Gophers men’s basketball head coach Ben Johnson expects significant improvement from his team this season as they return to practice. 

With only five players returning from last season, Johnson prioritized the transfer portal over high school recruitment. He felt that, in order to compete, he could not replace juniors and seniors with freshmen and sophomores. 

In the portal, Johnson recruited eight upperclassmen, seven of them seniors.

“If you can’t pluck another NBA-type talent, the next best thing that wins in college basketball now is experience,” Johnson said. “My thought was, ‘If we are going to be old, let’s be old with urgency.’” 

Johnson is hoping his seniors will understand they have less than a year left of collegiate basketball, and he wants them to give his program everything they have left. 

With so many seniors on the roster comes experienced depth. Johnson said he feels comfortable playing nearly the whole team in the closing moments of the game. 

“There’s groups of guys that you could put together all the way to 11 or 12,” Johnson said. “You won’t see them out there and think, ‘Oh my God.’”

Johnson expects the Gophers to improve upon last season’s 19-15 overall record and he said it starts with senior forward Dawson Garcia. 

Johnson said Garcia is the guy they can run the offense through. 

Garcia averaged 17.6 points per game (PPG) last season and is the highest PPG returning Big Ten player. 

This season, Garcia is looking to be the first Gopher to reach All-American status since Bobby Jackson in 1997. 

“I have All-American aspirations, Big Ten Player of the Year aspirations, I’m not coming back to just play around,” Garcia said in an interview on June 17. 

Garcia said he wants to be a better playmaker and improve his ability to attack the rim this season. 

The Gophers retained their third-leading scorer, senior guard Mike Mitchell Jr. He averaged 10.2 points per game in his first year with the Maroon and Gold. 

Mitchell Jr., alongside senior guard Lu’Cye Patterson, is expected to take on more of a ball-handling role after senior Elijah Hawkins transferred to Texas Tech. 

“I think we will switch on and off, play off of each other,” Mitchell Jr. said on June 17. 

With all the experience the Gophers have, Johnson is hoping his team can win double-digit conference games, an improvement from the team’s nine conference wins last season. 

The Gophers have only had two seasons with double-digit conference wins since the 1997-98 season. 

“The standard is to build off nine league wins,” Johnson said. “We were one win away from doing that last year. Everything we’re doing, it isn’t building anymore. We’re trying to add on to what we have done.”

Six Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament last year and the conference continues to get more competitive with the addition of the University of Oregon, who also made the tournament last year. 

Alongside Oregon, the University of Washington, UCLA and the University of Southern California also became regular additions to the Gophers conference schedule.

The Gophers open the season with exhibition games against Bemidji State University and Hamline University before starting the regular season at home against Oral Roberts on Nov. 6. 

Fans can watch the Gophers play in 10 of their first 11 matchups at Williams Arena. Conference play begins on Dec. 4 against Michigan State in Minneapolis.

After tearing her left ACL in 2022, Caroline Birdsell redshirted her first year of college. Now, she starts on a Big Ten soccer team that is tied for third in the conference. 

In her debut game for the Gophers, Birdsell became the first Gophers freshman to score two goals in a single game. She described her play style as intense, hardworking and gritty.

Gophers associate head coach Maya Hayes, who works with the forwards, had few words to describe Birdsell’s potential.

“Limitless,” Hayes said. “Whatever she wants it to be.” 

Hayes, who played forward in the National Women’s Soccer League with Sky Blue FC, now Gotham FC, said being a forward comes with scoring goals and being impactful on the opponent’s end of the field. 

There is a difference between being listed as a forward and wanting to be a forward, according to Hayes. She said Birdsell strives to be in those impactful moments.

During Birdsell’s early teenage years on the 14-under and 15-under Chicago FC United Girls Academy, she had her own brand of grit on the field. The former coach of Chicago FC United, Fabrice Gautrat compared her to former Manchester City player Carlos Tevez. 

Tevez was named a top-60 Premier League player of all time by the New York Times in 2020. Gautrat described Tevez as a pitbull and said Birdsell has the same qualities. 

“She has this tenacity about her,” Gautrat said. “She’ll will a goal or will her team to victory.”

