Returning Playas for 2024-25

[Otis]

Thought it would be good to consolidate who is guaranteed to be on the roster in the fall.

Portal: Outgoing:
Payne (ouch) - Texas A&M
JoJ - Cal
Carrington (and there goes the Sophmore class)
Ihnen - Liberty?
Keinys
Hawkins - Texas Tech
Christie

Portal Incoming:
Big Frank Mitchell
Brennan Rigsby
Caleb Williams
Femi Odkale
Trey Edmonds
Lu Cye Patterson
Testing the Draft:
Christie

Returning Playas:
Garcia!!!!!!
Mitchell
Fox
Betts

Incoming freshmen:
Asuma
Groves

Eligible to return yet undeclared:


Non-Scholarship:
Purcell
Reader

Out of Eligibility:
Jack Wilson
Will Ramberg

***Current Projected Starting Lineup***

PG: Patterson/ Asuma/Williams
SG: Mitchell/Rigsby
SF: Odukale/Betts
PF: Garcia/Fox/Grove
C: Mitchell/Edmonds

 

[MNVCGUY]

Hold up....so this isn't a thread about beaches?

I have done a thread like this on the football side. Would recommend adding an undeclared section with the guys that still need to say for sure and a section for the guys we know won't be back like Wilson.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Thought it would be good to consolidate who is guaranteed to be on the roster in the fall.

Returning Starters:
Hawkins


Incoming freshmen:
Asuma
Groves

Hopefully the starters will return and we can upgrade our bench through the portal.

Play on Playa

 

[Otis]

Hold up....so this isn't a thread about beaches?

I have done a thread like this on the football side. Would recommend adding an undeclared section with the guys that still need to say for sure and a section for the guys we know won't be back like Wilson.

Done

 

[MUgopher32]

No inside info but I got a feeling that Garcia is gone. Rest of the starters(barring Christie getting great feeback for NBA) will be back.

JOJ gone as a reserve.

 

[60's Guy]

So, as of this moment if nobody leaves our roster is set with the two incoming freshmen.
We have no scholarship available for a transfer.
But, we could use the new loophole and buy the scholarship from a Dinkytown grant.
Seems more likely somebody is leaving.

 

[bga1]

So, as of this moment if nobody leaves our roster is set with the two incoming freshmen.
We have no scholarship available for a transfer.
But, we could use the new loophole and buy the scholarship from a Dinkytown grant.
Seems more likely somebody is leaving.

I would think that Johnson has "coached" JOJ and Ihnen to move on. CBJ moved on from them mid-season. Fox is up to Fox. So that's room for 2 transfers from guys that are not in the rotation. Of course we hope to retain the rest unless Betts and/or Keinys are not showing promise in practice.

 

[Go Gophs]

I would think that Johnson has "coached" JOJ and Ihnen to move on. CBJ moved on from them mid-season. Fox is up to Fox. So that's room for 2 transfers from guys that are not in the rotation. Of course we hope to retain the rest unless Betts and/or Keinys are not showing promise in practice.

Not sure why they want to give up on JOJ. I can see Ihnen, but JOJ is a decent player. He should have gotten some more playing time. Most likely they lose him, but I guess I see some promise in the kid. Too bad.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Not sure why they want to give up on JOJ. I can see Ihnen, but JOJ is a decent player. He should have gotten some more playing time. Most likely they lose him, but I guess I see some promise in the kid. Too bad.

He's definitely had some good moments during his career here and I agree he has promise but, if he's not going to play much, that promise won't be fulfilled here. I thought Isaiah Washington had promise despite his flaws. He was a willing passer and the best ball handler on the team but Pitino didn't want to play him so he had to leave.

 

[007gopherfan]

Gopher Crew announced on twitter to expect a couple of transfers?? CBJ is going after a lot of guards in the portal. Will Christie turn down 2.M contract if late first round pick...would be surprised, but sure be nice to see him back next year. Maybe good year next year makes him top 10 pick and bigger contract while still making 1M on NIL?

