What's Next 26-27 Roster

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Gophermangeek

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Now that the season is over. Just want to break down what the current roster is looking like going forward into next year. (I will adjust based on people who enter the portal and players that commit to the roster.)

Starters
PG: Leah Harmon (UCF transfer)
SG: Mara Braun
SF: Tori Mckinney
PF: Grace Grocholski
Center: Empty

Backups
6th: empty
7th: empty
8th: Taylor Woodson
9thh: Makena Christian
10th: Kennedy Klick
11th: Empty (Nia Holloway entered the portal)
12th: Zoey Berschers
13th: Empty
14th: Empty
15th: Brynn Senden

Freshman:
Natalie Kussow (#1 Wisconsin, #28 Nationally Guard/Wing)
Tori Oehrlein (#2 Minnesota, #39 Nationally PG/Guard)
Kylee Paben (#1 Nebraska, UR Nationally Stretch 4)
Audit Kuol (UR Georgia, UR Nationally Project Big).


My Outlook:
Starters: It is huge for the Gophers to retain all 3 returning starters. I would be shocked if they did transfer but in today's era, who knows. I think it is super important to add a high impact starting PG and C, losing Hart and Battle are big losses but adding the right pieces the gophers can make a big jump next year.

Bench: The Gophers do lose their top 2 bench players in Tonga and Glenn. I am thinking because at the moment the gophers only have 2 open scholarships that the bench will consist of Woodson, 2 freshman, and internal development of Christian, Berschers and Klick. Gophers could add high upside players like Ode in the portal if players transfer out. But I do believe internal development is huge for the bench next year and hopefully Woodson can play ok minutes next year.

Do they stay or do they go: If I had to predict I would say the majority of the gophers are back. But I think the up in the air ones are. Makena Christain, she got very inconsistent minutes this year however high minute bench role is up for the taking and I would love to have her back, I think she has really good upside. Klick will compete for bench minutes again next year and it will be the second year coming off of injury, I believe she dates Darius Taylor so not sure she wants to leave or not but minutes at somewhere like St.Thomas might intrique her, I think she stays but she is up in the air. Nia Holloway, I think she loves being a gopher, she came in as part of the core 4 however I do not think Dawn really trusts her, I do think she loves school though so I think she will be back, however if she wants minutes I would be a little suprised if it is on the gophers. Zoey Berschers, her sister is graduating and did not get minutes this year, however she passed Holloway in the rotation at the end of the year, she is a stretch 5 but she is the only non midwestern currently on roster. Just will be curious if she will be back however those Tonga minutes are for her to take and run with. I would be stunned if Senden transfer and her role is super important to this team.

I will update this post the more we know but what a fun team this squad was and super to see the next steps this program takes.
 
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Gophermangeek said:
Now that the season is over. Just want to break down what the current roster is looking like going forward into next year. (I will adjust based on people who enter the portal and players that commit to the roster.)

Starters
PG: Empty
SG: Mara Braun
SF: Tori Mckinney
PF: Grace Grocholski
Center: Empty

Backups
6th: empty
7th: empty
8th: Taylor Woodson
9thh: Makena Christian
10th: Kennedy Klick
11th: Nia Holloway
12th: Zoey Berschers
13th: Empty
14th: Empty
15th: Brynn Senden

Freshman:
Natalie Kussow (#1 Wisconsin, #28 Nationally Guard/Wing)
Tori Oehrlein (#2 Minnesota, #39 Nationally PG/Guard)
Kylee Paben (#1 Nebraska, UR Nationally Stretch 4)
Audit Kuol (UR Georgia, UR Nationally Project Big).


My Outlook:
Starters: It is huge for the Gophers to retain all 3 returning starters. I would be shocked if they did transfer but in today's era, who knows. I think it is super important to add a high impact starting PG and C, losing Hart and Battle are big losses but adding the right pieces the gophers can make a big jump next year.

Bench: The Gophers do lose their top 2 bench players in Tonga and Glenn. I am thinking because at the moment the gophers only have 2 open scholarships that the bench will consist of Woodson, 2 freshman, and internal development of Christian, Berschers and Klick. Gophers could add high upside players like Ode in the portal if players transfer out. But I do believe internal development is huge for the bench next year and hopefully Woodson can play ok minutes next year.

Do they stay or do they go: If I had to predict I would say the majority of the gophers are back. But I think the up in the air ones are. Makena Christain, she got very inconsistent minutes this year however high minute bench role is up for the taking and I would love to have her back, I think she has really good upside. Klick will compete for bench minutes again next year and it will be the second year coming off of injury, I believe she dates Darius Taylor so not sure she wants to leave or not but minutes at somewhere like St.Thomas might intrique her, I think she stays but she is up in the air. Nia Holloway, I think she loves being a gopher, she came in as part of the core 4 however I do not think Dawn really trusts her, I do think she loves school though so I think she will be back, however if she wants minutes I would be a little suprised if it is on the gophers. Zoey Berschers, her sister is graduating and did not get minutes this year, however she passed Holloway in the rotation at the end of the year, she is a stretch 5 but she is the only non midwestern currently on roster. Just will be curious if she will be back however those Tonga minutes are for her to take and run with. I would be stunned if Senden transfer and her role is super important to this team.

