Minnesota Gophers Basketball: 5 Positional Battle Question for the 2024-25

The 2024-25 Gopher basketball team has 13 scholarship players that we could all see potentially finding a role for the upcoming season.  That means there will be positional battles that will make the team better as we know there will not be an 11 or 12 man rotation.  Here is our list of “battles” as players fight for time on what should be a deeper team in Ben Johnson’s fourth year as coach.

The one position I feel pretty strong about is Dawson Garcia starting in the frontcourt most likely at the four.  I would also say I am pretty certain that Lu’Cye Patterson and Mike Mitchell Jr will be starters, and I would lean to Femi Okudale as the starting three, although they could go three guards and start Brennan Rigsby or Tyler Cochran although would be a pretty small starting group.  Then you have to look to Frank Mitchell at the five although I could see Parker Fox starting as well although Mitchell is likely wanted early to battle a big five and maybe eat an early foul.

Who will be the primary ball handler?

At the start of the season I would say Patterson or Mitchell (or Patterson AND Mitchell) with Isaac Asuma handling off the bench.  Keep in mind, Patterson and Mitchell both started at the shooting guard spot last year.  Mitchell did some handling and the offense ran pretty well with him as the one, but Elijah Hawkins was the one.  Patterson played both spots but for Charlotte to get the best line-up on the floor, Patterson started at the two as he was their best scorer.  That said, as games went on, Patterson did a lot more of the handling.

Patterson, Mitchell and Asuma are going to play and play a lot.  I think at the start of the year Patterson might start the game handling so Mitchell can be that near 40 percent shooting option but if they like Patterson in the scoring and playmaking role, maybe it becomes Mitchell.  And as Asuma gets more experience, he might be the steadiest option in terms of running the offense.