Neal: Mara Braun trying to rediscover her form for the Gophers women’s basketball team

Mara Braun is a shooter. And shooters gotta shoot.

This current version of the Gophers guard, however, is not the one from a couple years ago, when she averaged 17 points a game and filled it up from three.

In 14 games this season, following two seasons interrupted by foot fractures, she is averaging 11.1 points a game and making just 27% of her three-point attempts.

Her plan is to return to being one of the better scorers in the country. And her teammates continue to encourage her to take her shots. Because they know when Braun — eventually — rediscovers her form, opponents are going to pay.

“Obviously, I have very high standards for myself, and it’s frustrating when you’re not meeting that,” Braun said, “but the same time knowing it’s been two years and this is a really hard league, especially to jump back into. So just being patient with myself and just continuing to take the good open shots and just try to be an all-around player for my team as well.”

Braun, a redshirt junior, was chatting following a Jan. 3 weightlifting session on campus. One of too many sessions — her words — that take place during a season. It was a gab-a-thon, as Braun is comfortable talking about what she’s been through in recent seasons.

Word is that when Gophers athletes were taking media training classes, Braun’s hand shot up when the instructor asked who is comfortable speaking to reporters.

It helps Mara Braun articulate her journey after breaking a metatarsal bone in her right foot twice.

The first time occurred Jan. 28, 2024, when she landed on an opponent while taking a shot, forcing her to miss the Gophers’ final 16 games. That led to surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation program. She was healthy at the start of the 2024-25 season. But during a shootaround before a Nov. 20 game against Eastern Illinois, Braun took a step and felt the bone break again.

Another surgery. Another lengthy rehab stint. I’ve flown to Fort Myers, Fla., to write stories about Twins players recovering from Tommy John surgeries and seen how they battle the challenge of sticking to a schedule and not giving in to impatience. Think about how someone just hitting adulthood has to handle such demands.

Braun has done it twice.

“Just learning resilience and how important people behind you are,” the Wayzata graduate said. “Especially staying home and having so many close people that are around me. I was able to be home with my parents for my surgeries, and my teammates. They’re just so amazing, the coaching staff, everyone, even just our support system, the amount of people that were behind me through this.

While sidelined, she acted as an extra coach. Now back on the court, the shooter is trying to round out her game by focusing on shutting down opposing scorers and moving the ball smartly. That helps her take shots in rhythm instead of pressing for them.

Her return to form would be a positive development for a program that could use a few positive developments.

Braun was part of a highly regarded recruiting class that included fellow Minnesotans Niamya Holloway, Mallory Heyer and Amaya Battle. Braun has had two foot surgeries. Holloway lost a year to a knee injury.

And Heyer, Braun’s roommate and close friend, entered the transfer portal during preseason as the Gophers were touting all five starters returning. Braun was coming home to hear Heyer talking with schools courting her before she settled for Oregon. The Gophers head there Jan. 21.

The players, and families, remain close. Chris Braun is having a good time with it, though.

Throw in Sara Scalia transferring in 2022, the removal of Gophers legend Lindsay Whalen as coach in 2023 and the hiring of Dawn Plitzuweit, and this program has been through a lot.

I met with Mara Braun before the Gophers headed to Ann Arbor, Mich., on Jan. 5 to play the ninth-ranked Wolverines. “We need to start off the game really well and come out firing,” she said.

And the Gophers (10-4) led by as many as 12 before losing their lead late in the third quarter and falling 70-60. Braun finished with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Now it’s on to Northwestern on Jan. 8 at Williams Arena as she searches for the rhythm that made her an offensive menace earlier in her career.