I will update this post the more we know but what a fun team this squad was and super to see the next steps this program takes.
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IMHO Taylor will be first off the bench.. she was the first off the bench this year before her injury.. We can play small with her and run more with her.. that is what the plan was this year until her injury.
 

Gophermangeek said:
Zoey Berschers, her sister is graduating and did not get minutes this year, however she passed Holloway in the rotation at the end of the year, she is a stretch 5 but she is the only non midwestern currently on roster.
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Dawn must think very highly of her that she gave her sister a spot just to get her here. I think she'll be back.
 

Gophers112233 said:
IMHO Taylor will be first off the bench.. she was the first off the bench this year before her injury.. We can play small with her and run more with her.. that is what the plan was this year until her injury.
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I agree with you on that. How I broke it down was with the spots they were losing. If I had to predict the bench is Woodson, Christian, Kussow, Bershers and Tori O in that order.
 

If I'm a good PG looking for a new home, I love what I see with the Gophers.

A sweet 16 team with a deadeye shooter in GG gives me assists. A two-way athletic player like McKinney who has WNBA potential if she develops her shot and dribbling more. Finally, a warrior, scorer in Braun.

As a PG, I know I'm going to the NCAA tournament with those 3. If I'm WNBA caliber, then we're getting back to the Sweet 16.

Get this hypothetical PG a good center, and next season can be very special.
 
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Omega015 said:
Dawn must think very highly of her that she gave her sister a spot just to get her here. I think she'll be back.
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I think you are right on that. Her gaining the trust of Dawn to play over Holloway in big moments in the Illinois game and the Green Bay makes me to also believe that. She also has the ability to stretch the floor a Senior Zoey Bershers who is fully developed would of been huge against Betts tonight because it would of takes Betts away from the rim. I am actually high on her, but just from a location standpoint she stands out a little bit.
 


TruthSeeker said:
If I'm a good PG looking for a new home, I love what I see with the Gophers.

A sweet 16 team with a deadeye shooter in GG gives me assists. A two-way athletic player like McKinnie who has WNBA potential if she develops her shot and dribbling more. Finally, a warrior, scorer in Braun.

As a PG, I know I'm going to the NCAA tournament with those 3. If I'm WNBA caliber, then we're getting back to the Sweet 16.

Get this hypothetical PG a good center, and next season can be very special.
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Could be bias here but I legit think the Gophers are one of the best landing spots in the nation for players for all of the reasons you mentioned. Like I know in the transfer portal thread we mention a ton of amazing hypothetical but I honestly believe if they added McGill and Crooks (If Dawn gave her the Sophie minute treatment) the Gophers could compete for a B10 title and a F4. Now I do not know what the Gophers NIL will be like but in terms of winning the gophers could compete for a F4 if the right pieces see the vision.
 




Gophers112233 said:
I think Kussow will start she is that good..
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I hope you are right because if that is the case the gophers are going to be really good next year. I will say I do not expect any of the returning starters to come off the bench so if Kussow is that good then a combo of Braun, Tori and Kussow would really need to do a group effort of PG duties.
 

DietCokeFan said:
Really Interested to see if Ode comes home.
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Same, I read somewhere on Twitter today that her parents asked her to be redshirted this season because MSU was expected to be stacked and didn't want her to have a limited role and "waste" a season with low minutes. Don't know how true that was but it is interesting nevertheless.
 

Gophermangeek said:
I think you are right on that. Her gaining the trust of Dawn to play over Holloway in big moments in the Illinois game and the Green Bay makes me to also believe that. She also has the ability to stretch the floor a Senior Zoey Bershers who is fully developed would of been huge against Betts tonight because it would of takes Betts away from the rim. I am actually high on her, but just from a location standpoint she stands out a little bit.
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Would have been nice to have Annika tonight for that reason
 

Gophermangeek said:
Could be bias here but I legit think the Gophers are one of the best landing spots in the nation for players for all of the reasons you mentioned. Like I know in the transfer portal thread we mention a ton of amazing hypothetical but I honestly believe if they added McGill and Crooks (If Dawn gave her the Sophie minute treatment) the Gophers could compete for a B10 title and a F4. Now I do not know what the Gophers NIL will be like but in terms of winning the gophers could compete for a F4 if the right pieces see the vision.
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I'm not a Crooks fan. She can't play defense, and she's limited in minutes. You need your starter in a game like the UCLA game to be able to play 30+ minutes with high intensity.

She's exploitable if she moves 5 feet from the basket.

I'd prefer someone who can rebound, defend 1:1 and team, make bunnies, and play 3 quarters of the game.
 




Out of next years incoming recruits I’m excited to see Paben. I believe she’s another one that loves to play defense but can shoot. She may have to get a little stronger but time will tell.

I think the Purdue girl could be great surrounded by shooters. Going to be an interesting offseason. I miss Gopher basketball already.
 