Garcia, Fox, Ihnen, JOJ, Carrington, Keiny's, Betts Those seem to me like the other ?'s

Garcia - he will wait to see how rest of the team unfolds
Fox - Same as Garcia, Can the body take another year?

JOJ, Keiny's and Betts have great size to be a 3, but just not enough sample size to see development.

If Garcia and Fox going to stay, think they be looking for a little more help to make sure NCAA run!

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

It's clear Ben is not going to play our PFs out of position anymore. He refused to do it this year and we were still paper thin in our backcourt. Barring injury, we should have something closer to regular backcourt depth next year. So some of these guys (JOJ, Betts, Ihnen) are going to have to figure it out as post players or move on.

 

[DarthGopher]

In the event anyone was speculating, I can confirm I will be staying and will not enter the transfer portal to go to another board.

 

[bga1]

Not sure why they want to give up on JOJ. I can see Ihnen, but JOJ is a decent player. He should have gotten some more playing time. Most likely they lose him, but I guess I see some promise in the kid. Too bad.

I like the ability of JOJ- but he went from starter to no playing time. That says a lot about what Ben is thinking.

 

[Gold Vision]

It's clear Ben is not going to play our PFs out of position anymore. He refused to do it this year and we were still paper thin in our backcourt. Barring injury, we should have something closer to regular backcourt depth next year. So some of these guys (JOJ, Betts, Ihnen) are going to have to figure it out as post players or move on.

JOJ has a better chance of developing into a solid wing than he does a power forward or post player.

 

[skyman31]

I know in this age you can’t assume anyone is staying, but has there been any indication that Mitchell, Carrington, or Payne are planning to leave? All 3 were solid parts of the rotation that don’t seem to have an immediately better option.

 

[007gopherfan]

JOJ has a better chance of developing into a solid wing than he does a power forward or post player.

Seems as if Ben was more concerned of JOJ defense? Something went wrong with him and what CBJ wanted as his minutes slipped heavly after the Penn State game in January. Maybe battling injury??

To me JOJ stat lines of 40% 3's and 75% FT this year, improvement last year, would be a solid wing player. He has the jumps to get Hawkins alley oops too!

 

[Holy Man]

Not sure why they want to give up on JOJ. I can see Ihnen, but JOJ is a decent player. He should have gotten some more playing time. Most likely they lose him, but I guess I see some promise in the kid. Too bad.

Too small for a power forward at this level and not skilled enough at the perimeter to play guard at this level. Classic tweener who would dominate in the Missouri Valley or lower conference, but not an easy place to fit in at highest major.

 

[Dakota2]

Gopher Crew announced on twitter to expect a couple of transfers?? CBJ is going after a lot of guards in the portal. Will Christie turn down 2.M contract if late first round pick...would be surprised, but sure be nice to see him back next year. Maybe good year next year makes him top 10 pick and bigger contract while still making 1M on NIL?

Garcia, Fox, Ihnen, JOJ, Carrington, Keiny's, Betts Those seem to me like the other ?'s

Garcia - he will wait to see how rest of the team unfolds
Fox - Same as Garcia, Can the body take another year?

JOJ, Keiny's and Betts have great size to be a 3, but just not enough sample size to see development.

If Garcia and Fox going to stay, think they be looking for a little more help to make sure NCAA run!

Logically, Fox is more likely to return than Garcia.

Garcia just had a great season. I feel he has peaked and can't do more unless we have a team that makes a deep tournament run. To have that kind of team we are going to need three impact transfers, meaning we play nine guys. Garcia is not playing more than 30 minutes in that scenario.

He is not going to have more to sell than he has right now. If, out of love of school and teammates he just wants to be part of it one more year, European scouts are going to say he is the same very good player as the year before but a year older. There's a point in the pro game where that becomes a slight disadvantage.

