Chris Halvorsen Working Hard to Prepare Gopher Teammates During Redshirt Season

The dream of playing for the hometown Gophers took an indirect route for Chris Halvorsen. The former Henry Sibley prep attended Valparaiso as a freshman where he played in nine games during an injury-filled year. After assessing his future with his family and talking with the Gopher coaching staff, the St. Paul native chose to transfer to the U and walk-on at Minnesota.

Due to NCAA transfer rules, Halvorsen will sit out this year as a red-shirt and will be eligible to play in games in 2011-2012. Until then, he will work hard every day in practice preparing his teammates for the season and will also work on his strength and individual game.

GopherHole.com caught up with Halvorsen to learn more about his arrival at Minnesota and his goals for the season.

GH: Can you tell me why you transferred?
CH: There was a lot that went into it. A lot of it was to be closer to home. Valpo was a nice spot, but not a perfect fit. I was there for one year.

GH: What was your experience there?
CH: It was a good experience going away from home and the basketball was a big adjustment.

GH: Are you happy to be able to transfer to the U?
CH: I’m happy to be able to transfer. I have to sit out but that’s fine.

GH: How was your year at Valpo?
CH: I got injured halfway through the season and had a slight fracture and didn’t get to play a lot and then decided to transfer back to Minnesota.

GH: What has the staff said about earning a scholarship down the road?
CH: There is an opportunity to do that, but my goal is to help the team any way I can. I am not too worried about that.

GH: Who is your roommate?
CH: We have an odd number of people so I room by myself.

GH: Who have you bonded with on the team?
CH: I’ve known a lot of guys since high school and have bonded with them as well as the freshman like Elliot, Mav, Austin, Oto, Mo, Chip. It’s a good group of kids.

GH: What is your goal this season?
CH: Anything the coach asks me to help out in practice.

Talk about the Gopher Basketball team on Tubby’s Barn message board.