STrib: Jarvis Johnson joins Gophers men's basketball as graduate assistant

[BleedGopher]

per Marcus:

Johnson now gets to help coach the Gophers. It will be announced later, but he officially joined Richard Pitino’s staff for the 2019-20 season.

"Jarvis was kind of the first guy we set out to get in the Twin Cities," Pitino said last season. "Unfortunately, he wasn't cleared, but he has been a terrific member of our team. He's got great perspective. Great on the bench. Great in the locker room. Great in the dorms talking to the guys. He's a leader in a lot of ways that people don't know about.”

Johnson, who received a standing ovation while introduced as the "sixth-man" on senior night before the U's victory over Purdue, thought about pursuing other opportunities to play. He stayed home for a reason, though. He's still living a dream being a part of his hometown program.

“Just watching them from the locker room talks, I get chills during the game,” Johnson told the Star Tribune during a Q&A in March. “I play through them honestly. And I think they play through me.”

http://www.startribune.com/former-g...n-joins-team-as-graduate-assistant/544983822/

Go Gophers!!

 

[Slim Tubby]

Fantastic move...loyalty should always be rewarded. Put him in charge of reaching out to the local kids.


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[alchemy2u]

Agree. He can be a role model for the younger players.

 

[El Amin Fan]

Great to see, love how supportive Jarvis was through the years on the bench. He's a Gopher through and through.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Brutal what happened to this kid, I would have loved to see him play. Seems like he handled that situation well, and kudos to Pitino for rewarding him for his attitude and keeping him involved. Hopefully he can make a nice career out of coaching.

 

[GopherJake]

The fact that he didn’t go play elsewhere indicates to me that someone in his orbit convinced him the doc was right. That doctor may have saved his life and may just deserve a whole lot of credit in the face if what likely was a lot of well-intended pressure at the time to clear him.

 

[Holy Man]

The fact that he didn’t go play elsewhere indicates to me that someone in his orbit convinced him the doc was right. That doctor may have saved his life and may just deserve a whole lot of credit in the face if what likely was a lot of well-intended pressure at the time to clear him.

Great news for Jarvis. Obviously a great young man, and I wish him well in coaching career. He may have a unique perspective from his role with the team. I do remember when he was first not cleared to play, there was a lot of anger and frustration among fans, and it made national news because players at other universities with similar conditions were cleared to play. Medicine is an art and there is room for varied interpretations, but it seemed clear to me when he didn't transfer to somewhere that might clear him that he and his family came to peace with the doc's recommendation even if it was difficult.

 

[Mulligan]

Great news for Jarvis. Obviously a great young man, and I wish him well in coaching career. He may have a unique perspective from his role with the team. I do remember when he was first not cleared to play, there was a lot of anger and frustration among fans, and it made national news because players at other universities with similar conditions were cleared to play. Medicine is an art and there is room for varied interpretations, but it seemed clear to me when he didn't transfer to somewhere that might clear him that he and his family came to peace with the doc's recommendation even if it was difficult.

Each case is different but I remember those posts and just shaking my head. Don't know what the odds were of something awful happening; but even if they were very, very small, you just don't take that chance.

 

[Otis]

Jarvis making the first step toward his future job as the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Basketball coach! Do well young man!