Another week, another Gophers men's basketball player is off the team. At this rate, coach Richard Pitino is going to have to put out a help wanted ad (or tweet) by the start of the Big Ten season — or inquire to see if he, himself, has any eligibility left.

On Monday, freshman Josh Martin abruptly announced he was leaving the team, effective immediately. Having met Martin only once — during the team's media day — we found him to be engaging and confident, which when you don't play much can translate into impulsiveness.

As Amelia Rayno wrote, the Gophers are now short four players (three who could have played this season) from what they thought they would have:

The drama started just before the start of the regular season, when Illinois State transfer Zach Lofton — who would have redshirted this year — was kicked off the team for failing to meet its "expectations and obligations." Then, two weeks ago, sophomore guard Daquein McNeil was arrested on two counts of felony assault and subsequently suspended. Counting the absence of international freshman big Gaston Diedhiou — who was denied admission in late August — the Gophers are short four expected teammates.

Gophers players are saying all the right things at this point, which is at least one good sign. DeAndre Mathieu said the Gophers are going to "stick together and continue to fight." Joey King said, "We're fired up about who we have in this locker room."

King noted, though, that the outside perception might be that there are problems. That perception, along with a simple numbers crunch with just nine active scholarship players on the roster, will combine to give Pitino the toughest test of his brief Minnesota tenure.

He came in with modest expectations a year ago and worked to positive reviews by leading the Gophers within a win or two of an NCAA berth and eventually to an NIT title. Expectations this year were higher. Teams who win the NIT and return two talented senior guards (Mathieu and Andre Hollins) are generally positioned to not just reach the NCAA tournament but perhaps also make some noise once they get there.

That helps recruiting. That helps build a program for the long run. When you lose players in the manner the Gophers have lost them, however, it can harm long-term growth in two ways. First, the chance for immediate success is diminished. Second, the outside perception of the team can hurt recruiting. Opposing coaches use it as fodder against you. A fan base — fair or not, regardless of circumstances — starts to wonder what kinds of players are in the program if problems keep cropping up.

That doesn't have to happen, of course. Pitino's Gophers haven't lost an irreplaceable player — yet. They still have plenty of talent and character to make the NCAA tournament and keep building the program. But Pitino and his players will have to battle depth and perception issues to make it happen, and how they pull through could have a hand in how the future plays out.