Ranking the Most Important Players Minnesota Needs to Retain This Offseason

After the Gophers' loss in the Big Ten tournament on Wednesday, their offseason unofficially began. Whether or not that includes a postseason tournament like the NIT or College Basketball Crown is still up in the air, but discussions behind the scenes about next year's roster are already underway.

Minnesota will lose leading scorer Cade Tyson and Langston Reynolds, who averaged over 31 points per game combined. Big man Nehemiah Turner has already left the team, and reserves Maximus Gizzi and RJ Spencer were recognized on Senior Night.

That leaves 10 players who are expected to have eligibility remaining after this season. Retention has become a key aspect in modern college basketball team construction, and it will be very important for Niko Medved and his staff to build an NCAA Tournament-level roster for next season. Let's rank the most important players they need to keep in Dinkytown.

1. Jaylen Crocker-Johnson

Crocker-Johnson was the lone player to follow Medved from Colorado State to Minnesota last offseason. He averaged a career-high 13.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 24 games before suffering a foot injury. He would have the potential to be an All-Conference level player on any Power Conference team next season.

2. Bobby Durkin

It took a little time for Durkin to find his footing at Minnesota, but he proved himself as an elite three-point shooter in the second half of the season. He shot 39.8% from long range on 6.1 attempts per game, and he averaged 10.3 points on the season. He's a plug-and-play caliber starter on any tournament-level team.

3. Isaac Asuma

Asuma had an up-and-down season in his first-year as a starter. He averaged 11.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game on 40.0% shooting from the field and 31.0% shooting from three. Minnesota will need to determine if it wants him as its lead guard next season.

(Big drop-off)

4. Chansey Willis Jr.

Willis was Minnesota's starting point guard for seven games before suffering a season-ending injury at their holiday tournament in California. He averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Medved had indicated an interest in applying for a medical redshirt, which could bode well for his chances of returning to the Gophers.

5. Robert Vaihola

Vaihola was the Gophers' starting center for five games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He averaged 5.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He also plans to apply for a medical redshirt after playing three seasons in the Mountain West at Fresno State and San Jose State. The Gophers will need to determine whether they want him to be a key part of their frontcourt in 2026-27.

6. Grayson Grove

Grove was the most improved player on Minnesota's roster in 2026. Injuries to Crocker-Johnson and Vaihola opened the door for him to be their lone frontcourt player. He scored 10 or more points in 3 of their final 7 games, and he proved himself as a rotational-level player. It seems likely that he will be back with the program next season.

(Smaller Drop-off)

7. B.J. Omot

Omot has played just four games over the last two seasons. He looked like a dynamic scorer in his last season at North Dakota with 16.7 points per game, but that was in 2023-24. He didn't play in a single regular-season game this season, which makes his future outlook very unclear.

8. Kai Shinholster

Shinholster became Minnesota's sixth man as a true freshman. He averaged just 1.8 points in 12.7 minutes per game, but he showed enough promise to think he could carve out a serious role in the Big Ten.

9. Chance Stephens

Stephens has played only seven games since his true freshman season in 2022-23 at Loyola Marymount. It seems relatively unlikely that he will return to Minnesota next season after playing in zero games during the 2025-26 campaign.

10. Max Lorenson

Lorenson joined Minnesota's program as a preferred walk-on (PWO) last offseason after a standout career at Eden Prairie High School. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it seems like he will be back with the program again in 2026-27.