MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The first season for Minnesota under coach Niko Medved has become an iron man event, with injuries depleting the roster and forcing most of the current starters to be ready to play the entire game.
The stipulations in the Big Ten’s media contracts have benefited the basketball program beyond the annual revenue of more than $60 million that goes to the athletic department. The Gophers badly need those TV timeouts, too.
Their core four players — Cade Tyson, Isaac Asuma, Langston Reynolds and Bobby Durkin — are all among the top 18 in the Big Ten in minutes played per game. No other team in the conference has more than two players in the heaviest-usage group. Tyson, the transfer from North Carolina and leading scorer, is logging an average of 36.4 minutes per game. Tyson has played the entire game six times in Big Ten play.
“Obviously it’s a dream, but it’s also really tiring at the same time. Going back to the summer, all the hard work we did is just kind of paying off,” Reynolds said, smiling. “When it gets to that point in the second half and you’re past the second media timeout, you’re like, ‘Oh, OK. I’ve been here before. I know what I need to do.’”
Three of the original starters, Chansey Willis Jr., Robert Vaihola and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, suffered season-ending injuries. Presumed rotation players B.J. Omot and Chance Stephens have not been healthy enough to play at all, and Nehemiah Turner has been out since January. One NAIA transfer and two walk-ons round out the roster.
Reynolds, who spent his first three seasons at Northern Colorado, replaced Willis as the primary ball-handler. Durkin was a shooting specialist off the bench who now is so indispensable he played all 40 minutes while going 7 for 11 from 3-point range in Minnesota’s win over UCLA last week.
Freshman forward Grayson Grove became the starting big man when Crocker-Johnson hurt his foot. Freshman guard Kai Shinholster is the only reserve who’s regularly on the floor. He’s played all of 28 minutes over the last three games.
“Even the ones who are playing — we call them ‘healthy’ — are dealing with stuff, and every single time we’re out on the court, I feel like everyone just gives 100%, which is all you can ask for,” Durkin said.
Since Crocker-Johnson was sidelined, the Gophers (14-16, 7-12) have gone 3-3. They host Northwestern on Saturday before entering the Big Ten tournament next week.
“You have to make sure you don’t get into foul trouble, but the luxury is you’ll have your opportunities, which I feel like is all anyone ever wants,” Durkin said.
Medved has been forced to slow down his up-tempo, pass-heavy offense and frequently employ a zone defense on the other end to help minimize the fouling. This is hardly how he envisioned his first season unfolding at his alma mater, after taking his dream job following a successful run at Colorado State, but he has enjoyed court-storming victories at Williams Arena over Indiana, Iowa and Michigan State and has continually been impressed by the spirit of this patchwork roster. Tyson and Reynolds are seniors, but assuming medical redshirts for Willis and Vaihola, everyone else who was expected to contribute will be eligible to return for 2026-27.
“They kind of inspire me, to be honest. It just shows you when you’re committed to it and you stick with it and you refuse to quit, good things can happen,” Medved said. “It’s a great life lesson, too, for all of us.”
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