Gophers starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. expected to miss rest of season

The Gophers men’s basketball team will begin Big Ten play against No. 22 Indiana on Wednesday at Williams Arena without its starting point guard.

Chansey Willis Jr., a senior who started the Gophers’ first seven games, is expected to miss the remainder of the season because of a foot injury. The news was announced by Gophers coach Niko Medved on Tuesday during his weekly radio show.

Willis left early in the first half of the Gophers game against Stanford on Nov. 28 in Palm Desert, Calif. He did not play in the Gophers game against Santa Clara the next night.

Willis was averaging 6.3 points per game and led the Gophers with 17 steals. He was also averaging 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Willis, who was named Mr. Michigan Basketball in 2022, joined the Gophers this year after averaging 16.8 points per game last season at Western Michigan.

Medved said Willis is expected to pursue a medical redshirt for this year. If approved, he would have two years of eligibility remaining.

Langston Reynolds, a senior transfer from Northern Colorado, filled Willis’ spot in the starting lineup against Santa Clara and is expected to remain a starter.

Center Robert Vaihola, who started the Gophers first five games, has missed the past three games with an undisclosed injury. The Gophers have also been without guard Chance Stephens and forward BJ Omot all season because of health/injury reasons.

Medved and first-year Indiana coach Darian DeVries will both be making their Big Ten coaching debuts Wednesday.