MINNEAPOLIS -- Richard Pitino enters his fourth season at Minnesota coming off a disastrous 2-16 finish in the Big Ten and with a new boss watching over the program.Those are two elements that can bring major concern about a coachs future, but Pitino walks into a crucial season in his tenure brimming with confidence.I do believe, when healthy, its the most talent weve had and its the most complete team. Youve got to stay healthy but I really am excited about these guys, Pitino said.There are six new players on the roster from the team that went 8-23 last season, meaning nearly half the team wasnt around for the difficulties of his third year on the job. Not only did a young and overmatched roster falter on the court, but there were a couple of off-the-court incidents that added to the misery.They seem very eager to move on from last year, Pitino said. Last year was very, very difficult for everybody. Those returners, theyve got pride. They want to show people what were all about. Theyve been really eager to change the perspective of this basketball program.The Golden Gophers open the season against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 11 and tip off the conference season against Michigan State on Dec. 23.I think people are going to see our progress by the time we hit the court, said forward Jordan Murphy, who was a member of the Big Tens All-Freshman team last season. I dont think were worried about proving people wrong. Its more about getting better day by day.Pitino added local prep star Amir Coffey, whose father Richard is a former Gophers standout, and gets transfers Reggie Lynch from Illinois State and Akeem Springs from UW-Milwaukee to help try to breathe new life into the program. And with new athletic director Mark Coyle, who comes back to Minnesota from traditional college hoops power Syracuse, evaluating things, its time for the Gophers to make their move.I know what they walked into and may have perceived of our program, Pitino said. And Im eager to show them what were all about. Weve been as transparent as possible.Here are some things to watch with the Gophers this year:COFFEYS ARRIVAL: The Gophers have historically have had difficulty keeping some of the states best high school players from leaving for other programs. Landing Coffey, a 6-foot-8 guard, was a huge coup for Pitino, and he has looked as good as advertised during fall camp. Hes going to have to play major minutes and hes going to have to do a little bit of everything, Pitino said. I think its on me to figure out where to put him in spots to put the defense in a bind because hes got that size.AKEEMS TWEET: Springs raised eyebrows on Monday night when he tweeted that it looks like my time in Minnesota may be shorter than (I) thought. Its all good though. Pitino immediately called Springs to ask for an explanation and was told that Springs was just messing around. Springs didnt provide a whole lot of clarity on Tuesday. I didnt mean anything. If you go through my history, I tweet a lot of stuff. It meant nothing. It was just a tweet, he said. He said he has not thought about leaving the program. Akeem has been an awesome teammate, Pitino said. Hes been a great leader. He has practiced his butt off. Hes about winning.BAD LUCK: The season got off to a bad start when Davonte Fitzgerald, a 6-8 post player, was lost for the season with a knee injury. Fitzgerald was injured in practice and the loss was a big blow for a team that was relying on his size and defense to give them more size in the paint.LYNCHS INJURY: Lynch had minor knee surgery earlier this fall and is still working his way back. Pitino said he would like for Lynch to play in the exhibition game against Bemidji State on Nov. 3, but they wont rush him back if hes not quite ready. Lynch said his knee is feeling much better and he was confident that he would be able to play in the season opener after sitting out last season after the transfer. 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Adelaide have accused Carlton of making unrealistic demands for star Bryce Gibbs after failing to land a trade for the contracted midfielder.The two sides reached the end of the AFL trade period unable to agree on a deal for the 27-year-old, who wanted to go home so he and his partner could receive family support with their young son.Adelaide were reported to have offered Carlton their No.13 pick in this years draft, as well as a future third-round selection, but could not convince the Blues to part with Gibbs.He is a quality player and person but, like in all trades, there has to be fair value for both parties, Crows list manager Justin Reid said on Thursday.We do not believe that wouldve been the case if we were to hand over at least two first-round draft picks or a combination of players, who are crucial to our short and long-term success, as was requested.Gibbs is contracted through to the end of 2019 but Reid signalled that the Crows would sound him out at the end of next season.ddddddddddddHes a South Australian, hes got a strong intent to come home so well review that in 12 months time, he said.The failure to land the Gibbs deal means Adelaide have failed to strengthen their midfield after sending onballer Jarryd Lyons to Gold Coast.Gibbs manager Nigel Carmody said the Blues refusal to accept the trade was disappointing.We think the deal that Adelaide put forward was more than fair and reasonable, particularly in comparison with some of the other deals that have been done during the trade period, Carmody said.But Carlton football manager Andrew McKay said he was confident Gibbs would remain committed to playing at his best next year.Bryce loves the Carlton football club and hell play some really good footy for us next year, McKay said.Were going to support him to the hilt and get him through this period. 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