Oct 07, 2008 - 10:05 AM

By Al Rivett

AJAX -- Tubby Smith left no doubt he's a big fan of his new Canadian recruit and Pickering High School graduate Devoe Joseph at the University of Minnesota.

Smith, the head coach of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers and one of the pre-eminent U.S. college basketball coaches, was at Pickering High School on Sunday for Day 2 of a two-day coaches' clinic at the school.

He was only too pleased to discuss his prized freshman Joseph, who's already hard at work at the U. of Minnesota in preparation for the 2008-09 season that gets underway next month.

"He's an unbelievable athlete and a phenomenal runner. He'll run the mile and two miles and he laps people, which speaks to his stamina and endurance. He's in great shape, but he has to get a bit stronger. But, he's committed, he's a kid that's very coachable. We've given him a program in the weight room and he's done everything we've asked him to. He's a gym rat. I dropped by 'The Barn' Williams Arena and he was there at 9:30, 10 at night, shooting, getting shots up. He has a great work ethic. That's what attracted us to him, not only his ability to play the game."

And, all those attributes, says Smith, should add up to the former Pickering High guard being a top-flight player for Minnesota in the Big Ten Conference this season.

"He will be (an impact player). He's talented enough. Does that mean he starts? He'll earn minutes as he goes along. He's a guy who's going to have a major impact and he's going to play a lot," predicted the coach.

With a Golden Gophers' recruiting class that is, according to some U.S. college basketball pundits, one of the strongest among any NCAA Division 1 university basketball program this season, there's plenty of excitement on campus for the coming men's hoops campaign.

"It gives us a sense of excitement because we have better players," explained Smith. "Everyone is feeling the energy and excitement. The Golden Gopher nation and the fans are excited. Now, it's our job to pull it all together."

Smith says it will be up to Joseph, along with other top recruits such as Ralph Sampson III, Colton Iverson, Paul Carter and Devron Bostick, to determine how successful the Golden Gophers will be this season. A March Madness berth? Perhaps not this year.

"It's a ways off. We're in a very competitive conference, but we'll see. It will depend how we do in the Big Ten. Last year, we were 8-10 and should have been 10-8. If we get to .500 in the league, then we will have a successful Big Ten season."

An NCAA tournament berth will, most certainly, depend on the court savvy of such incoming freshman players as Joseph.

"That's our goal, but things have got to fall into place. We have three first-year players and two junior college players, who are still freshmen. We'll be calling on these freshman players to do a lot."

With Canadian Joseph coming aboard in Minnesota, Smith says he'll definitely be casting his eyes northward in search of more talent in future years.

"Absolutely. There are a lot of talented Canadian players in the states," he said. "We recruited Devoe Joseph from here so we know there's talent here."