Turner no longer a Gopher

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He was/is in bad physical shape.....and didn't appear to be focused on getting in better shape.
 


Spottedmuskie said:
You think we’ll go after Freitas?
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I would have Freitag and Evans at the top of my realistic transfer Wish List this offseason. Ueleman is also intriguing after reading thoughts from others on here that have followed him.

I'm really hoping that Niko can put together a roster that has ten (10) viable (and healthy) options every game after watching what he accomplished with the Iron 5.5 this season.
 

Slim Tubby said:
I would have Freitag and Evans at the top of my realistic transfer Wish List this offseason. Ueleman is also intriguing after reading thoughts from others on here that have followed him.

I'm really hoping that Niko can put together a roster that has ten (10) viable (and healthy) options every game after watching what he accomplished with the Iron 5.5 this season.
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I know Freitag was interested in Wisconsin out of high school, wonder if he’ll try to end up there
 


Spottedmuskie said:
I know Freitag was interested in Wisconsin out of high school, wonder if he’ll try to end up there
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This wouldn't be surprising if it happened, although with Medved now running the show, maybe that gives us another look from Freitag.
 


I would be very surprised if Freitag went back to Wisconsin. He was there as a freshman. It didn't work out. He transferred to Buffalo. It's not especially common to return to a place that either:
a. sent you packing or
b. you bailed on.
 

go_gophers said:
I would be very surprised if Freitag went back to Wisconsin. He was there as a freshman. It didn't work out. He transferred to Buffalo. It's not especially common to return to a place that either:
a. sent you packing or
b. you bailed on.
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Payton Willis came back here after a coaching change. But yes it’s very rare!
 



Slim Tubby said:
I would have Freitag and Evans at the top of my realistic transfer Wish List this offseason. Ueleman is also intriguing after reading thoughts from others on here that have followed him.
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Freitag has been the #1 prospect for me for some time after watching him play and seeing his numbers. He plays with a scorer's mentality and can score inside and out. I'm a little concerned that he hasn't played since 2/24/2026 but it's apparently a concussion issue rather than something more long term.

I hadn't heard of Ueleman until watching him for a bit against St. Thomas in their tournament game. He certainly was outstanding in UND's three conference tournament games.
 

Whoops, I had Wisconsin and Virginia mixed up with Freitag. Yes we need to give Ueleman a serious look too
 


Indiana Gopher said:
So...portal season is coming soon and we will know shortly who is staying, who is leaving, and who is coming. I am eagerly awaiting some decisions and announcements as there are a number of unknowns. Here is what we think we know:

RETURNING--Asuma and Grove (that makes 2)
HOPEFULLY RETURNING BUT MAY HAVE BETTER NIL $ OFFERS--Crocker-Johnson and Durkin (that makes 4)
COMING--Anderson, Tomes, and Mpoyi (that makes 7)
UNKNOWN BUT IN THE 50/50 RANGE TO RETURN--Shinholster, Vaihola, and Willis (that makes 10)
UNKNOWN BUT LIKELY TO LEAVE--Omot and Stephens

If the 50/50 guys stay we will have three spots to fill from the portal or with spring recruits; could be as many as 8 spots available if the 50/50 guys leave and we lose Crocker-Johnson and Durkin d/t NIL. Gonna be interesting.

Here is what I am hoping for. We keep Asuma, Grove, Crocker-Johnson, and Durkin and add the three freshmen. We keep all three of the 50/50 guys--Willis, Vaihola, and Shinholster--as each fits a need on the team. We then add a spring recruit with some upside. Might be someone raw, a late bloomer, or someone who needs a year or more of development. Matters not as the plan would not be to play that recruit much, if at all, in 2026-2027...you can't really maintain a 13-man rotation IMO. Next season would be focused on development for the spring recruit, maybe even a redshirt year.

Let Omot and Stephens portal out. That leaves us with two spots.

With one of those spots, I'd like to see someone big--6'10" or taller--who has some history of success at the D1 level. Could be from any D1 conference--MAC, MVC, OVC, MW, WCC, SunBelt, et. al.--don't care so long as they have had some productivity. We need the size. And with the 13th spot take a flyer on someone who could blossom within Niko's system (as Tyson and Durkin have done)--there are plenty of them out there, many of which have been mentioned and fantasized about on this board. As for which one we bring in, 'In Niko I Trust'.

What say you GopherHolers?
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I'd be heartbroken if either Jalen or Bobby would bolt. Fortunately, I think we're well positioned to financially match most any offer they'd get.

Vaihola is a rebounding machine. If he starts making free throws, he's a dang secret weapon.

I've voiced my support for bringing Kai back. Never give up on a freshman who's had his moments.

