemic loss to Illinois in the Big 10 tournament semi-finals, Tubby has energized the Barnyard crew. Posting the first 20 win season in recent memory, coaches around the Big 10 have begun to acknowledge the fact that the Gophers will be contenders for the Big 10 title sooner, rather than later.

Tubby set out on the recruiting trail determined to bring in players to fit his system. He was able to haul in a top 20 recruiting class in his first year on the job, bringing in All Georgia Center Ralph Sampson III, and Canadian sharpshooter Devoe Joseph.

The commitment from Royce White kicks off the 2010 recruiting season on the right foot. If the Gophers can continue to stockpile talent, a ticket to the Big Dance can't be too far off in the future.