Who is the Gopher MVP this year?

2025-2026 Gopher MVP is

  • 1. Cafe Tyson

    Votes: 68 59.6%

  • 2. Crocker-Johnson

    Votes: 11 9.6%

  • 3. Langston Reynolds

    Votes: 27 23.7%

  • 4. Isaac Asuma

    Votes: 1 0.9%

  • 5. Bobby Durkin

    Votes: 1 0.9%

  • 6. Grayson Grove

    Votes: 5 4.4%

  • 7. Kai Shinholster

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 8. Maximus Jizzy

    Votes: 1 0.9%
  • Total voters
    114
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Scottsdale Gopher said:
I love watching Reynolds play, I'm going to miss him next year, but this isn't particularly close. Cade Tyson leads the team in Player Efficiency Rating and Win Shares by sizeable margins and is having one of the best seasons in the last 25 years by a Gopher basketball player. Among players that have played 20 games or more in a season since 2002-2003, here are Tyson's single-season ranks:
  • Win Shares per 40 minutes: 5th
  • Win Shares: 9th (likely to finish in the top 3)
  • PER: 10th
Tyson is currently 4th in single-season Offensive Win Shares since the stat was first tracked in 1995-1996 and is likely to finish the season in first. It's a damn shame we only got to see him play in Niko's system for one year. All data from Stathead.
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Cade is 1000% the offensive MVP for the team and can totally understand why many see him as the unquestioned MVP of the squad.

I still lean Reynolds for his defense but it will probably be Tyson when they announce the team awards at the end of the year.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Asuma is having a really nice sophomore season and is developing into a really good player but he isn't in the team MVP discussion right now.

He is definitely a high priority to keep here moving forward.
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Might be our best all around player. We've won games without Tyson and JCJ.
 

"There is no one most valuable....[Gopher]"! See Joe Kapp after turning down MVP AWARD
 

MonikerSchmoniker45 said:
Might be our best all around player. We've won games without Tyson and JCJ.
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He definitely has been at times. Still developing but looks like he will be a really good guard in the Big Ten for us and a definite future MVP candidate.
 

Scottsdale Gopher said:
I love watching Reynolds play, I'm going to miss him next year, but this isn't particularly close. Cade Tyson leads the team in Player Efficiency Rating and Win Shares by sizeable margins and is having one of the best seasons in the last 25 years by a Gopher basketball player. Among players that have played 20 games or more in a season since 2002-2003, here are Tyson's single-season ranks:
  • Win Shares per 40 minutes: 5th
  • Win Shares: 9th (likely to finish in the top 3)
  • PER: 10th
Tyson is currently 4th in single-season Offensive Win Shares since the stat was first tracked in 1995-1996 and is likely to finish the season in first. It's a damn shame we only got to see him play in Niko's system for one year. All data from Stathead.
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Good work! As much as I like and appreciate Reynolds (I'd say he's #2 by maybe a closer margin than you feel), it's been difficult for the Gophers to recruit a player with Tyson's offensive capabilities. Their #1 portal recruiting target in the offseason should be to find a scorer who at least has the potential to come close to Tyson's level.
 


TwistingMyMelon said:
Good work! As much as I like and appreciate Reynolds (I'd say he's #2 by maybe a closer margin than you feel), it's been difficult for the Gophers to recruit a player with Tyson's offensive capabilities. Their #1 portal recruiting target in the offseason should be to find a scorer who at least has the potential to come close to Tyson's level.
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I agree about making a scorer the offseason recruiting priority. The staff has a lot of great film to show how they create shots for Tyson and Durkin without relying on their ability in isolation. It seems like an attractive offensive system for players, and there should no longer be questions about whether or not it can work against B1G competition.
 

Many times scorers are overrated unless they play both ends of the floor. I think Tyson's defense has really improved this year. He is really coachable and wants to get better. As far as MVP? Kind of irrelevant and not very important. All about the TEAM!
 

You think we need a scorer? I think we need a shooter!

Medved with a Hoffarber off-guard would be nirvana!
 




Eastside Forever said:
Shooters are a dime a dozen. We need guys that can put " the biscuit in the basket!"
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I won't say good shooters are a dime a dozen but, yes, there is a difference between a good shooter and a good scorer. Bobby Durkin is a very good shooter but he doesn't have a great ability to get a shot for himself whereas Tyson can get his own shot and can score in multiple ways. Tyson averages 7.1 free throw attempts per game. Durkin averages 1.2 per game which is unfortunate for an 88% free throw shooter.
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
I won't say good shooters are a dime a dozen but, yes, there is a difference between a good shooter and a good scorer. Bobby Durkin is a very good shooter but he doesn't have a great ability to get a shot for himself whereas Tyson can get his own shot and can score in multiple ways. Tyson averages 7.1 free throw attempts per game. Durkin averages 1.2 per game which is unfortunate for an 88% free throw shooter.
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Durkin would be an awesome 6th man on a good team. I do feel like he has gotten more aggressive as the bench has gotten shorter and shorter but yeah, getting to the line is never going to be a big part of his game because in general he needs someone else to set him up with a good look.

