Losses on the transfer portal hurt the Gophers men’s basketball program.Beyond basic math, it’s difficult to see how the U roster improved this week or over the previous six weeks for the Gophers men’s basketball team. On Wednesday, the team added two players and lost one via the NCAA transfer portal.
On the last day of the window, shooting guard Cam Christie—who was a part of the all-Big Ten freshman team the previous year—entered the portal, while guards Caleb Williams (Macalester) and Femi Odukale (New Mexico State) committed to Minnesota.
Christie had already left his college eligibility behind when he declared three weeks ago that he would consider the NBA draft. Even though his departure was then probably inevitable, the news on Wednesday virtually eliminates
Not just Christie changed his mind, though. Elijah Hawkins, the starting point guard, went the other way in April, logging onto the portal after declaring he would be back for the following campaign. This week, he committed to Texas Tech.
The Gophers lost sixty percent of their starting lineup from the previous season when center Pharrel Payne committed to Texas A&M in April after joining the portal in late March. There was thought to be a chance for Hawkins and Payne to increase their earnings through name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.
Both starting guard Mike Mitchell and all-Big Ten forward Dawson Garcia of the Gophers will return for their senior campaigns.
National media outlets have compiled articles on the “winners and losers” of the transfer portal due to the high level of turnover, with the Gophers coming in last.
The return of sixth man Parker Fox for a seventh collegiate season strengthened the Gophers’ bench. While reserves Josh Ola-Joseph, Braeden Carrington, Isaiah Ihnen, and Kris Keinys all entered the portal, young forward Kayden Betts is also coming back.