Birdsell said one of the best pieces of advice Gautrat taught her was the saying love the grind.

Birdsell said that mantra stuck with her. Some people get overwhelmed maintaining the student-athlete balance, but she said she is grateful to be in the position.

Since arriving in Minneapolis in 2023, Birdsell said she learned to control her anticipation. She realized patience would help her be a better player. 

Given it is her first season playing at the Division I level, Birdsell said it was helpful to learn from her older teammates while she was sidelined with her knee injury last year. 

“I learned a lot about who’s composed, who likes to get the ball in space versus on their feet more,” Birdsell said. “I took in a lot of information so I came in this year ready to play with them.” 

Birdsell said she learned the Gophers’ style of play. She described it as loving to high-press, valuing attacking and relentlessly doing anything to score every goal and win. 

Having played 10 games with the Gophers, Birdsell believes the team can be great now and in the long term.

“I think this team can get to the Big Ten tournament and win it, and then succeed in the NCAA tournament,” Birdsell said. “I don’t want this to be the only special year …I want this program to be known nationally.” 

Birdsell’s main goal is to improve her right foot use. Alongside using her weak foot, she and Hayes are focusing on understanding that Birdsell’s moments to score will come and honing in on when to use her intensity. 

When the sun sets on Birdsell’s Gophers soccer career, she said she wants to continue to kick the ball, regardless of where she ends up.  

The Gophers women’s soccer team faced off against Illinois and Michigan to begin conference play, defeating both of them and moving to 8-0-1 on the season. 

Through two games, the newly expanded Big Ten conference is currently in a five-way tie for first place with Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA and University of Southern California (USC), all at 2-0. 

The Gophers conference slate will not get any easier after playing Michigan. 

Minnesota hits the road next where they will play Wisconsin, whom they have not beaten since 2013. After, they will travel to the West Coast to play USC and UCLA, two teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season. 

Gophers forward Khyah Harper is the nation’s second-leading goal scorer. She said she has no fear of the new Big Ten opponents. 

“We’re so excited!” Harper said. “It’s going to be different competition, but we are really excited to face them.”

Last season, the Gophers finished Big Ten play 3-5-2. They scored 10 goals while giving up 14. 

Through two conference games this season, the Gophers scored four goals and allowed zero. 

The Gophers were led by Harper on Thursday against Michigan. The senior scored her third hat-trick of the season. Harper did not do everything herself though, as sophomore Paige Kalal, freshman Caroline Birdsell and fifth-year Sophia Romine all assisted Harper. 

Michigan has been floating around a .500 win record over the last six years. They are now 1-7-1.

After beating the Wolverines, Gophers head coach Erin Chastain picked up her 150th win as a head coach. Heading into the game, Chastain knew not to treat the Wolverines lightly.

“They’ve played a very challenging schedule, so we feel like they’re better than their record shows,” Chastain said. “We also know every Big Ten game is a battle.”

Chastain added the Gophers main approach to preparation has been watching film on themselves. 

Harper said they find what they are doing well and focus on it, but they also find what they are struggling with.

Fifth-year captain Sophia Boman was the team’s hero against Illinois on Sept. 12. After Illinois committed a penalty, Boman stepped into the box and scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute. 

“I knew I had it in me, I just had to execute,” Boman said. “When it went in I was like, ‘WOOO!’”

The Gophers were aggressive against Illinois but were not able to get any goals to fall besides Boman’s penalty. The Gopher defense stepped up to only allow three shots on goal. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Martin adapted well to being in front of the net as the team’s starting goalie.

In her last five games, Martin allowed one goal with 17 saves and upped her save percentage to over 80%. After beating Michigan, she picked up her third straight shutout game. 

Chastain said she thinks Martin made the plays “she should make,” and looks great through nine games.

The Gophers return to Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on Oct. 4 where they play  Northwestern, but then face off against two top-seven ranked teams on the road, Ohio State and Penn State.

Before Khyah Harper was a Golden Gopher, she was on a team of two called the “pink-headband girls” with her sister Sadie playing against the older kids. 

Now, Khyah Harper is leading her team of 27 women sporting maroon and gold to their best start since 2018. 

