Gophers forward Parker Fox, a potential starter, suffers another knee injury

Gophers junior forward Parker Fox, who recovered from a season-ending knee injury last year, suffered another knee injury in Monday's practice, coach Ben Johnson said.

Fox, a Division II All-America at Northern State (S.D.) in 2019-20, tore his left ACL and MCL in March 2021, but he made a full recovery and practiced with the Gophers to finish last season.

Johnson said he hopes it isn't a season-ending injury, but there were no more details given on the timetable of his recovery. The latest injury is to his right knee.

"We'll get with the medical team and figure out the severity of it and the next steps," Johnson said. "It was just a normal play. There was a little bit of contact. It was in a crowd. It's just unfortunate one of those things that comes with playing. Now we'll support him until we find out more information."

Fox, a 6-8, 220-pound Mahtomedi native, was one of the team's most explosive athletes. The Gophers expected him to compete for a starting frontcourt spot next season alongside leading scorer and rebounder Jamison Battle.

Fox's previous injury happened right before he committed to the Gophers last spring, but he was able to bring energy supporting his teammates off the bench during the season.

"I know he was really confident and playing well," Johnson said of the early workouts. "It's just one of those things where hopefully it's not season-ending. But in this sport there's always good and bad."

Garcia already has two years of experience at the college level at Marquette and North Carolina. Now Payne could be put in a situation to be the the U's starting center sooner than later in his freshman season.

"He could play in a Big Ten game right now," Johnson said. "He could go toe-to-toe with anybody. Physically, he's made ready. But he's a freshman, still."

Fox's injury is a blow to the Gophers inside depth. Johnson said he hasn't ruled out adding another frontcourt player in the transfer portal with two scholarships available.

Junior Isaiah Ihnen and 7-foot sophomore Treyton Thompson also could be asked to play bigger roles. The 6-10 Ihnen was cleared for full contact to begin summer workouts after tearing his ACL last July and sitting out the 2021-22 season.

Despite not having played yet for the Gophers, Fox was one of the U's most popular athletes with a growing social media presence and a few NIL deals. He was arguably one of the men's basketball team's most recognizable players.

Johnson didn't mention a timetable for Fox's recovery, but it took 6-9 months for him to bounce back after left knee surgery last year.