Sophomore forward Jamison Battle and junior guard Ta’Lon Cooper entered the NCAA transfer portal Thursday; Cooper also intends to pursue the NBA Draft.
Battle and Cooper entering the portal comes after tough news about Jaden Henley and Treyton Thompson entering on Monday. The Gophers now have four open positions for next season.
Battle, a hometown player from Robbinsdale, led the Gophers in scoring in the 2021-22 season with 17.5 points.
He started the 2022-23 campaign with a foot injury and never regained that elite scoring ability, averaging 12.4 points and 3.8 rebounds this past season.
For Cooper, the transfer from Morehead State, the NBA Draft may be his next stop as he looks to test the waters.
In his first and only season with the Gophers, Cooper averaged 9.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, ranking seventh in the nation in assists per game.
Battle and Cooper were veteran leaders on this young Minnesota roster, which included four freshmen playing regularly throughout the season.
Head Coach Ben Johnson will look for upperclassmen Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen to fill the gaps. Both Fox and Ihnen are coming off injuries that kept them sidelined all of the 2022-23 season.
The Gophers men’s basketball roster will see major turnover next season with at least four open scholarships.
Following a 9-22 season, going 2-17 in Big Ten play, the Golden Gophers will look to bring on some experienced talent moving into next season. Look for Johnson to be aggressive in his pursuit for talent in the transfer portal to fill the void left by Battle and Cooper.
