Gophers feel Amir Coffey's absence in all areas

When asked to describe how much Amir Coffey means to the Gophers basketball team, Richard Pitino really couldn't find a good way to sum it up.

Pitino's answer was simply: "Are we missing Amir? Yes, we're missing Amir."

The injured 6-foot-8 sophomore guard is an NBA prospect and arguably Pitino's most talented player.

Coffey doesn't just help the Gophers in one area. He can lead them in scoring and fill up the stat sheet on any night — and be the team's best perimeter defender.

The Gophers (13-6, 2-4 Big Ten), who begin a three-game road trip Monday at Penn State (13-6, 3-3), continue to show no signs of being able to replace Coffey and senior center Reggie Lynch. They have lost three consecutive games without them, including Saturday's 34-point loss against No. 5 Purdue at Williams Arena.

Lynch's suspension likely ends his career with the Gophers. Coffey's right shoulder injury is expected be re-evaluated by doctors in the first week of February.

Lynch is allowed to practice but not travel with the team. Coffey can't practice but travels, so his presence on the bench Monday will be a reminder of what's missing.

Minnesota was 10-0 this season when Coffey had three or more assists in a game.

"He does a lot," Pitino said. "What happens is you take a lot of minutes and you take him away, you put in people who aren't used to that, and put them in positions they're not used to for a long period of time. ... That's why I feel like I need about three months to practice with these guys."

Coffey's next evaluation will determine if he can return by the end of February in the estimated six- to eight-week recovery period. Missing the rest of the season is also a possibility, but Pitino is not considering that right now for his All-Big Ten preseason pick.

"I don't know why you would say he's not going to be back this year," he said. "We're not looking at it like that. We take it day-by-day. … But we move on."

Unlike the center position, the Gophers have depth on the perimeter; they just can't replace Coffey's size, athleticism and all-around skills with one player.

Pitino talked about using a three-guard lineup more with Mason at point, Washington at shooting guard and McBrayer at wing. McBrayer has some of the same attributes as Coffey, but it will be a committee approach to replace the former Hopkins star.