Ben Johnson’s inaugural season as Gophers basketball’s head coach is officially over. Minnesota began the season 11-1 and like many others, I will admit that I got a bit carried away. After winning their first three true road games of the season (Pitt, Mississippi St., and Michigan), the Gophers did not win another road game for the rest of the season. After a tumultuous Big Ten Conference season, they ultimately finished 4-16 in-conference and finished last in the league. At the end of the day, a 13-17 season was about where many thought this team would finish pre-season. Kenpom.com ranked them as the No. 106 ranked team in college basketball.
Six best wins according to Kenpom.com:
- @ No. 31 Michigan
- @ No. 49 Mississippi St.
- V. No. 73 Rutgers
- V. No. 76 Northwestern
- V. No. 93 Penn St.
- N. No. 105 Princeton
This team’s culture is what they should be remembered by. Gophers teams of the past had games where it looked over once they came off the bus, but this team had only two maybe three games where it did not look at least competitive. This team did all the small things right; very few turnovers handled late-game situations well and fought until the last whistle. Between Jamison Battle‘s scoring prowess, Treyton Thompson‘s potential and players returning from injury there is a lot to like about this program heading into next season.
2022-23 Roster Outlook:
The transfer portal never sleeps, and we have already seen some players across the country enter their names. As of today, it looks like the Gophers have nine players under scholarship for the 2022-23 season, so that means that Johnson and his staff will have four open scholarships to work with, as he goes after players in the portal.
- G: Braeden Carrington/Abdoulaye Thiam
- G: Joshua Ola-Joseph/Jaden Henley
- F: Jamison Battle
- F: Isaiah Ihnen/Pharrel Payne
- F/C: Parker Fox/Treyton Thompson
- *Walk-ons: Will Ramberg, Jackson Purcell
Any fan of Minnesota high school basketball knows Park Center standout Braeden Carrington, but as a true freshman next season, it would be a huge ask for him to take on a starting PG role on day one, but it would not shock me if he works his way into that role during the season. He has the skills of a true combo guard, but will likely be asked to play with the balls in his hands a lot next season. Former JUCO-transfer Abdoulaye Thiam averaged 3.3 minutes per game in his first season with the Gophers and scored 12 total points. He is more than capable of contributing next season, but his offseason improvement will be huge. Minnesota-born freshman Joshua Ola-Joseph has spent his senior season playing for popular prep school AZ Compass Prep. As a true freshman, it might not be instant, but I would not be shocked if he starts games next season, and he will almost certainly have a role. Incoming freshman Jaden Henley has the chance to be redshirted next season, but he rounds out a group of four guards that will have zero starts at the division one level heading into next season.
After a season, with a serious weakness among the frontcourt, I think that will be this team’s strength next season. Jamison Battle has serious first-team All-Big Ten potential next season, and we all know how talented of a player he is. Treyton Thompson showed flashes of exciting potential, averaging 9.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per-40 minutes.
The Gophers will be getting junior Isaiah Ihnen (knee) back from injury, after scoring in double figures three different times in 2020-21. The biggest addition to this team next season will be former D2 All-American Parker Fox (knee) who will have All-Big Ten potential next season. His all-world athleticism will raise this team’s ceiling drastically. Lastly, incoming freshman Pharrel Payne (Park of Cottage Grove, MN) is another player will all of the skills to be more than involved in this team’s rotation.
Fox, Battle, Ihnen, and Payne are all listed between 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9, while Thompson is listed at 7-foot. I believe that will give Johnson an opportunity to be incredibly creative and versatile next season. We already saw him experiment with Battle at the five down the stretch of this season and I think Fox and Ihnen are more than capable of playing a similar role on this team. Payne and Thompson have the skillset of more traditional big men and I expect this team’s length and rebounding to be far improved next season. If you asked me today, I would expect Battle, Ihnen, and Fox to start alongside a pair of guards whoever that is, while Thompson and Payne will come off the bench.
Potential Needs/Targets:
A veteran point guard is a massive need for this team heading into the offseason. If Johnson and his staff are able to add a PG that has starting experience from the transfer portal, I personally believe that this roster has the floor of being a bubble-ish team next season. Anything after that will only raise its ceiling. I think shooting should be need-No. 2. After finding their PG, any shooters and shot creators would be great for this team next season. Even with the improved length I still think this team could use a true center. I see Thompson as more of a natural four, so a true five-man to play as a reserve or even start would be huge in a Big Ten conference with some of the best bigs in the country.
As of writing this, there are upwards of only 25 players in the transfer portal, so it would be a bit premature to start looking at potential targets but be sure to follow along on Twitter @tonyliebert and @Gopherhole for potential names all offseason. Ben Johnson has this program going in the right direction and this offseason will just be the start.