A month ago, Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson was optimistic that the core of his 19-win NIT team from last season would return. However, after the transfer portal closed on May 1, the Gophers saw seven players enter the portal, including four of their top six scorers, mirroring the turnover Johnson faced when he took over in 2021.
Key departures 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 dwelling on the losses, Johnson and his staff quickly got to work rebuilding the team around leading scorer Dawson Garcia and three-point specialist Mike Mitchell Jr., who stayed despite better NIL offers elsewhere.
How did the Gophers rebuild more than half of their roster in the spring? Here’s a breakdown of the 2024-25 team, following portal additions and incoming recruits, with summer practice starting in early June.
**Returning Players**
– **Mike Mitchell, 6-2 Senior (San Jose, Calif.)**
– Started the last 23 games alongside Big Ten assist leader Elijah Hawkins. Mitchell averaged 10.2 points and 2.6 assists, and shot a team-best 39.9% from three-point range with 77 threes.
**Returning Players**
– **Dawson Garcia, 6-11 Senior (Savage)**
– Led the Gophers in scoring (17.6) and rebounding (6.7) for two consecutive seasons. Achieved career highs in field-goal percentage (48.6), free-throw percentage (80.2), blocks (1.0), and minutes (31.9), earning All-Big Ten honors.
– **Parker Fox, 6-8 Senior (Mahtomedi)**
– After missing two seasons due to injuries, Fox served as a sixth man and posted the second-highest field-goal percentage in team history (68.3%) last season. Returning for his seventh season.
– **Kadyn Betts, 6-9 Sophomore (Colorado Springs, Colo.)**
– Former four-star recruit who averaged 7.1 minutes across eight games last season. Consistently stood out as the top performer on the scout team in practice.
**Incoming Transfers**
– **Trey Edmonds, 6-10 Senior (Texas San Antonio)**
– At 255 pounds, the Denver native provides a strong physical presence similar to Payne. Can play both frontcourt positions. Scored 12 points in UTSA’s loss to the Gophers.
– **Frank Mitchell, 6-8 Senior (Canisius)**
– A Toronto native and physical force at 240 pounds. Finished fourth in the nation with 11.4 rebounds per game last season, including 12 games with at least 14 rebounds and twice recording 20-plus boards.
– **Femi Odukale, 6-6 Senior (New Mexico State)**
– An All-Conference USA wing who averaged 10.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks last season. Previously played at Pittsburgh and Seton Hall.
– **Lu’Cye Patterson, 6-2 Senior (Charlotte)**
– A former Minnesota Prep Academy star with 82 career starts. Averaged 14.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, earning All-American Athletic Conference honors last season.
– **Brennan Rigsby, 6-3 Senior (Oregon)**
– Averaged 6.1 points and 2.7 rebounds while shooting 35% from three-point range. Started 13 games last season, highlighted by a season-high 19 points in a win against Michigan.
– **Caleb Williams, 6-2 Senior (Macalester)**
– A former Division III standout who scored 41 points in an exhibition game against the Gophers. Has averaged 19.6 points in 80 career games (all starts).
**High School Class**
– **Isaac Asuma, 6-2 Freshman (Cherry, Minn.)**
– A four-star recruit and top 10 point guard in the 2024 class according to 247Sports. Mr. Basketball finalist who led Cherry to its first state boys basketball title.
– **Grayson Grove, 6-9 Freshman (Alexandria, Minn.)**
– Earned Class 3A state all-tournament team honors after Alexandria finished fourth. Scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a quarterfinal game at Williams Arena.
**NBA Draft/Portal**
– **Cam Christie, 6-6 Sophomore (Arlington Heights, Ill.)**
– The first Gophers All-Big Ten freshman since 2017. Averaged 11.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and shot 39.1% from three. Focused on the NBA draft but could return to college either at Minnesota or elsewhere.
**Walk-on**
– **Erick Reader, 6-8 Sophomore (Woodbury, Minn.)**
– A former New Life Academy standout who played in two games last season.
