For struggling Gophers, Jamison Battle is a bright spot shining brighter

Jamison Battle was the Gophers' leading scorer from the first time he stepped onto the Williams Arena floor in November, but through the course of the Big Ten season he proved capable of even more.

He developed star potential.

Nothing portrayed his immense talent like the career-high 39 points he scored in Wednesday's 84-73 loss at Maryland, the most scored by any player in a Big Ten game this year.

It was also the highest-scoring conference game by a sophomore in Gophers history.

Battle talked to his head coach while walking to the team bus after the Maryland loss about that game, which showed the college basketball world his elite scoring ability — beyond just shooting.

"The next step with that is being able to lead," Gophers coach Ben Johnson told him. "Because a lot of guys will be looking at you and they need to be looking at you."

The Gophers (13-15, 4-15 Big Ten) don't have much to show in the win column with one game left in Johnson's first Big Ten regular season, Sunday at Northwestern. But Battle's play has provided plenty of reason for optimism.

"I think he'll be All-Big Ten preseason next year," Johnson said. "The staff needs to empower you this offseason and the summer to continue to be who you are, but to show with your work ethic how we do things around here to the new guys."

The 6-7, 225-pound former DeLaSalle standout enters Sunday ranked eighth in the Big Ten in scoring with 17.3 points per game, and is second in three-pointers per game (2.6) and fifth in three-point percentage (37.0).

"The reason I came to Minnesota is not only to represent my home state and play for [the Gophers], but to play in the Big Ten," Battle said earlier. "It's arguably the best conference in the nation."

Battle's 7-for-16 shooting from three on Wednesday night was a Gophers record for most three-point attempts and the most for any men's player in a Big Ten game since 2016.

There have been signs of the budding Big Ten star growing into an all-around player. The evolution of Battle's game will be one of the league's key narratives this offseason. And it could be a major factor into helping the Gophers take a big step while turning into Battle's team next year.

Big Ten Network analyst Stephen Bardo said Battle could be an All-Big Ten first team player next season, but he wants to see him be more than a shooter and scorer.

"I'd like to see him expand his game in other ways," Bardo said. "I think with his size he could be a much better rebounder and defender."

Battle's long-range shooting stroke has only gotten more lethal since his days leading DeLaSalle to a state title. And he's scoring even more than when starting his college hoops career breaking three-point records at George Washington.

Battle's career high before Wednesday had been 29 points for GW last season vs. Duquesne. His best game as a Gopher was 27 points in his first Big Ten game on Dec. 11 in a win at Michigan, also the Gophers' last road victory.

The entire Big Ten game-planned how to limit Battle's seemingly unlimited range this season and will likely adjust even more defensively to try to slow him down next year.

How Battle adds to his repertoire will determine how big a jump he can make as a junior. He's already showing different wrinkles, including attacking the basket with authority.

In his first 24 games at the U, Battle was second on the team with five dunks, but he's had four dunks in his past three games, including a pair Wednesday against Maryland.

The last time the Gophers played Northwestern, Battle had 21 points despite hitting just one three-pointer. He also recorded career-highs with 14 rebounds and five assists in a 77-60 win on Feb. 19.

"Jamison has a ton of talent and ability to score," Johnson said. "The next phase is everyone knows he can shoot and create his own shot. Now can you facilitate for yourself and for others? He's going to draw a ton of attention as he should."

Battle's impact this season is worthy of All-Big Ten honors, but he's been overshadowed by other sophomores such as Wisconsin's Johnny Davis, Purdue's Jaden Ivey and Iowa's Keegan Murray, who are all on projected NCAA tournament teams.

The all-league talk with Battle was stronger when the Gophers started 10-1, but they've lost 14 of the past 16 games.

Those individual accolades will likely be certain when Battle takes the next step with his game and leads the Gophers to more success.

"I think he will," Johnson said. "I think he's in a good mind frame. Jamison's a smart kid. He understands. He totally gets it. I think he's gained confidence from this year knowing he belongs. That's the biggest thing."