Willis is flashy, but I'm not sure he's a good enough jump shooter to warrant retaining him over who else might be out there. It's good to remember that, with the buzz this program has gotten and the obvious coaching ability of this staff, Minneapolis should be an attractive destination. "You can be the next Cade Tyson" will play well.
 




Bad Gopher said:
I'd be heartbroken if either Jalen or Bobby would bolt. Fortunately, I think we're well positioned to financially match most any offer they'd get.

Vaihola is a rebounding machine. If he starts making free throws, he's a dang secret weapon.

I've voiced my support for bringing Kai back. Never give up on a freshman who's had his moments.

Willis is flashy, but I'm not sure he's a good enough jump shooter to warrant retaining him over who else might be out there. It's good to remember that, with the buzz this program has gotten and the obvious coaching ability of this staff, Minneapolis should be an attractive destination. "You can be the next Cade Tyson" will play well.
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I think Willis would be best suited as a 6th man on next year’s team, and would prefer Niko to look for a starting PG in the transfer portal.
 
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--MN has garnered enough positive attention to get a look of some decent portal additions.
--I hope that the ZONE defense is something MN throws into the regular defensive mix, even when full strength '26/'27. MN zone is every bit as good as Syracuse years, which was unexpected.
--Core players Asuma, JCJ, Durkin and hopefully Grove as a role player off bench.
--Incoming freshmen Mpoyi***/Tomes***/Anderson**** fit system and get minutes
--Hopeful Vaihola, Shinholster stay, and Omot, Stephens get healthy. Not sure if Omot (Both Gach) is Big Ten ready, but Stephens is a shooter and we need shooters.
--Willis unknown. Seems all in at MN, but had a lot of early turnovers and isn't a great shooter.
--Will the portal produce anything not shocking? Kyan Evans (NC), or Nolen Groves (TT)? I would take 6'10" James Brown over Evans if there is a pipeline from NC.
--I would like to see MN have the flexibility to go "small" (Vaihola/JCJ/Grove) or "tall" (Mpoyi/7'xfer).
--It has been very impressive to see MN get really good shot selection despite their lack of big bodies. A tribute to Niko's system.
--Personally, my season was made by MN style of play, and early wins over Indiana, and Sparty, UCLA that really set the future tone. Want to now beat Rutgers AND UCLA again just to see Cronin's post game presser after loss :)
 

SplitDecision said:
--MN has garnered enough positive attention to get a look of some decent portal additions.
--I hope that the ZONE defense is something MN throws into the regular defensive mix, even when full strength '26/'27. MN zone is every bit as good as Syracuse years, which was unexpected.
--Core players Asuma, JCJ, Durkin and hopefully Grove as a role player off bench.
--Incoming freshmen Mpoyi***/Tomes***/Anderson**** fit system and get minutes
--Hopeful Vaihola, Shinholster stay, and Omot, Stephens get healthy. Not sure if Omot (Both Gach) is Big Ten ready, but Stephens is a shooter and we need shooters.
--Willis unknown. Seems all in at MN, but had a lot of early turnovers and isn't a great shooter.
--Will the portal produce anything not shocking? Kyan Evans (NC), or Nolen Groves (TT)? I would take 6'10" James Brown over Evans if there is a pipeline from NC.
--I would like to see MN have the flexibility to go "small" (Vaihola/JCJ/Grove) or "tall" (Mpoyi/7'xfer).
--It has been very impressive to see MN get really good shot selection despite their lack of big bodies. A tribute to Niko's system.
--Personally, my season was made by MN style of play, and early wins over Indiana, and Sparty, UCLA that really set the future tone. Want to now beat Rutgers AND UCLA again just to see Cronin's post game presser after loss :)
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If we're going to be talking Nolan Groves then we need to start thinking of names like Daniel Freitag and Chase Thompson
 

SplitDecision said:
--MN has garnered enough positive attention to get a look of some decent portal additions.
--I hope that the ZONE defense is something MN throws into the regular defensive mix, even when full strength '26/'27. MN zone is every bit as good as Syracuse years, which was unexpected.
--Core players Asuma, JCJ, Durkin and hopefully Grove as a role player off bench.
--Incoming freshmen Mpoyi***/Tomes***/Anderson**** fit system and get minutes
--Hopeful Vaihola, Shinholster stay, and Omot, Stephens get healthy. Not sure if Omot (Both Gach) is Big Ten ready, but Stephens is a shooter and we need shooters.
--Willis unknown. Seems all in at MN, but had a lot of early turnovers and isn't a great shooter.
--Will the portal produce anything not shocking? Kyan Evans (NC), or Nolen Groves (TT)? I would take 6'10" James Brown over Evans if there is a pipeline from NC.
--I would like to see MN have the flexibility to go "small" (Vaihola/JCJ/Grove) or "tall" (Mpoyi/7'xfer).
--It has been very impressive to see MN get really good shot selection despite their lack of big bodies. A tribute to Niko's system.
--Personally, my season was made by MN style of play, and early wins over Indiana, and Sparty, UCLA that really set the future tone. Want to now beat Rutgers AND UCLA again just to see Cronin's post game presser after loss :)
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Nice list.

