BleedGopher
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per Marcus:
Who will be the man in the middle for new Gophers basketball coach Ben Johnson next season?
Johnson and his coaching staff are busy searching the transfer portal to add much-needed size and depth to the frontcourt to compete in the Big Ten. They currently don't have a player on the roster to play the center role.
"It's a dog fight," Johnson told the Star Tribune recently. "Anytime you see guys available at [point guard and center] it's a dog fight. For us, I feel pretty comfortable with what we have in the backcourt and on the perimeter. So, now it's trying to add depth to our frontcourt."
A year ago, Johnson's predecessor Richard Pitino found the replacement for All-American and NBA draft pick Daniel Oturu when he landed Drake 7-footer Liam Robbins in the spring.
Robbins leaving the Gophers for Vanderbilt (with his uncle and associate head coach Ed Conroy following) this spring opened up a significant hole at center for the U for the second straight offseason.
"Bigs are hard to find," Johnson said. "They're not just walking down the street – guys with size. And on top of that, size plus the ability to play at this level is hard to come by. Everybody wants them. You just got to find creative ways to hopefully put yourself into position to get one of them."
Go Gophers!!
Who will be the man in the middle for new Gophers basketball coach Ben Johnson next season?
Johnson and his coaching staff are busy searching the transfer portal to add much-needed size and depth to the frontcourt to compete in the Big Ten. They currently don't have a player on the roster to play the center role.
"It's a dog fight," Johnson told the Star Tribune recently. "Anytime you see guys available at [point guard and center] it's a dog fight. For us, I feel pretty comfortable with what we have in the backcourt and on the perimeter. So, now it's trying to add depth to our frontcourt."
A year ago, Johnson's predecessor Richard Pitino found the replacement for All-American and NBA draft pick Daniel Oturu when he landed Drake 7-footer Liam Robbins in the spring.
Robbins leaving the Gophers for Vanderbilt (with his uncle and associate head coach Ed Conroy following) this spring opened up a significant hole at center for the U for the second straight offseason.
"Bigs are hard to find," Johnson said. "They're not just walking down the street – guys with size. And on top of that, size plus the ability to play at this level is hard to come by. Everybody wants them. You just got to find creative ways to hopefully put yourself into position to get one of them."
Gophers basketball in the market for much-needed frontcourt depth
New Gophers coach Ben Johnson and staff are working to find their center for next season and more inside help
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!