In 2013, Joey King transferred to the University of Minnesota and joined a new coach Richard Pitino and a Gophers team that he had mostly inherited and scrapped together after being hired that spring.

Now, two years later, King is a senior and suddenly the "old man" of a team that looks almost completely distinct from the one the Eagan native initially joined after transferring from Drake.

"It's crazy," he said Wednesday, at the school's annual media day. "Only me and [redshirt junior Charles] Buggs are left from my sophomore year, so the turnover has been crazy over the past two years. We're not so much looking to replace these players as we are gaining players. We're taking steps forward every single day with these new guys – they're taking steps forward and I'm looking forward to what we can accomplish over the next couple years."

One of two seniors on a team with so much youth – four eligible freshmen and three sophomores – King has valuable experience, toughness and a veteran mindset that will make his role as a leader critical. King has the reputation of spending extra time in the gym, using game-level physicality in practices and gutting out the small stuff -- taking charges, grabbing loose balls. This year, King will also need to improve his rebounding efforts (he averaged three per game last year to go along with 9.7 points) on a team that lacks size and depth in the frontcourt. King, who has added an extra five pounds over the summer, embraces both roles.

"It's something I've been waiting for for a long time," the 6-9 King said of being in his veteran position. "We had some great Gophers graduate last year and just great leaders for the program. Now it's my time to be the leader of this team. I couldn't be more excited."

A few other thoughts from King on media day:

On playing some backup center, along with his natural stretch-power forward position: "I've put on a few pounds over the summer and I'm feeling as confident as I ever have been. I'm just looking forward to the challenge. I'm really hoping to double my rebound numbers this year and just be a force on the glass – I think that's something that's really important for me if I want to move on and play at the next level. So it's nothing new to me, but it's definitely going to be a challenge to continue to produce at multiple positions.

On improving on the boards: "It just comes down to the more effort plays I make, the more times I chase down the ball, the more chances I get to pull them down. I've tried to focus on not hanging around the three-point line as much when it comes to offensive rebounding, and if I can sneak in 2, 3 offensive rebounds a game, I think that would do a lot for me. …I think I had seven rebounds in the scrimmage [last week], so anytime I can hold a number around that, I'm feeling pretty good. So it's just going to take a lot of hard work throughout the season, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."

On the team's youth: "The guys who are seasoned and who have been there before know what to do. So all it comes down to is us teaching and helping them along the way. And that's what's going to lead to the most success – if we can continue to build on these guys' good habits every single day, I think that will lead to them producing once the season comes."

On the skillsets on the current roster: "These guys that coach is recruiting definitely fit his system to a T. It's guys that he wanted and that he hand-picked across the country. I think they're going to do great things and I'm just really looking forward to it."