I did not see Stephens on Senior Night this past Saturday. I would believe he is gone. Never heard what his injury was. I would guess he also did not fit Niko’s system and is gone.
 



This has evolved into a roster construction thread, which I always find enjoyable. I thought I'd remind folks of last year's thread where I pointed out that Niko doesn't play big lineups: https://gopherhole.com/boards/threads/niko’s-roster-construction.118089/post-3123206

He loves his five-out offense, is happy to play big wings if they can shoot, and is comfortable getting back on defense rather than challenging the offensive glass. I doubt any of this season's results have given him second thoughts about his coaching philosophy, so I'm willing to bet that there will be some posts during the portal cycle wondering why we aren't connected to more bigs.
 

SplitDecision said:
--MN has garnered enough positive attention to get a look of some decent portal additions.
--I hope that the ZONE defense is something MN throws into the regular defensive mix, even when full strength '26/'27. MN zone is every bit as good as Syracuse years, which was unexpected.
--Core players Asuma, JCJ, Durkin and hopefully Grove as a role player off bench.
--Incoming freshmen Mpoyi***/Tomes***/Anderson**** fit system and get minutes
--Hopeful Vaihola, Shinholster stay, and Omot, Stephens get healthy. Not sure if Omot (Both Gach) is Big Ten ready, but Stephens is a shooter and we need shooters.
--Willis unknown. Seems all in at MN, but had a lot of early turnovers and isn't a great shooter.
--Will the portal produce anything not shocking? Kyan Evans (NC), or Nolen Groves (TT)? I would take 6'10" James Brown over Evans if there is a pipeline from NC.
--I would like to see MN have the flexibility to go "small" (Vaihola/JCJ/Grove) or "tall" (Mpoyi/7'xfer).
--It has been very impressive to see MN get really good shot selection despite their lack of big bodies. A tribute to Niko's system.
--Personally, my season was made by MN style of play, and early wins over Indiana, and Sparty, UCLA that really set the future tone. Want to now beat Rutgers AND UCLA again just to see Cronin's post game presser after loss :)
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The zone could be a massive curveball next year. I really hope Niko picks spots to implement that.
 

Ski-U-Ham said:
I would like to kick the tires on Nasir Whitlock, the Lehigh guard that drained the 3 to beat Navy. Averaging 21 ppg this year, 45% from 3 on 170 attempts
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Yes sir, this is why I could to this site. Some 2nd tier mid major players from MN really blow up, Curtis Jones who went from Buffalo to Iowa State is a prime example or Jamison Battle George Washington to MN, or Reggie Lynch Northern Illinois? to MN, I'm sure I'm missing quite a few
 


Spottedmuskie said:
Yes sir, this is why I could to this site. Some 2nd tier mid major players from MN really blow up, Curtis Jones who went from Buffalo to Iowa State is a prime example or Jamison Battle George Washington to MN, or Reggie Lynch Northern Illinois? to MN, I'm sure I'm missing quite a few
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Greyson Uelmen, a former walk-on from Excelsior (Minnetonka HS), led UND in scoring (16.8 pts per game) this season as a redshirt freshman. He capped off his RS freshman year by averaging 31 points per game in three conference tournament games.

There's no guarantee that a guy like this would make a foolproof transition to the Big Ten but, if he's in the portal, he certainly has to be considered.
 

VanillaThunder said:
Nice list.

I did not see Stephens on Senior Night this past Saturday. I would believe he is gone. Never heard what his injury was. I would guess he also did not fit Niko’s system and is gone.
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He was announced as injured before the season started.
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
Greyson Uelmen, a former walk-on from Excelsior (Minnetonka HS), led UND in scoring (16.8 pts per game) this season as a redshirt freshman. He capped off his RS freshman year by averaging 31 points per game in three conference tournament games.

There's no guarantee that a guy like this would make a foolproof transition to the Big Ten but, if he's in the portal, he certainly has to be considered.
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Yes sir we've been talking about him potentially joining MN for months now, it's heating up again after his Sumit tourney. He could be in the portal by Friday unless UND is playing in the post season somewhere
 

VanillaThunder said:
Nice list.

I did not see Stephens on Senior Night this past Saturday. I would believe he is gone. Never heard what his injury was. I would guess he also did not fit Niko’s system and is gone.
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Was he ever even here?
 



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