Khyah Harper’s recent collegiate success is unorthodox for her, given it is the first season she started feeling healthy. In each of her three years as a Gopher, Harper needed surgery that put her off the field.

Khyah Harper played a complete year in her sophomore season but still felt the effects of her ankle surgery from her freshman year.

What makes 2024 different is she started healthy and shows no signs of slowing down, literally and figuratively.

Khyah Harper’s aggressiveness was put on full display in her debut game with the Gophers in 2021. She attempted four shots, the most by any Gopher in a single game that season.

Khyah Harper’s mother, Desiree Harper, said that rambunctious energy is normal for her daughter.

“Since she was a little girl, she’s always been a little spitfire,” Desiree Harper said. “She walked early, she talked early, always kind of a catch me if you can attitude.”

When Khyah Harper got to high school, she joined her former teammate from the “pink headband girls” on the North Branch Area High School soccer team. 

Sadie and Khyah Harper then transferred to Centennial High School. The two combined for 104 goals and 70 assists in their two years playing high school soccer. 

Without Sadie by her side, Khyah Harper still dominated the high school level. In her final season, she recorded 26 goals and 10 assists to bring her career total to 134 goals and 71 assists. 

Coming out of high school, Khyah Harper was a four-star prospect and committed to staying home, which meant her parents came to most games.

“They push me, they humble me and I think I’m super fortunate to have them,” Khyah Harper said. 

After high school, Khyah Harper played with Salvo Soccer Club, coached by Greg Wheaton, the men’s head soccer coach for 25 years at the University of Northwestern in St. Paul. 

Before Kyhah Harper got to Salvo, Wheaton heard high praise for her.

“The talent has always been there,” Wheaton said. “She’s a talented athlete, a talented player. She just has that knack for scoring goals.”

Wheaton had Khyah Harper write down what she wanted to accomplish so she would have concrete goals to work toward. 

She wrote that she wanted to get a Big Ten offensive player of the week, win Golden Boot for Women’s Premier Soccer League and score at least 10 goals in her senior season. 

The Lino Lakes native accomplished the first two and scored eight goals with 11 regular season games remaining. 

Alongside her stellar play on the field, Khyah Harper is studying to become an orthopedic physician assistant. 

“I wanted to become an orthopedic PA specifically because of all my surgeries,” Khyah Harper said. “I really like the environment in the clinic.”

With seven games down and the team’s first Big Ten win on Thursday, Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said Khyah Harper’s success is partly due to her being at 100% on the field.

Desiree Harper is not convinced her daughter will be slowing down anytime soon. 

“I still feel like she hasn’t reached her ceiling in college,” Desiree Harper said. “I feel like she’s getting there this year.”

If the adage “mother knows best” is true, then Khyah Harper and the Gophers should be in for an excellent conference season.

The Gophers women’s soccer team reached their sixth game without a loss on Sunday to start the season, breaking the 2018 Gophers record that started the season with five consecutive wins. 

The Gophers were carried by their offense early in the season, but Brown’s defense allowed only three goals heading into Sunday’s match in St. Paul.

Minnesota spent nearly the first 10 minutes of the game on defense before finally gaining extended possession of the ball. Brown’s junior goalkeeper Bella Schopp halted a freekick from Gopher senior Khyah Harper.

Fifth-year Evelyn Calhoon, who spent the last four years on Brown’s roster before transferring to Minnesota, credited the backline for allowing the offense to gain possession after those long bouts of defense. 

“We have a rock-solid backline,” Calhoon said. “I think the trust we have in them and their ability to find our feet in the midfield and for us to face, we’re going to try and find that more and more.” 

Brown made it a point to come into the game aggressively — nearly every ball that flew across the field made contact. Gopher Sophia Romine put up Minnesota’s first shot on goal 23 minutes into the game, but the ball did not make it past Schopp. 

One minute later, the Gophers set up an attack, but fifth-year captain Sophia Boman kicked the ball to Schopp, who made the stop for Brown. 

Shortly after, freshman Caroline Birdsell took a chance against Schopp on an open opportunity but shot the ball wide of the net. 

Brown freshman Isabelle Chukwu picked up a yellow card in minute 29, which led to a foul on Harper trying to head the ball in. 

