Story by
Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
Men’s basketball: Gophers roster to remain shorthanded
- Story byPioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
- Men’s basketball: Gophers roster to remain shorthanded
The Gophers men's basketball team will not receive reinforcements anytime soon.
On top of starting point guard Chansey Willis Jr. (foot) being out for the season, head coach Niko Medved told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday that starting center Robert Vaihola and backup wing B.J. Omot will remain sidelined, while reserve wing Chance Stephens continues to be away from the team.
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The Gophers (5-5) have been without new transfers Omot (leg) and Stephens (medical issue), for the entire season. Vaihola, a transfer from San Jose State, has been unavailable for five straight games since aggravating a knee injury in the 66-54 win over Chicago State on Nov. 18.
"I'm hopeful there is a chance that both of them (Vaihola and Omot) are back at some point this (season)," Medved said the day before the 85-57 loss at No. 6 Purdue on Wednesday. "That is kind of the plan and what we would like, but at this point there is no real timeline."
Stephens, a transfer from Maryland, remains a long-term absence.
"Right now from his issues that he has had medically, he's not somebody that is going to be able to play," Medved said. "For him right now, he is away from the team and just focusing on trying to get his health right. It's nothing that is a life-threatening thing or anything like that."
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The Gophers used only eight players in the 73-64 upset of No. 22 Indiana on Dec. 3 and only seven saw more than 10 minutes against the Boilermakers. That includes two inexperienced players in redshirt freshman forward Grayson Grove and true freshman wing Kai Shinholster. That rotation grows to nine with backup center Nemo Turner and walk-on Max Gizzi, who returned from injury to play against Purdue.
The new starting five — Isaac Asuma, Langston Reynolds, Cade Tyson, Bobby Durkin and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson — has logged 30-plus minutes in the two Big Ten games so far.
"I think it makes us even closer," Reynolds said Friday. "I think a big part of it is just knowing that there is only eight of us. There is really no other option. We are going to have to try to figure this out, whether it's game-planning different, playing even harder, just figuring out how to do it together."
Minnesota has three nonconference home games to close out December: Texas Southern at noon Sunday, Campbell on Dec. 21 and Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 29.
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The U will start an 18-game stretch of Big Ten play with a road trip to Northwestern on Jan. 3.
