Isaac Asuma's Return is the Next Step in Cementing Gophers Legacy

Isaac Asuma will return for his third season at Minnesota in 2026-27, according to a post on X from the school's official NIL collective Dinkytown Athletes on Tuesday. He now has the opportunity to become one of the most celebrated Gophers in recent memory.

🍒 〽️ Cherry, MN ➡️ Dinkytown〽️🍒

Isaac Asuma will return to the Gophers for the 2026-27 season@affinity_plus - Proud sponsor of Gopher Athletics. pic.twitter.com/W9vocJJwbZ
— DinkytownAthletes (@DTAthletes) March 31, 2026

Asuma signed with the Gophers after a standout prep career at Cherry High School. He was the team's top option off the bench as a true freshman, and he stuck with the program through the coaching change from Ben Johnson to Niko Medved.

In his first full season as a starter this year, Asuma averaged 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He shot 40.0% from the field, 31.0% from three-point range and 76.6% from the free-throw line. He showed that he can be a legit starting guard in the Big Ten, and he was the only player on the roster to start all 32 games before this week's College Basketball Crown tournament.

Asuma joins Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Grayson Grove and Bobby Durkin as the fourth player set to return for next season, based on announcements this week. Niko Medved has gotten off to a great start with player retention in his first full offseason as head coach of the program.

The 2026-27 season is set to be Asuma's third with the Gophers. He showed improvements throughout the year, and he now has the chance to take things to another level as a junior. People love to point out how college sports aren't what they used to be, but he has a chance to remind people of the old days.

Asuma has already played more than 60 games in a Gophers uniform, which is a tremendous story in its own right coming from Cherry, Minnesota. If he's able to be a key part in bringing the program back to the NCAA Tournament, he could have an all-time Gophers career.

The Gophers men's basketball program in the 2000s has seen much of the state's premier high school talent look elsewhere for college opportunities. Many of the top players who stayed home either transferred or left for the NBA early. Asuma has the opportunity to buck both of those trends and lead the program into a new era.

He certainly has room to grow his game this season in terms of shooting efficiency and fewer turnovers, but there's no reason he can't. He's already a fan favorite as a homegrown talent, but his return is the first step in establishing his name as one of the most well-respected players in the last 20 years of the program.