Gophers basketball is loaded with up-and-coming talent
Ben Johnson's 2022-23 Minnesota Golden Gophers might get beat most nights this season, but so it goes when developing a bunch of freshmen for what could be a special few years ahead.
Johnson took over a team last season that was made up primarily of transfer players after most of the team under Richard Pitino entered the portal and got out of town. In short order, Johnson has restocked the roster with young talent, headlined by a trio of 2022 Minnesota high school graduates.
Pharrel Payne (Park of Cottage Grove), Braeden Carrington (Park Center) and Josh Ola-Joseph (Osseo) are all playing key minutes as true freshmen, as is Jaden Henley (Ontario, California).
Payne looks like a legitimate stud. He's built like an upperclassman and at 6'9'', 255 pounds he's already shown the ability to dominate near the rim. He's powerful and has flashed the ability to pass and play with his back to the basket. The ceiling with him appears to be sky-high.
Carrington, the 2022 Minnesota Mr. Basketball winner, can shoot the lights out. He's a 6'4'' guard capable of being a dynamic option on both ends of the floor. His game against UNLV – 15 points, 8 rebounds – showed that he can play bigger than his size.
Ola-Joseph is loaded with athleticism. He can jump out of the gym, almost like a more well-built version of Rodney Williams. At 6'7'', he's got the length to be a problem for opponents on defense and could be an efficient scorer.
Henley is a 6'7'' guard who can handle the ball and is a fearless shooter. As he gets bigger and stronger he'll become more dangerous.
That foursome, plus true freshman Kadyn Betts( red-shirted this season), will be supplemented in 2023 by high-profile recruits Dennis Evans and Cameron Christie.
Evans, a 7'1'' center from California, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 27 recruit in the country. After a mid-November game, a scout from 247 said this about Evans: "Ben Johnson and the Gophers have themselves a really unique prospect coming their way and a kid that I believe should be deep in the mix for McDonald’s All-American Game voting."
Evans is the highest-rated Gopher recruit since Kris Humphries in 2003. He's only 17 years old and won't turn 18 until he arrives on campus at the University of Minnesota.
Christie, a 6'6'' combo guard from Illinois, is the younger brother of Max Christie, who was drafted 35th overall by the Lakers last summer. Max Christie played one year at Michigan State before going pro. Cameron has been dominating at Rolling Meadows High School, which is ranked 7th in the Chicago Sun-Times' state poll.
That's seven really talented freshmen and incoming recruits. Add in the possibility that Jamison Battle (junior), Dawson Garcia (sophomore) and Ta'Lon Cooper (junior) could all be back next season and Minnesota will have a very strong roster that could start to make a move in the Big Ten.