Brown junior Naya Cardoza had a one-on-one with Gophers sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Martin as the clock winded down in the first half, but missed outside by a few feet. 

The first half ended with neither team getting on the scoreboard and only three shots on goal. Brown had set the pace early in the half and did the same to start the second. 

Gophers head coach Erin Chastain said the lack of possession to start the two halves was their own fault. 

“I thought it was a lack of execution on our part,” Chastain said. “We didn’t do a good job of finding space and facing up when we could. I didn’t think we did a good job at setting the tone.” 

Minnesota and Brown played a lot of back-and-forth throughout the second half. Both teams remained scoreless until Browns’ backline headed the ball into their own net off Boman’s corner kick, giving the Gophers the late lead.

The Gophers’ upper hand was brief as Naya Cardoza quickly responded for Brown when she scored to tie the game at one. 

With the game tied and the clock winding down, Harper made one last attempt with her fifth shot on goal of the day, but it did not click.

Gophers senior captain Elizabeth Overberg understands that this tie is better to have before conference play starts. 

“We can adapt to it, we know what to do next time when it comes into conference play next week,” Overberg said. 

The Gophers start Big Ten play on the road Thursday against Illinois.

The Gophers women’s soccer team started their season with a five game winning streak, tying their best start to a season since 2018.

The team’s aggression behind the ball exceeds their opponents, especially in the second half of games. Minnesota outshot their opponents 90-31 over the first five games, and 46-21 in second halves. 

Sophomore Kate Childers credits this success to the team chemistry they built over the years. 

“The chemistry is really good off the field,” Childers said. “We had a great preseason and that has carried over to the start of the season.”

Head coach Erin Chastain leads the halftime conversations that evolve into aggressive second halves. 

“Most of our halftimes have been positive and teaching focus, what’s working for us and what needs to be better going into the second half,” Chastain said. “This group has been able to take in that information and have a great response.” 

The 2018 Gophers soccer team was led by a different coaching staff and lost three straight games after their winning streak ended. But the team remained competitive and went on to win the Big Ten Tournament after a penalty shootout against Penn State.

In 2024, senior Khyah Harper leads the offense, with 26 shots and 8 goals through five games. She scored a hat-trick in back-to-back games and her six goals doubled her last three seasons’ totals.

Harper credited her teammates after the hat-trick against Milwaukee.

Harper’s recent success behind the ball did not come without adversity. The senior from Lino Lakes faced injuries in the first three years of her career that carried into the offseasons. Chastain said she hopes Harper stays healthy through the season, given her immediate initial impact.

“Some get more injuries than others, so she’s had her fair share,” Chastain said. “Knock on wood, hopefully a healthy year for her and we are excited to continue to see her be dangerous.”

A full year is paying off, as Harper is leading the Gophers in shots, points, goals, shots on goals, shot percentage and game winning goals through five games. Additionally, she is leading the Big Ten in points and goals.

Harper brought up the team’s chemistry as a reason for why the 2024 team is finding success compared to past years. She said this team has a lot of unselfish players who click well on the field. 

On the other side of the ball, the Gophers defense has sophomore Sarah Martin in goal who  made her Gopher debut this season, allowing five goals with a 72% save percentage. 

Chastain said that needs to change.

“We just need to tighten up some things defensively and just continue to take steps forward with our attacking shape,” Chastain said. “Continuing to focus on the areas that are going very well for us and set pieces are always going to be a focus.”

Sophomore Paige Kalal said confidence and distribution are Martin’s best attributes. 

“She seems very comfortable and her distribution has gotten very good,” Kalal said. “She’s helping us build out of the back and use our defense to get up the field.” 

The Gophers will look to break their five-game win streak tie from 2018 on Sunday when the team takes on Brown at home.

Hanging on the wall of Kadyn Betts’ childhood bedroom is a San Diego State University jersey with the number four depicted on the back. 

The red jersey was the first thing Betts saw when he woke up and the last before going to sleep. It belongs to his father Kevin Betts, who played for the Aztecs. 

Today, the jersey is a motivation for Gophers forward Kadyn Betts, who changed his jersey number from 15 to four to match the number his father wore nearly 30 years ago. 

“That number four he wore in college, I always wanted to do the same thing,” Kadyn Betts said. “I always loved doing stuff with him.”

Growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, Kadyn Betts did not have many hometown heroes to look up to. Only 20 NBA players are from his home state and none came out of Pueblo. He spent several nights playing in the driveway alone. 

His mother, Brook Betts, had to force her son to come inside when it got too late. 

“He would always be out in the front yard shooting hoops and dribbling to the point where I would flicker the lights and that was his cue to come in,” Brook Betts said.

She said her son is the opposite of what many parents deal with when raising a kid. Kadyn Betts never took a day off from basketball, so his mother made him take days off every now and then.

Kadyn Betts decided to leave high school early and play for the Gophers the summer before his senior year of high school.

He already loved the state. The Betts family would travel to northern Minnesota over the summer to see more family. Once Kadyn Betts met the Gophers coaching staff, he knew maroon and gold was in his future.

“They’re a young staff,” Kadyn Betts said. “All big-picture guys who are focused on the end goal and care about your development.”

Kadyn Betts’ parents felt relief that he was heading to college early. They trusted Gophers assistant coach Marcus Jenkins and head coach Ben Johnson to take care of their son. 

Betts was 17 years old when he arrived on the University of Minnesota campus, and it was certain he would spend his first season as a redshirt. However, he never let it dissuade him. In fact, he saw it more as an “opportunity to redshirt” rather than “having to redshirt.”

During the 2022-23 season, Kadyn Betts worked out with a Division I basketball program while others his age were playing in their senior-year basketball seasons.

At that time, Kadyn Betts’ mindset around basketball shifted to a more professional mentality. He started eating healthier and sticking to routines. 

An average day for Kadyn Betts included waking up early to lift weights and going to practice twice a day with recovery in between before going to sleep at 10:30 p.m.

After a full year of learning from the sidelines, Betts came into his second season as a Gopher excited to get on the court. However, he averaged seven minutes across eight games.

Meanwhile, freshman Cam Christie, the team’s youngest player last season, averaged 30 minutes across 33 games.

Kadyn Betts was far from ecstatic to be sitting on the bench once again, but his coaches are not ones to worry about a single season. They reassured him his time would come. 

Kadyn Betts’ parents instilled loyalty and a hard work ethic into him at a young age. They always made sure that anything he started, he finished. 

Those values his parents imparted came to fruition during that tough time of not being on the court. When asked if transferring was ever an option during those first two years, Kadyn Betts was adamant that he would not leave. 

“It never even crossed my mind,” Betts said. “I love this University too much, I love the coaches too much. This is my home, truly, and I want to stay here no matter what.”

Betts kept his confidence high and it carried over to this summer. Johnson had high praise for the 6-foot-8-inch sophomore. 

“He’s really done a good job when we’ve gone live throughout the entire summer,” Johnson said. “Not just being a guy that can shoot threes, but can drive it, can make plays in transition, can defend multiple positions.” 

Kadyn Betts is heading into his third year on the team but still has three seasons of eligibility left. He is among the handful of Gopher players who stayed with the team after last season ended.

The self-proclaimed versatile player said he will do what is needed to win among the other four veteran Gophers.

The University of Minnesota is one of two colleges to feature at least one player drafted to the MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL in the last year.

Aside from those four leagues, the Gophers had three additional athletes drafted to the Professional Women’s Hockey League this year. 

MLB

Connor Wietgrefe was the first Gopher drafted in the MLB this year. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him with the 204th overall pick on day two of the draft. 

Wietgrefe ended his collegiate career starting 14 of 15 games, totaling eight wins. His 74 strikeouts put him among the Big Ten’s elite baseball players. At the end of the season, he earned a spot on the All-Big Ten Baseball first team. 

The newly appointed Gophers head baseball coach Ty McDevitt did not expect Wietgrefe to return to his roster.

“Connor was as good as gone,” McDevitt said. “We had planned on him being gone, he was a highly sought-after draft pick.”

The day after Wietgrefe was drafted, Tucker Novotny, another left-handed pitcher, was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 18th round of the draft.