Fox, on the other hand, can play for the sheer love of the game and his guys. He's not going to ever play after college so being a year older going into a career is no big deal. He's going to work 40 years.

And, if Cam Christie has honest family and advisors helping him with life decisions, they are going to tell him he is not remotely ready to step on an NBA floor. He needs at minimum another year in the college game.

Yes, somebody might draft him and pay him based solely on potential. But he's going to G League in that event and he's going to get his brains beat out by physically stronger players. After a season of that his stock may likely be lower insofar as actually playing in the League.

If Cam comes back he can develop a full offensive game. He started driving to the hole late in the season but has no idea of finishing the play. It takes time to learn to absorb contact and still get up a shot with some hope of going down.

Also, has anyone ever seen Cam with the ball and NOT facing the basket? He has the height and can get the strength to make posting up smaller guys a big part of his game. A summer of watching Domast and Sanford on film would do wonders. If Cam backed a smaller guy down and just elevated on a 6-8 foot turn around jump shot he would be unstoppable. It's just not in his game yet and needs to be learned.

 

[60's Guy]

I would think that Johnson has "coached" JOJ and Ihnen to move on. CBJ moved on from them mid-season. Fox is up to Fox. So that's room for 2 transfers from guys that are not in the rotation. Of course we hope to retain the rest unless Betts and/or Keinys are not showing promise in practice.

Certainly seems logical about JOJ and Ihnen.....doesn't mean they'll automatically leave.
Same for Betts and Keinys who probably should realize the coach doesn't exactly see a future in them either.
But, if Garcia decides to do something else....that's a big hole.
If Christie leaves...so does hope. Retaining the core is the question at hand.

 

[Spottedmuskie]

We could see JOJ back, sounds like some concussion issues. I wouldn't rule him as a guaranteed transfer. We also saw Carrington take that mid season break, maybe he takes a step down and plays for a well known mid major somewhere? Doesn't really matter much whether Ihnen is here next year or not, but wouldn't be surprised to see him hang it up.

Would be amazing to return all 3 of Garcia, Christie, and Fox.

We will see, good news nobody entered the portal on Monday.

 

[Holy Man]

We could see JOJ back, sounds like some concussion issues. I wouldn't rule him as a guaranteed transfer. We also saw Carrington take that mid season break, maybe he takes a step down and plays for a well known mid major somewhere? Doesn't really matter much whether Ihnen is here next year or not, but wouldn't be surprised to see him hang it up.

Would be amazing to return all 3 of Garcia, Christie, and Fox.

We will see, good news nobody entered the portal on Monday.

The longer wait, the less likely it looks like tampering.

 

[BilldGopher]

Hold up....so this isn't a thread about beaches?

Got married a couple of miles north of Playa del Carmen but I digress....

 

[bomba$$_golf]

Logically, Fox is more likely to return than Garcia.

Garcia just had a great season. I feel he has peaked and can't do more unless we have a team that makes a deep tournament run. To have that kind of team we are going to need three impact transfers, meaning we play nine guys. Garcia is not playing more than 30 minutes in that scenario.

He is not going to have more to sell than he has right now. If, out of love of school and teammates he just wants to be part of it one more year, European scouts are going to say he is the same very good player as the year before but a year older. There's a point in the pro game where that becomes a slight disadvantage.

Fox, on the other hand, can play for the sheer love of the game and his guys. He's not going to ever play after college so being a year older going into a career is no big deal. He's going to work 40 years.

And, if Cam Christie has honest family and advisors helping him with life decisions, they are going to tell him he is not remotely ready to step on an NBA floor. He needs at minimum another year in the college game.

Yes, somebody might draft him and pay him based solely on potential. But he's going to G League in that event and he's going to get his brains beat out by physically stronger players. After a season of that his stock may likely be lower insofar as actually playing in the League.

If Cam comes back he can develop a full offensive game. He started driving to the hole late in the season but has no idea of finishing the play. It takes time to learn to absorb contact and still get up a shot with some hope of going down.

