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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. Ive been antsy for a year and a half, Lynch said. Its been a long time.---AP college basketball website: http://collegebasketball.ap.org/Fake Mets Jerseys . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. New York Mets Store . Miller reached right to deflect Mikhail Grabovskis attempt with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, and then made two more saves in the shootout Sunday to give the Sabres a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. https://www.cheapmetsjerseys.us/ . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Custom New York Mets Jerseys . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Wholesale Mets Jerseys . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets might have a budding backup quarterback controversy.Todd Bowles declined to say Sunday whether Geno Smith remained the teams No. 2 QB behind Ryan Fitzpatrick or if Bryce Petty has surpassed him on the depth chart.The Jets coach said earlier in training camp that there was no change in the pecking order, but Petty had a strong showing in New Yorks 22-18 loss at Washington on Friday night. Meanwhile, Smith struggled in the game and appeared to perhaps lose his stranglehold on the backup job.I was clear about every position: 1, 2, 3, 4 going in, Bowles said Sunday. Until we make a change, there wont be (a change). Thats any position. When we make a decision at the end of camp, if it changes, it changes. And if it doesnt, it doesnt.When asked specifically if the order of the depth chart remains Fitzpatrick, Smith, Petty and rookie Christian Hackenberg, Bowles was evasive.Right now, theyre all playing, he said, and were trying to see who sorts out what.Against Redskins backups and playing with the second-team offense, Smith was 6 of 13 for 47 yards and an interception. With mostly third-stringers in, Petty was 16 of 26 for 242 yards and two touchdowns.Bowles acknowledged that he has a plan for the quarterback rotation for the Jets third preseason game against the Giants on Saturday night, but would not say what it is.Fitzpatrick and the starters will play a bit more in the game, the normal routine for the third preseason game. But beyond that, its uncertain.All of them have to be up to play, Bowles said. We have a plan for the quarterbacks that were not revealing. On Saturday, well play the guys that we have scheduled to play. But we do have a plan to play certain people.Bowles was then asked if Geno Smith will be the second quarterback into the game.To be clear, we have a plan on who were going to play that were not going to reveal, Bowles said.Smith is entering his fourth NFL season and had a mostly solid offseason and camp. But his performance, compared to that of Petty might have narrowed the gap between the two a bit.Off and on, missed a few throws here and there, Smith said after the game. But, you know, I think I fit the preseason form: get the chance to go out there, get a few series in and try to develop some chemistry with the guys. But overall, not to my standards. I think I couldve played a lot better.While he likely isnt in jeopardy to llose his roster spot since hes the only one of the three backups with any NFL regular-season playing experience, a good performance against the Giants -- whenever he gets in -- would go a long way into re-establishing his position on the depth chart.ddddddddddddPetty had been up and down throughout the offseason and the beginning of camp, but senses a great deal of improvement from this time last year, when he was adjusting to the NFL after being a fourth-round pick out of Baylor.Its hard not to laugh, he said. Its great, though, because thats kind of what Ive wanted to do since I got here, was just progress each and every day I get out here.He said he could tell the difference in himself even in the organized team activities this year. That has carried over into training camp, and now into the preseason games.Just a lot more comfortable, Petty said. Im not as antsy in the pocket, not as rushed in my thought process, which is all good.One of the biggest challenges for Petty was coming from a spread-type offense in college to learning how to play in Chan Gaileys pro-style system.Its still English, he said of the transition. It might be cursive, where spread was print, but its still English. ... Theres definitely a transition there, but its definitely doable. Its not like its too foreign.After watching the film of the game, Petty gave himself mixed reviews. There were good things, such as seeing blitzes from the defense. He acknowledged he was also slow at times at reading coverages.One much-discussed topic among fans and media this summer has been whether the Jets will actually keep four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. If he continues to show progression over the final two preseason games, Petty could certainly push the issue. And while he insists he doesnt approach things that way, he acknowledges that he feels as though hes on an audition for the Jets -- and other teams who might be watching.I think we all are, he said. But, for right now, Im right here, and this is where I want to be. So, yeah, its an audition for anybody watching that tape, but that is first and foremost for the Jets because I want to be here. Each day I come out here, its to put on a show for them.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '