Editor’s Note: This article will be continuously updated throughout the year. Programs and players are organized in alphabetical order. All stats are from the 2024-25 season.
The Gophers men’s basketball were forced to compete both on the court and in the transfer portal this past season.
Minnesota saw six players join the program from other universities while losing four players to the transfer portal. The new landscape of college basketball will push Minnesota to compete in the portal again this season.
As of April 16, the Gophers have the 33rd transfer portal class, according to 24/7 Sports.
Who is transferring in
BJ Omot
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
BJ Omot transferred from the University of California to his home state. During his four games with the Golden Bears, Omot averaged 10.8 points per game and three rebounds per game on 44 percent shooting from the field.
Omot spent much of last season injured. Prior to his one season with California, Omot spent the first two years of his NCAA career at North Dakota State.
The Mankato-East graduate followed Minnesota head coach Niko Medved back to his home state, where he was nominated for the Mr. Basketball award for the 2021-22 season.
“BJ is athletic with size, length and skill,” Medved said in a press release. “I look forward to having him represent his home state and the Maroon and Gold.”
Bobby Durkin
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Bobby Durkin transferred from Davidson College on April 7.
Last season, he averaged 13.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Durkin’s 91 3-point shots made led the team.
A season prior, Durkin also led the Wildcats with 59 three point shots made despite only starting in 17 games.
Davidson is no stranger to great 3-point shooters, and Medved said he is impressed by Durkin’s ability beyond the arc.
“Bobby is a phenomenal shooter with great size and length,” Medved said in a press release. “He’s a versatile player who can create space and has good floor vision.”
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson
Class: Junior
Position: Forward
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson was an integral part of Medved’s offense at Colorado State, whose season ended after Maryland freshman Derik Queen made a buzzer-beater in the Round of 32 of March Madness to knock out the Rams.
Last season, Crocker-Johnson averaged nine points, 4.4 rebounds and 21.5 minutes on the court per game.
While at Arkansas-Little Rock his freshman year, Crocker-Johnson was named the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year.
Crocker-Johnson started in 29 games and played all 36 games for the Rams last season.
“Jaylen is a great inside-outside forward that can space the floor with his shooting ability,” Medved said in a press release. “He’s a versatile defender and has a great physical presence as a rebounder and post scorer.”
Langston Reynolds
Class: Senior
Position: Guard
Langston Reynolds’ 16 points and 5.6 rebounds per game at Northern Colorado secured him a spot on the 2024-2025 All-Big Sky First Team.
Shooting 59.3 percent from the field, Reynolds was the top scorer in the Big Sky and ranked 20th nationally.
Reynolds was crucial to Northern Colorado’s share of the Big Sky regular season title and propelled the team to their first National Invitational Tournament bid.
Medved said in a press release that both Reynolds’ playing ability and positive presence are exciting factors to have a part of the Gophers.
“Langston is a physical, athletic guard who plays well in transition, can get downhill and has good rebounding ability,” Medved said.
Medved added Langston has a great personality that makes him an even more intriguing player to have.
Robert Vaihola
Class: Redshirt Sophomore
Position: Center
Robert Vaihola transferred from San Jose State on April 9.
Vaihola started all 31 games for the Spartans, averaging 7.5 points and rebounds per game.
Medved’s Colorado State team won against the Spartans twice last season, but Vaihola’s rebounding ability stood out to Medved.
“Rob was one of the best rebounders in the Mountain West last season, and we saw firsthand what he could do,” Medved said. “He has a great physical presence in the paint, a gritty competitor and just a force around the rim.”
Who is leaving
Brennan Rigsby
Class: Graduate Senior
Position: Guard
Brennan Rigsby spent only one season with Minnesota before the firing of former head coach Ben Johnson.
Rigsby’s season was up and down, starting games to begin the year and losing minutes during the middle of the season. However, he played more than 23 minutes in each of the final four games and scored a career-high against Nebraska.
Because of his time at the junior college level, Rigsby plans on utilizing his new final season of eligibility with the Radford University Highlanders.
Frank Mitchell
Class: Senior
Position: Forward
Frank Mitchell transferred to the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on April 4.
Mitchell garnered a reputation for putting up big plays in major moments.
Last season, Mitchell had double-doubles against Rutgers, Wisconsin and Southern California.
St. Bonaventure’s General Manager Adrian Wojnarowski said in a press release that Mitchell was priority number one when it came to utilizing the transfer portal.
“Frank plays basketball with a ferocity that’s infectious and inspiring,” Wojnarowski said. “Few players are harder to keep off the backboard, and even fewer possess his tremendous will to win.”
Kadyn Betts
Class: Redshirt Junior
Position: Forward
Kadyn Betts committed to the Montana Grizzlies at the end of March after three seasons at Minnesota.
Betts played in 22 games for Minnesota last season and averaged 4.8 minutes of playing time. He also shot 40 percent from 3-point range last season.
“The coaching staff, they recruited me in high school a little bit so we had a connection,” Betts said in a press release. “I want to contribute to winning for the Griz, so this is a great opportunity.”
Tyler Cochran
Class: Graduate Senior
Position: Guard
Tyler Cochran’s senior season at Minnesota was plagued by a foot injury that forced him to miss the entire season.
As of the time of this writing, the former Toledo Rocket has yet to transfer to another school but is in the portal.
Curious cases
With the evolving nature of the transfer portal in NCAA basketball, three Gophers decided to enter the transfer portal despite having zero eligibility left.
Lu’Cye Patterson
Lu’Cye Patterson spent two years at Missouri State before transferring to Charlotte for his next two seasons. He was given the opportunity to attend Minnesota due to COVID-19 eligibility stipulations.
In his only season at Minnesota, Patterson averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.
Mike Mitchell Jr.
Mike Mitchell Jr. led the team in 3-point shots made last season with 50, but missed seven games due to injury.
Mitchell Jr. posted on X his decision to go pro, but will transfer schools should the NCAA grant players an extra year of eligibility.
Trey Edmonds
Trey Edmonds played at Utah Tech and University of Texas-San Antonio (UTSA) for three seasons before playing at Minnesota.
Edmonds averaged 8.8 minutes per game and averaged 2.6 points per game for the Gophers.
At UTSA, Edmonds started all 32 games for the Roadrunners his sophomore year, averaging seven points and 5.8 rebounds per game.