Gophers guard Sean Sutherlin relishes his role after a winding road back home

Sean Sutherlin might need assurance that he's not dreaming Monday, when he takes the court with the Gophers at Williams Arena for their exhibition opener.

In February, Sutherlin was not even playing college basketball, as he sat out recovering from hip surgery. He left the University of New Hampshire and returned home to Minnesota not knowing what was next.

Other than rehabbing, Sutherlin's nights in the gym last season were mostly spent working as a volunteer assistant coach at Irondale, his old high school.

"When I was out last year, I got a chance to see the game from a different view," he said.

Despite being the least heralded of four newcomers from Minnesota, Sutherlin's unexpected journey to play for his home state program stands out, much like his rebounding prowess at barely 6-5.

"It was kind of a long process," said Sutherlin, who led the American East Conference with 12 double-doubles two seasons ago. "[Playing for the Gophers] is definitely a dream come true."

New Gophers coach Ben Johnson prides himself in being a wealth of knowledge on Minnesota talent, but the player who could end up being his best rebounder was nowhere on his radar until the spring.

"I didn't know about him, but there were some local guys who reached out to me," Johnson said. "Sean's rebounding numbers were through the roof. When you watch film on him and you see it, it's natural and it's instinctive."

A couple months after entering the transfer portal, Sutherlin had only heard from mid-major California schools, but he enjoyed working with his former high school coach Jon DeMars, who needed extra help during the pandemic.

"He ended up helping us most days," DeMars said. "It was nice to have him around. I kept asking him what he was going to do. He said he didn't know, and could always go back to New Hampshire."

A few weeks after Richard Pitino was fired and replaced by Johnson in March, Sutherlin got a call from the Gophers, who had already lost seven players to the portal from last season's squad. He was ready to commit on the spot after being offered a scholarship.

"I'm from here and this is my dream school," Sutherlin said. "Ben Johnson took a [chance] on me because there were a lot of questions around my injury."

Sutherlin grew up 15 minutes from the U campus, but his high school recruitment flew under the radar. He was an athletic, physically tough and undersized wing who finished his career third on Irondale's all-time scoring list, but he had no Division I or Division II offers and ended up in junior college.

New Hampshire knew it got a steal from Sheridan College in Wyoming when Sutherlin finished as the second leading rebounder (9.3) in the America East his first year. He also scored 20 or more points four times, including 21 points and career-high 20 rebounds vs. Bryant in 2019-20. A breakout season was on the horizon before season-ending hip surgery last year.

The Gophers didn't just take a chance on Sutherlin coming back from an injury. Division II All-America junior Parker Fox from Mahtomedi needed knee surgery, but he committed right after Sutherlin in mid-April.

The former Minnesota Heat AAU teammates envisioned reuniting in college. Now Sutherlin is starting the Gophers season playing for his buddy Fox, who is trying to be fully recovered by January.

"It's just really sad he got injured right before the season," Sutherlin said. "But he always has the most energy in practice, even though he's on the sideline. It speaks a lot to his character. He'll bounce back."

Fox, Sutherlin, sophomore Jamison Battle (DeLaSalle), and freshman Treyton Thompson (Alexandria) are the four Minnesotans on scholarship new to the Gophers' roster.

Battle, a George Washington transfer, is likely to start and could be one of the U's leading scorers. Sutherlin's role could be as important, even off the bench. His goal is to lead the team in rebounding.

"Rebounding is something I've always took pride in," Sutherlin said. "When you look at the boxscore, defensive rebounding is one of the biggest factors in the win."

Johnson's glad Sutherlin is 100% healthy, potentially able to play anywhere on the court from the point to the post. A Swiss-army-knife homegrown talent that basically fell into the Gophers' lap in the spring.

"Sean's just embracing the opportunity to play at this level and to play at Minnesota," Johnson said. "I think he truly wants to do whatever he can to help us win and be successful."