Also, has anyone ever seen Cam with the ball and NOT facing the basket? He has the height and can get the strength to make posting up smaller guys a big part of his game. A summer of watching Domast and Sanford on film would do wonders. If Cam backed a smaller guy down and just elevated on a 6-8 foot turn around jump shot he would be unstoppable. It's just not in his game yet and needs to be learned.

Lmao. Spoken like a true fan who cares more about their needs than the actual players. The nba drafts on potential. At a young 18, cam flashed enough potential. Any deficiency he has, you can blame on age. Sure , he can come back and get better but it’s typically never enough. Cam’s decision is a difficult one and really is a true 50/50 for what’s best. His draft status may very well be higher this year based on potential. Given his family track record, my guess is he gone.

 

[bomba$$_golf]

JOJ has a better chance of developing into a solid wing than he does a power forward or post player.

Ben’s reluctance to develop and play joj is probably the biggest headscratcher of this entire season. Joj has high major athleticism that needed to be taught how to play major basketball. The fact this staff chose not to is a travesty.

 

[MNMaroonMom]

Ben’s reluctance to develop and play joj is probably the biggest headscratcher of this entire season. Joj has high major athleticism that needed to be taught how to play major basketball. The fact this staff chose not to is a travesty.

How do you know they didn't try? Maybe JOJ wasn't receptive? Don't get me wrong I too think JOJ is extremely athletic but I think its a stretch to say they chose not to develop him. He started 19 games.

 

[bomba$$_golf]

How do you know they didn't try? Maybe JOJ wasn't receptive? Don't get me wrong I too think JOJ is extremely athletic but I think its a stretch to say they chose not to develop him. He started 19 games.

Our Achilles heel all year was lack of depth. To sit JOJ for almost the entirety of the second half of the season suggests that was a coaching decision. I am not saying he should have started but this roster needed him to play. They chose not to. That is coaching malpractice. This staff loved to have scapegoats. Good staffs love to fnd solutions.

 

[jovs]

Our Achilles heel all year was lack of depth. To sit JOJ for almost the entirety of the second half of the season suggests that was a coaching decision. I am not saying he should have started but this roster needed him to play. They chose not to. That is coaching malpractice. This staff loved to have scapegoats. Good staffs love to fnd solutions.

I tend to agree, how can you not find some playing time for him, he can play multiple positions and certainly PF at this level with his athleticism, Johnson chose to play it close to the vest. He should leave. Not going to be a starter but court time shouldn't be a problem.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

Our Achilles heel all year was lack of depth. To sit JOJ for almost the entirety of the second half of the season suggests that was a coaching decision. I am not saying he should have started but this roster needed him to play. They chose not to. That is coaching malpractice. This staff loved to have scapegoats. Good staffs love to fnd solutions.

Unless you have a coach who plays a lot of players, inevitably you're going to run into a situation where a seemingly capable player is short changed. These are coaching decisions and there's little or nothing fans can do about it. I'm not a person who believes that the boss is always right but it's the boss's decision that will prevail.

At least now players can transfer and have a chance to play somewhere else immediately.

 

[howeda7]

How do you know they didn't try? Maybe JOJ wasn't receptive? Don't get me wrong I too think JOJ is extremely athletic but I think its a stretch to say they chose not to develop him. He started 19 games.

He was far better last year. Doesn't look good on the staff that he regressed so much.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Lmao. Spoken like a true fan who cares more about their needs than the actual players. The nba drafts on potential. At a young 18, cam flashed enough potential. Any deficiency he has, you can blame on age. Sure , he can come back and get better but it’s typically never enough. Cam’s decision is a difficult one and really is a true 50/50 for what’s best. His draft status may very well be higher this year based on potential. Given his family track record, my guess is he gone.

I can't see any NBA team taking him in the first round in the upcoming draft, way too green and would get eaten alive. Nice outside shooter, but he needs to develop more of his game and put on some mass.