BleedGopher
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per the AP:
The Big Ten can be a brutal place for inexperienced and undersized teams. There was no waiver for Minnesota in coach Ben Johnson’s first year on the job.
Elevating the Gophers to an upper-echelon program in one of the country’s most punishing conferences remains an ongoing challenge for Johnson and his staff, coming off a 13-17 finish in 2021-22 with five of their top six scorers from last season gone.
Jamison Battle is a good place to start.
The third-year forward was picked for the 11-player preseason All-Big Ten team, the third-leading scorer among returners in the conference behind Hunter Dickinson (Michigan) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana). After transferring home from George Washington, the 6-foot-7 Battle averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 36.6 minutes per game to lead the team in all three categories.
“His experience, because he’s been through it, is teaching all of our guys every single day in practice. I tell the freshmen that he’s beating up on, ‘You guys need to be the luckiest guys in the world, because you’re learning from a guy I think has a chance to play at the next level,'” Johnson said. “He did an unbelievable job for setting the tone for our program.”
Go Gophers!!
The Big Ten can be a brutal place for inexperienced and undersized teams. There was no waiver for Minnesota in coach Ben Johnson’s first year on the job.
Elevating the Gophers to an upper-echelon program in one of the country’s most punishing conferences remains an ongoing challenge for Johnson and his staff, coming off a 13-17 finish in 2021-22 with five of their top six scorers from last season gone.
Jamison Battle is a good place to start.
The third-year forward was picked for the 11-player preseason All-Big Ten team, the third-leading scorer among returners in the conference behind Hunter Dickinson (Michigan) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana). After transferring home from George Washington, the 6-foot-7 Battle averaged 17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 36.6 minutes per game to lead the team in all three categories.
“His experience, because he’s been through it, is teaching all of our guys every single day in practice. I tell the freshmen that he’s beating up on, ‘You guys need to be the luckiest guys in the world, because you’re learning from a guy I think has a chance to play at the next level,'” Johnson said. “He did an unbelievable job for setting the tone for our program.”
Young Gophers will bring Battle back to punishing Big Ten - Austin Daily Herald
MINNEAPOLIS — The Big Ten can be a brutal place for inexperienced and undersized teams. There was no waiver for Minnesota in coach Ben Johnson’s first year on the job. Elevating the Gophers to an upper-echelon program in one of the country’s most punishing conferences remains an ongoing...
www.austindailyherald.com
Go Gophers!!
