MINNEAPOLIS — Richard Pitino has returned for a pivotal eighth year at Minnesota, coming off another lower-half conference finish that was overshadowed by the coronavirus-prompted shutdown of the sport.
Though the pandemic limited their offseason development, the Gophers didn't get stagnant. The latest attempt to make their way toward the top of a Big Ten that's sure to be as stacked as ever has been reinforced by the arrival of three immediate-impact transfers.
Throw in three incoming freshmen, and Pitino will be again guiding a revamped roster in reflection of this trend in major college basketball. After going 15-16 in 2019-20, Pitino's third losing record, and placing 12th in the conference, his fourth bottom-four finish, the change probably can't hurt.
"It is kind of fun in its own little way, because it kind of gets you as a coach to step back and build it from the first floor a little bit and make sure everybody's on the same page," said Pitino, who is 127-108 overall at Minnesota and 48-82 in the Big Ten.
The early departure of center Daniel Oturu, a widely projected second-round pick in the NBA draft, was softened when 7-footer Liam Robbins gained NCAA approval to play right away after spending his first two years at Drake. Brandon Johnson, a graduate transfer from Western Michigan, will join Robbins in the post. Fifth-year senior Eric Curry, who's coming back from the second season-ending knee injury of his college career, will provide forward depth along with Jarvis Omersa and Isaiah Ihnen.
Team leader Marcus Carr and outside shooting specialist Gabe Kalscheur, who were second and third on the team in scoring last season, will be flanked in the backcourt by 6-foot-6 wing Both Gach, a Minnesota native who played his first two years at Utah. Kalscheur is the team's best defensive player whose 3-point accuracy dropped last season from 41% to 34%.
"When you have good guards, you have a chance," Pitino said.
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS
