Jan 15, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings fans react during the fourth quarter during a wild card game against the New York Giants at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson hoped a month ago that the core of his 19-win NIT squad from the previous season would return.
After the transfer site closed on May 1, the Gophers had seven players on the list, including four of their top six scorers. The large exodus was similar to when Johnson took over the program in 2021.
This year, key outgoing players included Cam Christie (NBA draft, transfer portal), Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M), Elijah Hawkins (Texas Tech), Braeden Carrington (Tulsa), and Joshua Ola-Joseph (California Berkeley).
Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, Johnson and his staff got to work on rebuilding the club around leading scorer Dawson Garcia and three-point ace Mike Mitchell Jr.
