These days, Gophers basketball coaches see quite a bit of a familiar and welcome sight:
Andre Hollins' smile.
After a left ankle injury caused the guard to limp through much of the last two months of last season, that grin is the only sign assistant coach Dan McHale needs to tell him things are back to normal.
"I think he's the Andre Hollins that the fans remember from a while ago right now," McHale said. "He has a bounce-back in his game, he's healthy."
This summer, the senior guard has been the first player to walk in the Bierman gym in the morning and the last to leave after practice. He also has taken on a larger leadership role.
It's a far cry from last season's finish.
Hollins averaged 16.2 points in his first 19 games. Against Wisconsin at Williams Arena on Jan. 22, however, Hollins went up for a jump shot in the first five seconds of the game and landed on a defender's foot.
The ensuing ankle sprain was severe. The pictures Hollins tweeted revealed a joint so swollen it more closely resembled an eggplant than a foot.