Mike Mitchell Jr. details reason for entering transfer portal

Mitchell Jr. says he cherished every moment in Minnesota.

Mar 9, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. (2) is guarded by Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Jordan Derkack (0) during the first half at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Gophers guard Mike Mitchell Jr. surprisingly entered the transfer portal on Monday after playing four full seasons of college basketball, which raised some questions. He cleared up the confusion on Wednesday, detailing the reason behind his decision.

"I am going Pro, leaving the option open of coming back to college if the NCAA were to give a 5th year to players. I hope you all can realize I took less money to come back, played hurt/out of position, and was one of the younger players on the team. I cherished every moment in MN," Mitchell wrote on X.

Gophers' Mike Mitchell Jr. (@MoneyyMitchh2) clears up any confusion after he entered the Portal on Monday.

"I am going Pro, leaving the option open of coming back to college if the NCAA were to give a 5th year to players. I hope you all can realize I took less money to come… pic.twitter.com/sBuj9SsWQd

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) April 2, 2025

Under the current NCAA rules, Mitchell has no eligibility remaining, but his reasoning is sound. Rules in college sports are seemingly changing every year, and there's no negative for him to enter his name into the portal. The interesting part of his post is him confirming that he took less money to come back to Minnesota and that he played hurt and out of position during the 2024-25 season.

He suffered a high ankle sprain in the team's second game of the season against Omaha. He came back with a vengeance, averaging 16.8 points per game in his first four games back in the lineup, but he was never able to find that same form the rest of the way.

Mitchell played on the ball during his two years at Pepperdine, averaging more than 4.9 assists per game each season, but he never averaged more than 2.6 with the Gophers. He played almost exclusively off the ball with Elijah Hawkins in 2023-24, and he had a similar role alongside Lu'Cye Patterson and Isaac Asuma in 2024-25. He seems to favor the role he had with the Waves compared to where he was playing with Minnesota.

He was a knock down three-point shooter for his first three seasons of college basketball, and it was clear that something was off for the majority of this past season.

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