I agree Kussow could start but Dawn P has difficulty playing freshmen. We need a point guard that can run the offense and not just bring the ball up because GG has to be able to get the ball in her spots to be effective. She's not good at creating her own shot. And we need another big that can rotate with Zoey.
 

samloupete said:
I agree Kussow could start but Dawn P has difficulty playing freshmen. We need a point guard that can run the offense and not just bring the ball up because GG has to be able to get the ball in her spots to be effective. She's not good at creating her own shot. And we need another big that can rotate with Zoey.
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Personally I feel like Zoey still needs a lot of work. Maybe she gets that this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a true BIG and then go small ball with Woodson (when she’s healthy)
If another scholarship opens it wouldn’t shock me if they get two BIGs.
 

DietCokeFan said:
Personally I feel like Zoey still needs a lot of work. Maybe she gets that this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a true BIG and then go small ball with Woodson (when she’s healthy)
If another scholarship opens it wouldn’t shock me if they get two BIGs.
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Zoey started the season off unable to play due to injury, so it'll be interesting to see what her sophomore season looks like. Part of me wonders if maybe she was injured for a significant chunk of the preseason and maybe that held her back?
 



samloupete said:
I agree Kussow could start but Dawn P has difficulty playing freshmen. We need a point guard that can run the offense and not just bring the ball up because GG has to be able to get the ball in her spots to be effective. She's not good at creating her own shot. And we need another big that can rotate with Zoey.
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Dawn started Grace as a freshman (if I’m remembering right) and Tori as a freshman after Mara was injured very early in the season. I don’t think she’s opposed to playing freshmen at all - they just need to pick up the offense and defense early on.
 

Lynx said:
Dawn started Grace as a freshman (if I’m remembering right) and Tori as a freshman after Mara was injured very early in the season. I don’t think she’s opposed to playing freshmen at all - they just need to pick up the offense and defense early on.
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Can you or anyone who may have seen her play in HS/AAU speak to her commitment to D?
 

MaroonMagic said:
Zoey started the season off unable to play due to injury, so it'll be interesting to see what her sophomore season looks like. Part of me wonders if maybe she was injured for a significant chunk of the preseason and maybe that held her back?
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Zoey missed the first seven games because of a foot injury. I always have wondered why she wasn't red-shirted for development purposes... maybe post depth was needed?
 

DietCokeFan said:
Out of next years incoming recruits I’m excited to see Paben. I believe she’s another one that loves to play defense but can shoot. She may have to get a little stronger but time will tell.

I think the Purdue girl could be great surrounded by shooters. Going to be an interesting offseason. I miss Gopher basketball already.
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Often have why being the "best" player in Nebraska, she wasn't recruited. Did a little reading and I think she was a late-bloomer and few under the radar. Could be a 'diamond in the rough' like McKinney.
 

Lynx said:
Dawn started Grace as a freshman (if I’m remembering right) and Tori as a freshman after Mara was injured very early in the season. I don’t think she’s opposed to playing freshmen at all - they just need to pick up the offense and defense early on.
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Coach P believes GG has a very high bb IQ and has said that she is one of the best pure shooters she has watched.

Tori was "pitched" into the deep end of the pool by necessity because of the Braun injury. Coach P commented very often about trying to get her to slow down... she requires a patient coach... and that patience is beginning to pay dividends!

I think the Coach P will play freshmen if they can understand a complex system.
 

We can have our pick of the whole Iowa State roster it is sounding like....
8 players in the portal was the last total I saw.
 
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Gopher_In_NYC said:
So. There’s not the possibility of a wink and a nudge?
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Zoey committed in June 2024 and signed that November. Tracey didn't enter the portal until April 2025. So no... Tracey was not offered a spot to entice Zoey to commit.

To the contrary, Tracey opted to transfer here to play with her sister. She had played with her older sister, Sara, in high school but hadn't played together with Zoey so she knew this would be her last opportunity.

Plitzuweit added her as a depth piece to help facilitate the sisters playing together. Nothing more.
 

ecoperson said:
Zoey committed in June 2024 and signed that November. Tracey didn't enter the portal until April 2025. So no... Tracey was not offered a spot to entice Zoey to commit.

To the contrary, Tracey opted to transfer here to play with her sister. She had played with her older sister, Sara, in high school but hadn't played together with Zoey so she knew this would be her last opportunity.

Plitzuweit added her as a depth piece to help facilitate the sisters playing together. Nothing more.
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If by depth you mean more street clothes or walking boots on the bench, sure.

It's obvious to me what it is, but if you want to believe Tracey was the best option in the portal, that's fine
 

ecoperson said:
Zoey committed in June 2024 and signed that November. Tracey didn't enter the portal until April 2025. So no... Tracey was not offered a spot to entice Zoey to commit.
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Thanks for sharing your opinion.

ecoperson said:
To the contrary, Tracey opted to transfer here to play with her sister. She had played with her older sister, Sara, in high school but hadn't played together with Zoey so she knew this would be her last opportunity.

Plitzuweit added her as a depth piece to help facilitate the sisters playing together. Nothing more.
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😉
Just Kidding Kiddo
 

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