During Novotny’s junior year, he appeared in 15 games, starting in 14 and had a 4.75 earned run average. In 2023, he made the All-Big Ten third team. 

This year’s draft marks the 37th year in a row a Gopher was drafted to the MLB. No other Big Ten team has more than 12 consecutive years.

After Wietgrefe and Novotny were drafted, McDevitt spoke to them about their futures. 

“Congrats,” McDevitt said. “Are you guys planning on signing?”

The pitchers said yes.

“From there it was really telling them how much we appreciated their commitment and dedication to our program,” McDevitt said.

NBA

The Los Angeles Clippers drafted Cam Christie with the 46th overall pick. He started in five games during the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and averaged 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. Christie was the first Gopher drafted to the NBA since Daniel Oturu was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2020.

Gophers head basketball coach Ben Johnson knew from the day he started recruiting Christie that he would find his way to the NBA. 

“When we were recruiting Cam, I told him I thought he was an NBA player, whether it was first year or second,” Johnson said. “As the year goes on, I knew this could come up.” 

Christie’s teammate and roommate Kadyn Betts knew how much Christie loved the University despite declaring for the draft after one season.

“He’d always talk about coming back,” Betts said. “He really enjoyed it here, enjoyed the guys, enjoyed the coaches, just the lifestyle that Minnesota offers, but his ultimate goal was always to go to the league.”

Former Gopher Jamison Battle went undrafted but signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Toronto Raptors. This means he has a one-year minimum NBA salary that can be converted to a two-way contract if the Raptors choose to do so before the beginning of the season.

NHL

Three incoming freshmen were drafted into the NHL this year. 

Forward Brodie Ziemer was selected in the third round by the Buffalo Sabres. Ziemer spent last year with the USA Hockey National Development Team, scoring 70 points in 61 games. 

Ziemer’s USA teammate, John Whipple, will join him in the maroon and gold this year. Whipple was selected 144th overall by the Detroit Red Wings. 

Swedish forward Erik Påhlsson was selected in the seventh round by the Nashville Predators. During his time with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League, Påhlsson helped lead his team to the Clark Cup Final. He ranked sixth in the league in scoring at the end of the season with 72 points in 57 games. 

NFL

The New York Giants selected Tyler Nubin 47th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Nubin was the first safety selected overall.

The St. Charles, Illinois native was one of the best safeties in the country this past season, earning placements on the AP Second Team All-American, All-Big Ten First Team and Sporting News First Team All-American. 

He set the Gopher record with 13 interceptions in 55 games. He also tallied 24 pass breakups, ranking eighth all-time. 

Nubin will join his former teammates John Michael Schmitz Jr. and Carter Coughlin on the Giants. 

PWHL 

Three Gophers were selected in this year’s PWHL draft but not all of them played with a block M across their chest last season.

Abigail Boreen played for PWHL Minnesota last season and helped them win the Walter Cup in the league’s inaugural season, but she had to be drafted to play again this upcoming season.

Boreen played part-time last season as a reserve while she attended the University’s pharmacy school. She decided to enter her name in this year’s draft and was selected 17th overall to PWHL Montreal. Boreen plans to step into a full-time role with Montreal. 

Madeline Wethington was the only Gopher from last year’s roster to hear her name at this year’s draft. She was selected 38th overall by PWHL Ottawa.  

Amanda Kessel was the final Gopher drafted on June 10. The 32-year-old was selected by PWHL Montreal.

Kessel last played for the Gophers eight years ago. During her tenure, she helped the team win three national titles. Kessel also earned three Olympic medals with Team USA. She decided to take a break from hockey last year and joined the Pittsburgh Penguins front office staff.

The newly named head coach of Gophers golf, Matt Higgins, used to be worried about how well his players shot. Now, he said he cares more about his players’ feelings after their rounds.

Time away from coaching and desires for how he wanted his daughters to be coached led Higgins to be the role model coach for his two daughters.

The girl-dad boasts a hefty resume with ample leadership experience. Before he joined the Gophers staff as an assistant under Rhyll Brinsmead, Higgins was the executive director of admissions and assistant athletics director for compliance at Upper Iowa University.

