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Gophers add transfer forward Robert Vaihola from San Jose State

Vaihola is a 6'8" big man who averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks last season.
Will Ragatz|
Mar 4, 2023; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; San Jose State Spartans forward Robert Vaihola (22) and guard Ryen Perry (25) box out Air Force Falcons forward Beau Becker (14) in the second half at Clune Arena.
Mar 4, 2023; Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; San Jose State Spartans forward Robert Vaihola (22) and guard Ryen Perry (25) box out Air Force Falcons forward Beau Becker (14) in the second half at Clune Arena. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

Niko Medved and Minnesota men's basketball have added transfer forward Robert Vaihola from San Jose State, the program announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Vaihola is a 6'8", 260-pound big man who averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game for the Spartans last season. He started all 31 of their games and shot 53.6 percent from the floor.

A native of San Mateo, CA, Vaihola began his college career at Fresno State before transferring to SJSU for the 2022-23 season. He averaged 7.6 points and 6.5 boards per game off the bench as a sophomore, shooting over 71 percent, and then missed the 2023-24 season due to a foot injury.

Vaihola is a traditional low-post power forward. In his three-year career, he's attempted 325 two-point shots (making 61 percent of them) and zero three-pointers. What he brings to the table starts with defense and rebounding; he's been one of the best offensive rebounders in the Mountain West over his past two healthy seasons. In addition to crashing the offensive glass, he'll be a screen-setter who can provide some scoring in the paint.

This past season, Vaihola had a game with seven blocks against Air Force. In March, he had a game against Fresno State with 13 points, 19 rebounds (eight on offense), three assists, three blocks, and two steals. Outside of shooting jumpers, he can do a little bit of everything from the 4 or 5 positions.

Vaihola is a career 58 percent free throw shooter, though he was at 64 percent last year.

This is the fourth addition Medved and his staff have made in the transfer portal. Vaihola joins wings Bobby Durkin (Davidson), B.J. Omot (Cal), and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Colorado State). And there's still plenty of work for Medved to do as he builds his first Gophers roster.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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