Gophers men's basketball beat writer Amelia Rayno is back from her European travels and took questions from fans for an extensive mailbag (aMAILiaBAG). Here is one of the highlights:

@MNfan4ever: Who is going to defend the rim and rebound after this year? #Lotsofguards

Amelia Rayno: The frontcourt is far from barren — the only problem is that most of it will be relatively unproven a year from now. Joey King will be a senior, and the Gophers will rely on him greatly from both a veteran leadership standpoint, and for major minutes and rebounds. Behind him there is the uber-athletic Josh Martin — who will be a sophomore, and should have plenty of time to learn on the job this year — as well as international bigs Bakary Konate and Gaston Diedhiou, assuming the latter gets admitted at some point.

Jonathan Nwankwo, who is committed to the Gophers for 2015, is critical in helping to fill the gaps at center, where Mo Walker and ball-swatting Elliott Eliason will have expired their eligibility. It could be a strong frontcourt indeed. It could be a liability.

Gold in the Barn: startribune.com/blogs