Sitting in the office was where Higgins realized his true calling to coach the next generation of golfers. 

“The job of the coach is to mentor,” Higgins said. “Did you give me 100% effort? Did your mind start to wander, or did you start having some negative thoughts? Those are the things I want to know.”

The most recent head coaching stint for Higgins started five years ago at Regis University, a Division II school. However, he said he does not approach his mentorship any differently based on who he is working for.

“Coaching is coaching, I don’t care what level it is,” Higgins said. “The difference is the quality of athlete, the level of athlete, the resources here at the University.”

Higgins also served as the NCAA DII women’s golf national chair where he worked closely with the NCAA to help run the DII championships and central region championships. 

Shortly after Higgins was named Gopher’s head coach, the search committee found an associate coach for him with a similar resume. 

Miranda Greene, the new associate head coach for the Gophers, helped lead the Regis University men’s and women’s golf teams as an assistant. Higgins and Greene’s paths never crossed. 

“It was one big coincidence,” Greene said. “I always knew of Matt. He’s spoken highly of in the golf community and among student-athletes.”

According to Higgins, experience was a big factor in the decision that he and Deputy Athletic Director Julie Manning took into consideration when searching for the next associate coach. 

Manning ran the committee that recommended coaches for Higgins and it was Greene’s experience in coaching men’s and women’s golf that made the decision easy for Manning and Higgins.

Greene played Division II at Flagler College before she graduated and took an assistant coaching job at Florida International University. She later returned to her alma mater as the assistant coach for both men’s and women’s ahead of the 2022-23 season. 

Greene spent last year at Regis University as an assistant coach. 

The Gophers roster includes last season’s Big Ten champion Isabella McCauley, who is no stranger to Higgins after he helped coach her the last two years. She said she enjoyed having someone like Higgins value her as a person and not just as a golfer.

“He’s really good at individualizing each person and what they need in golf,” McCauley said. “It’s always, ‘How was your day? Did you enjoy the people you played with?’”

McCauley called Higgins her support system on the road. She said he helps her the most by encouraging her and being there for her when she needs someone. 

When Brinsmead announced her retirement, McCauley said transferring to another school was never a consideration for her.

“I was 100% behind coach Higgins,” McCauley said. “There was no thought of me transferring, Minnesota is my home.”

The team has yet to meet their new coaches, but as the season approaches they will have a meeting to discuss what is in store for the fall.

CHAMP HOWARD: Hello everyone, I’m Champ Howard and you’re listening to the Gold Standard, a Minnesota Golden Gopher sports podcast, brought to you by the Minnesota Daily. We’re going to start off with some stories that came out from me this week. 

Student Seats is going to be coming to Minnesota later this year. Its premise is being made by college students, for college students. Creators John Ritondo and Jared Waller created Student Seats in 2020 for college students to have a trustworthy website to find their tickets to college sporting events. Student Seats allows for free selling, as well as a low buying fee that is fully returned if the ticket is never received. Student Seats is currently associated with 43 colleges, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they continue to pick up different colleges across the country. My next story is a follow up to the Men’s Gymnastics situation.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, the Minnesota Men’s Gymnastics team was disbanded as a Division I program three years ago, and now has been kicked out of their home gym in Cook Hall, where the team has spent the last 90 years. This story is covering their experience at the USA Gymnastics Congress and Trade Show, where Regent Mary Turner, who has been advocating for the student athletes, made a vital appearance to show the whole board is not against them. She was even brought to tears after hearing one of the student athlete’s stories. A former Minnesota gymnast is quoted as saying he can’t wear his letterman jacket to even rake leaves. As of July 8th, there has been minimal contact with the board. However, newly appointed President Rebecca Cunningham is helping to set up a meeting between the team and the Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Calvin Phillips. 

One of our writers, Andrew Cornelius, has a story out to cover some WNBA basketball. Caitlin Clark and the Fever came to town to play the Minnesota Lynx. The last time Clark appeared at Target Center, she won the Big Ten Championship before taking her team, the Iowa Hawkeyes, to the National Championship. Clark recently recorded the first ever triple double as a rookie in WNBA history, while the Lynx are atop the Western Conference and third in the whole WNBA. However, the Fever were able to walk away with a win after outscoring the Lynx 28-14 in the fourth quarter. 

