Who is back and who might be leaving?
After dismantling the Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament, Tom Izzo kicked off his post-game press conference with this quote.
“It’s been an interesting year in a lot of fashions, but I said early that you win with veterans and you win with your key guys doing the job. I said we have a veteran backcourt, we’ve got a veteran in Malik, we’ve got a veteran coach.
I think we all took a little blame for the ups and downs, but first I’d like to give credit to Minnesota. They played well. Ben’s done an unbelievable job with the program. They could be the Number 1 team in the league next year. So hats off to them.”
First of all, that is high praise for the Gophers next season, even if it might be Izzo blowing a little bit of smoke. Projecting to be atop the league next year is a stretch, but being considered one of the top teams is certainly likely. And it is likely because of that first paragraph from Izzo.
Having a talented and veteran team is a luxury in college basketball, and increasingly rare. But Minnesota has an opportunity to bring back one the more experienced and talented rosters in the Big Ten.
It is important to note that this is the era of NIL and opportunities to transfer without penalty of missing a season. The job of recruiting your own roster buegins for Ben Johnson now. Let’s take a look at the returning roster. Who is likely to return, who is a potential transfer loss and what do they need to round out the roster for next year.
WHO IS GONE?
We know that there are a few guys not returning. One player who was a part of the rotation is for sure moving on.
- Parker Fox – Technically has a year remaining but he walked with the seniors on Senior Night and comments following the loss to Michigan State very much sound like he is done at Minnesota. Why? I’m not really sure. He could play one more year, he has carved out a great role with the team as a valuable member of the rotation. It appears as though he is having fun, but it looks like he’s going to move on with this his life.
- Jack Wilson – The ginormous transfer from Washington who was brought in to be a big body in practice. We wish you well, big man.
- Will Ramberg – Walk-on who earned a scholarship and even earned some playing time last year. This year, Ramberg did not see the floor in a competitive game.
LIKELY TO RETURN
This is when things start to get interesting. On the surface, the Gophers had unexpected success this year, the guys looked like they were having fun and they have started to play so well together. So one would assume that they are all going to come back with anticipation of being an NCAA Tournament team, potentially a Big Ten title contender.
But money talks, tampering happens and it is very possible someone is tempted to move to another program with the hopes of more success and more money than Minnesota can offer.
So, “likely” to return is really just a guess. Or perhaps a wish. This is a list of everybody expected to return in descending order of their likelihood to transfer.
- Elijah Hawkins – Hawkins transferred in from Howard, a small school from the MEAC and quickly became the floor general of a Big Ten team. He led the Big Ten in assists, leading the nation much of the season. He seems to have found a great spot, in a system that allows him to play with freedom and being a key member of a competitive team. I find his likelihood of transferring again to be low.
- Isaiah Ihnen – If this list is in descending order of potentially transferring, seeing Ihnen this high on the list may be a little surprising. After coming off back-to-back seasons of horrific knee injuries, Ihnen saw his playing time dwindle throughout the season and he was barely seeing the court in the last half of the Big Ten season. On the one hand, Ihnen is an ideal transfer candidate. He could move to a smaller school, find more playing time and finish out his career contributing. On the other hand, he appears to be content with this role and appreciative of the entire program of people around him who have supported him throughout his injury journey.
- Pharrel Payne – Starting center who has been showing significant progress in his development over the past two seasons. The concern here is more about receiving an offer he can’t refuse somewhere else. But Payne has been great, he’s a key part of whatever success this team will have next season.
- Dawson Garcia – I was so impressed with his leadership this year after really questioning his maturity a year ago. I was wrong. He led the team in scoring, was a guy that every opponent had to game-plan for and is likely an early favorite to be 1st team All-Big Ten next year. He is a Minnesota kid who came back, he’s having great success and will be the face of the team that returns to the NCAA Tournament in 2025. The one thing that may come into play is the NBA. Is Garcia on the verge of being drafted?
- Mike Mitchell Jr – Starter all season at off-guard after transferring to the Gophers from Pepperdine. Mitchell was exactly what was advertised, an excellent shooter who can handle the ball when needed. The only reason I could see him transferring is if Ben Johnson is able to recruit a more dynamic guard who would take Mitchell’s starting role. Seems unlikely and from a Gopher fan standpoint, this would not be a bad thing.
- Braedon Carrington – Coming off the bench all year and Carrington was often the glue-guy for the Gophers. His defense was elite, he rebounded and at times his scoring was critical to success. His shooting has never gotten on track in college, but it is so close. I think he is highly valued by the staff and I see no reason he’ll be seeking a transfer.
- Kris Keinys – True freshman who redshirted who came to the Gophers late in the summer from Lithuania. Keinys is a developmental player who may end up being a shooter off the bench for Ben Johnson next year. Could he see that playing time looks bleak and leave for another program? Yes, that’s possible, but he also doesn’t really have much on tape to entice other programs yet.
- Cam Christie – On the bottom of this list because I am concerned about offers coming his way that he won’t be able to turn down. Christie had a great freshman season and I expect his scoring to take off next year. He and Garcia are going to be the team’s leading scorers and it is going to be a lot of fun to watch. But he will have people calling him.
I HAVE SOME CONCERNS
- Josh Ola-Joseph – Started 19 games for the Gophers this year then saw his playing time disappear. Even with Fox and Payne in serious foul trouble against Michigan State, Ola-Joseph remained on the bench. Now this is the kind of player that has 2 options. He could leave, find a program that would love to have his athletic ability and see significant minutes for the next two seasons. Or he could take to heart what’s being asked of him, get better in the areas he struggles and be a fantastic story a year from now. I fear that the transfer option will be the likely choice for Ola-Joseph.
- Kadyn Betts – The Colorado native redshirted last year and did not see the floor this year. He may want to transfer, the staff may also prefer to have the scholarship. This seems like the most obvious transfer candidate on the roster.
INCOMING
- Isaac Asuma – The luxury of having a quality, backup point guard is going to be amazing next year. I cannot wait to see Asume in maroon and gold. He is going to get a year to play behind Hawkins, battling with him in practice every day and then he will get the reigns of the Gopher offense the following season.
- Grayson Grove – An incoming forward from Alexandria. Grove does not appear to have a Big Ten-ready body and I fully expect that he will not be a contributor for a year. Anything the team gets from him next season will be a bonus.
THE ROTATION
PG – Hawkins
SG – Mitchell Jr
SF – Christie
PF – Garcia
C – Payne
B – Carrington
B – Asuma
B – a big man, maybe JOJ?
I love having 3 reliable guys off the bench (or 4), things get dicey when your rotation is 7 or fewer.
Next year’s team will have more depth and an additional year of experience playing together.
WHAT DO THEY NEED?
There is a scholarship available, likely more and I am hoping for 2 guys to come in and give this team more depth.
- A big man – This is the primary need. They essentially need someone to replace Fox. Getting JOJ back and contributing would also help, but most likely we have Payne and Garcia in the frontcourt…and that’s it. A quality big off the bench is absolutely necessary.
- A shooter on the perimeter – I could be persuaded to bring in a defensive wing instead, our shooting isn’t that bad. But landing a deadly shooter would be nice. We have solid shooters, but the kind of kid who you just KNOW is going to make it when left open. A Blake Hoffarber type of shooter to come off the bench and provide a spark.
- A wing with more than a year of eligibility – I love getting transfers who give you more than a season. A talented wing who can play this coming year and blossom the following season.
WHAT WILL IT MEAN?
That’s for another article. This is the roster, most of it is expected to be back and expectations should be reasonably high for the Gophers in 2024-25.