Men’s Basketball
Who is leaving:
Braeden Carrington
Class: Sophomore
Position: Guard
Stats: 4.6 points per game (PPG), 3.2 rebounds per game (RPG), 1.1 assists per game (APG), 35 field goal percentage (FG%)
Carrington entered the transfer portal on March 28. There is currently no crystal ball prediction from 247Sports.
Cam Christie
Class: Freshman
Position: Guard
Stats: 11.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 40 FG%
Sports Illustrated’s draft profile of Christe projects him as a second-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. Although the young prospect is looking toward a basketball career after college, he elected to maintain his eligibility as a collegiate player, keeping the scenario open for his return to the Gophers.
Elijah Hawkins
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Stats: 9.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 7.5 APG, 39 FG%
Hawkins told On3sports on April 22 of his intent to enter the transfer portal. The decision comes 12 days after the program posted a photo of Hawkins with the caption “PG1 is back” on social media. Last season, Hawkins broke the Gophers’ single-season assist record (247) and single-game assist record (17).
Isaiah Ihnen
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
Stats: 3.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 44 FG%
Ihnen announced he was entering the transfer portal on March 28. He committed to Liberty University, according to 247Sports.
Kris Keinys
Class: Freshman
Position: Forward
Keinys saw little action during his freshman season, averaging 4.2 minutes in five games played. The 6-foot-8 Lithuanian entered the transfer portal on March 29.
Joshua Ola-Joseph
Class: Sophomore
Position: Forward
Stats: 7.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 61 FG%
Ola-Joseph entered the transfer portal on March 27 after progressively losing minutes throughout the season. He told On3Sports on April 20 of his commitment to the University of California next season.
Pharrel Payne
Class: Junior
Position: Center
Stats: 10.0 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.2 APG, 60 FG%
Payne announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on March 28. According to Darren Wolfson of KSTP, Payne visited Indiana, Louisville, Mississippi State and Nebraska. Meanwhile, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M are “still in play.”
Who is staying:
Isaac Asuma
Class: High school senior
Position: Guard
The last time Asuma played on the Williams Arena court, he led Cherry High School to its first state title on March 23 in a win against Fertile-Beltrami.
Kadyn Betts
Class: Redshirt freshman
Position: Forward
Stats: 1.3 PPG, 0.3 RBG, 0.4 APG, 27 FG%.
Betts and the team announced on April 8 that he would return to the program next season after playing eight games in 2023-24.
Parker Fox
Class: Redshirt senior
Position: Forward
Stats: 5.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.7 APG, 68 FG%
Fox announced he would return for his final season as a Gopher on March 13. Fox, known by fans as the team’s energizer off the bench, played in every game last season after missing the previous two seasons due to knee injuries.
Dawson Garcia
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Stats: 17.6 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 49 FG%
Garcia announced his return to the Gophers next season. Garcia is coming off a season where he was sixth in the Big Ten in scoring and 11th in rebounds.
Grayson Grove
Class: High school senior
Position: Forward
A month after his official visit in October, the three-star recruit signed his letter of intent with Asuma to Minnesota. Grove of Alexandria Area High School finished fourth in the 2024 Class 3A state tournament and was named on the all-tournament team.
“The culture that they built and winning more games really is exciting,” Grove said in a late-March interview with the Star Tribune. “Hopefully Isaac and I can help them keep building off what they had this year.”
Frank Mitchell
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Stats: 12.1 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 56 FG%
On April 17, Mitchell became the first player to sign with the Gophers through the transfer portal this offseason. He formerly played for Humber College in Toronto before transferring to Canisius University in 2022.
“He does a phenomenal job in the paint and has a great feel for the game,” Johnson said in a press release. “His ability, both offensively and defensively, translates to winning. Frank was one of the best rebounders in the country last season and can easily go and get a double-double.”
Mike Mitchell Jr.
Class: Junior
Position: Guard
Stats: 10.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 42 FG%
The Gophers announced on April 5 that Mitchell will be returning to the team for his senior season.
Will Ramberg
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Stats: 1.0 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 100 FG%
Jack Wilson
Class: Senior
Position: Center
Stats: 1.6 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG, 83 FG%