Andrew also wrote a story last week covering the return of women’s basketball and their goals for this upcoming season. Of course, they want to build on their first 20 win season since 2018-19 and find their way to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018. While we’re on the topic of women’s basketball, former Gopher Rachel Banham came off the bench for the Connecticut Sun and hit eight three pointers, the most by any WNBA player off the bench. She finished the game with 24 points and was just one three shy of the WNBA record. 

For the men’s team, there’s been a lot of team turnover, only returning three players that played meaningful minutes last season. Most recently, head coach Ben Johnson was able to bring in a Mid American Conference, or MAC, co defensive player of the year, guard Tyler Cochran. He averaged 14 points, six rebounds and nearly two steals per game for Toledo last season. Cochran also shot well from the field, shooting just under 50%. Andrew also wrote about some Gopher football and what their offensive defense will look like next season. Last season, the Gophers finished 5-7. The offense was ranked 122 out of 130 for the football subdivisions on offense.

I’m very excited to see what top freshman recruit Koi Perich can do at safety over the next few years. He is an electric athlete out of Esco, Minnesota.

Our editor, Alex Karwowski, covered former Gopher and current Clipper Cam Christie being drafted just a few weeks ago. Christie made his summer league debut after being drafted 46 overall to the Clippers. He recently signed a four year contract worth 7.9 million dollars and he’s the first Gopher drafted since 2020 when Daniel Oturu was also drafted by the Clippers. Christie started in his first two summer league games for the Clippers, scoring eight points in his first game, six in the second. The 18 year old is playing right across town from his brother Max Christie, who recently resigned with the Los Angeles Lakers.

For Timberwolves basketball, former Illinois guard and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. recorded 27 points in his first summer league game for the team, and 19 in his second. Top 10 pick from Kentucky, Rob Dillingham, showed off his passing ability during his first two games with 5 assists in the first and 8 assists in game 2. His shooting numbers weren’t quite there for the first game, going 2 of 12, but the second game he finished with 14 points on 5 of 14 shooting. It’ll be interesting to see if an older guy like Shannon can make an instant impact on the Timberwolves team that was only a few wins away from making the NBA Finals. As well as Dillingham, who’s a smaller guard that can learn a lot from Mike Conley on how to be a true point guard. As of the time of this recording, the Wolves moved to 2-0 in the summer league. 

Getting back to the Olympics, Alex wrote about Suni Lee and her return to the Olympics. Lee was diagnosed with an incurable kidney disease, but performed fantastic at the Olympic trials being held at Target Center, and earned her way back to the Olympics in Paris. I also wrote about a full team that features Simone Biles, Suni Lee, Jordan Childs, Jade Carey and Hezley Rivera, making their way to Paris in a few weeks. The team will consist of four of the same gymnasts from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, 16 year old Hezley Rivera being the only first timer. We also have a few Gophers participating in the Olympics.

I wrote a story about Matt Wilkinson, who will be competing for the USA in track. We’re also sending Devin Augustine from Trinidad and Tobago for track; Sarah Bacon for USA Diving; Airi Miyabe with Japan’s Volleyball; Summer Schmidt for USA’s Paralympic Swimming; Bar Soloveychik for Israel Swimming; Ava Stewart, in Gymnastics for Canada; Erik van Rooyen for South Africa’s Golf Team; and Shane Wiskus for USA Gymnastics.

The Twin Cities Pro-Am has come back this summer to Minnehaha Academy. They’re currently in week two. I’ve actually been out to watch Team Tyus last season, and I gotta say, it’s electric. Led by Tre Jones and Tyus Jones, two Minnesotans and NBA players. Some other NBA players and former Gophers who will be participating, such as Daniel Oturu, Jamison Battle, Parker Fox, Payton Willis, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Suggs, David Roddy and Luka Garza. 

That’s all we have time for today. Thank you for listening. This episode of the Gold Standard is written by Champ Howard and produced by Kaylie Sirovy. As always, feel free to send a message to our email inbox at podcasting@mndaily.com with any questions, comments or hot takes.