Durkin has been on fire from 3 over the last 8 games hitting almost 50% of his 3s over that stretch (29-59 - 49%).
 






The UCLA win is a perfect example of why I give the slight MVP nod to Reynolds over Tyson. Both were great but Reynolds play was key to the win.
 


I'm going with Cafe Tyson, because it sounds like the coffee bar at the chicken factory.

Also because Tyson is a legitimate weapon that opens up the entire offensive end for the rest of the team. And as others have said.....he plays really smart. Rarely forces anything. One of those guys that helps elevate the play of the guys around him.
 


It has to be Tyson and then a race for 2 and 3.

But I just changed to Durkin so he has 1 vote. He was so thrilled today, like a little kid, lighting up the 3's against UCLA.
 

WinMinGophers! said:
It has to be Tyson and then a race for 2 and 3.

But I just changed to Durkin so he has 1 vote. He was so thrilled today, like a little kid, lighting up the 3's against UCLA.
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Durkin always has this grin on his face after he drills a 3.....it's awesome. Dude has been on fire from deep over this past 7-8 games. Been a while since we have had that dead eye 3 point shooter who can drill shots the way Bobby can.
 

Gophers are 1-5 in games JCJ leads them in scoring

9-5 when Tyson does

Makes them 4-5 when anyone else does.

This doesn’t matter.

JCJ best player and MVP
 

MNVCGUY said:
Durkin always has this grin on his face after he drills a 3.....it's awesome. Dude has been on fire from deep over this past 7-8 games. Been a while since we have had that dead eye 3 point shooter who can drill shots the way Bobby can.
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Durkin is up to 39.5% on the season. 21/43 in his last 5 games from 3.

46/101 since the new year (all conference games)
 

Tyson was the glue that held the team together as players were getting hurt. He’s still putting up MVP numbers, but at this point in time, I voted for Reynolds because right now he is the heart of the team.
 

march madness said:
Reynolds is the defensive mvp, especially with JCJ hurt. He also draws a lot of fouls by forcing action in delayed breaks.
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Reynolds has been the most pleasant surprise for me. When I watched early in the season, I thought he was doing to much was going to have more turnovers than a bakery, but he has settled in and has played solidly.

Tyson turned out to be a more complete player than I thought he'd be when I first saw him play. I thought he'd be a perimeter guy with great shooting ability that couldn't do that much more. I thought of him and Durkin in the same mold. Tyson does a lot more to his game than I thought he had.

Team has played very well as a unit so it's difficult to say "This guy is the hands-down MVP."
 
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50PoundHead said:
Reynolds has been the most pleasant surprise for me. When I watched early in the season, I thought he was doing to much was going to have more turnovers than a bakery, but he has settled in and has played solidly.

Tyson turned out to be a more complete player than I thought he'd be when I first saw him play. I thought he'd be a perimeter guy with great shooting ability that couldn't do that much more. I thought of him and Durkin in the same mold. Tyson does a lot more to his game than I thought he had.

Team has played very well as a unit so it's difficult to say "This guy is the hands-down MVP."
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Reynolds improvement gives me lots of hope on Willis. He didn't have time to adjust to the uptick in talent. He was 2nd team all MAC, 2nd in scoring and assists.

Like Reynolds, he isn't good from 3. I hope Willis, JCJ, Omot, and Vaihola can all be healthy next season. Even so, Niko will need a wing scorer and a defensive stopper.
 

I would switch my vote to Reynolds!

He is the main reason the Gophers all get after it on defense. It is pretty ibvious his junk yard dog approach to defense has rubbed off on the rest of the team. Even Durkin is playing good D! This is also because of the zone Niko hss been using to conserve energy.

Need to bottle what Langston has as he is gone after this year!
 

Otis said:
I would switch my vote to Reynolds!

He is the main reason the Gophers all get after it on defense. It is pretty ibvious his junk yard dog approach to defense has rubbed off on the rest of the team. Even Durkin is playing good D! This is also because of the zone Niko hss been using to conserve energy.

Need to bottle what Langston has as he is gone after this year!
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I know we all keep assuming that Reynolds and Tyson are done after this year but I am still holding out hope that they are both back next year under some new eligibility ruling of some kind :)

If Reynolds does not make the all defensive team something is very very wrong with how they are selecting the players for it.
 

I'm going Grove. I realize he is most likey #5 of our starting 5 in stat's but he has supported our star players in a way none of us could have ever imagined. His hustle and unselfish play is what every good team needs. Unsung heroes are the backbone of all good programs.
P.S. I'm not his mom.
 

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