The Gophers men’s basketball team’s injury list somehow keeps getting longer.
Starting forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson is out indefinitely with a foot injury, and the Gophers are not planning on him returning this season, coach Niko Medved told reporters on Friday, Feb. 20.
Crocker-Johnson, a junior, is the team’s top rebounder and second-leading scorer. Losing him would be another huge blow to the Gophers (12-14, 5-10 Big Ten), who have remained competitive despite an injury situation that Medved called “unprecedented.”
Starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. only played in seven games before being lost for the season with a foot injury, while starting center Robert Vaihola made five appearances before going down with a knee injury. Forward BJ Omot never even got on the court because of a leg injury.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Medved told reporters Friday. “To the point where the guys just kind of laugh, almost. ‘This can’t really be real.’ But it’s really amazing the way these guys have handled it. I mean, like their spirit in practice yesterday, it’s kind of inspiring, honestly, the way they almost laugh it off and just come and give you everything they have.”
Redshirt freshman forward Grayson Grove has started the Gophers’ last two games in Crocker-Johnson’s place. The Alexandria native had a career-high 13 points and eight rebounds in his team’s win at Oregon on Tuesday.
The Gophers, who have five games remaining in the regular season, next host Rutgers at 11 a.m. Saturday at Williams Arena.
