Gophers transfer Lynch "ahead of schedule" in his shoulder rehab, plus other notes

Reggie Lynch is not ready to return to full participation on the court but is "ahead of schedule" in his rehabilitation from a February shoulder surgery, University of Minnesota coach Richard Pitino said in his first offseason news conference on Wednesday.

Lynch, a 6-9 big man transfer who will be eligible to play next season, elected to have the procedure on his right rotator cuff, which had gradually become painful, over the winter. In the meantime, he's been working with Gophers trainer Ben Felz to strengthen his left arm. Right now, the rest of the team is participating in individual instructions on the court three days a week.

"He looks good," Pitino said of Lynch. "The doctors say …his range of mobility is ahead of schedule. So I think they're pleasantly surprised."

Pitino said he expects Lynch to return to the court in June. Lynch, who played two seasons at Illinois State before sitting out as a Gopher last season, is expected to start at center this fall and be a critical piece of the Gophers' anticipated growth.

Lynch, who will have two years of eligibility remaining, recorded 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds a game in his sophomore season while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and posting the best block percentage (15.2) in the nation.

You can read my story on Pitino's anticipations with transfers and his own staff here.

A few other notes from Pitino's meeting with the media today:

*Pitino said forward Charles Buggs "had a little arm issue" but that he's "fine" now. He said the rest of the team is healthy.

*Asked how he would like to use the open scholarship made available by Kevin Dorsey's transfer, Pitino had an array of ideas.

"The craze in all of college basketball is a fifth-year senior," he said. "It's what everyone is doing, so we look at that. We kind of keep all our options open, whether or not is a fifth year, a transfer, a high school senior. We haven't really looked much at junior college. I think we're just trying to find the best fit to mesh with a team we think has got a chance and to complete that team …we're just trying to fill a need, whatever it is, and if we don't, we'll save the scholarship."

Fifth-year senior guard Akeem Springs was on campus last weekend along with 6-11 high school freshman Jordy Tshimanga.

*Would Pitino consider giving the scholarship to walk-on Stephon Sharp, who was the team's leading scorer in the final four games of last year amid suspensions and injuries?

*Pitino said the Gophers are "really, really close" to scheduling a home-and-home with another high-major program but wouldn't give any details because it isn't yet finalized. CBS Sports reported on Wednesday that Minnesota would host St. John's in the 2016 Gavitt Tipoff Games pitting the Big East with the Big Ten. The official time and date has not been determined.