University of Minnesota Athletics
Springs Vaults Past Career Milestone
1/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sunday night in front of an energetic crowd at Williams Arena, the Minnesota men's basketball team stormed out to an early lead and captured a 78-68 victory over Ohio State. Not only did the win improve the Gophers record to 15-2, redshirt senior Akeem Springs achieved a notable milestone in crossing 1,000 career points.
The 6-4 Waukegan, Ill., native joined the team this past September, and was integrated into the team right away. Finishing up his undergraduate degree in Milwaukee over the summer, Springs quickly established a presence on the team.
"It's been a rollercoaster," said Springs. "It's been up and down. It's a lot of fun. If you watch us play and you watch the bench when big plays are happening, everyone is up, playing with a team that is so close and so tight just makes everything so much better. You can win games, but when you can win games and you know the person next to you is happy for you and you're happy for the next person, it just makes everything so much better. I know I came in late. I had a period when I was catching up to everyone. They worked all summer. Just to have a team that's so close, and they just accepted me. It's so great. It's been fun."
Though Springs didn't earn a majority of the 1,000 points with the Gophers, he accomplished the task at Minnesota while quickly growing into a leadership role. Prior to the season, he was named one of the team's three captains, alongside junior Nate Mason and sophomore Jordan Murphy.
"He knows the game," said head coach Richard Pitino. "He really does. He's not just a shooter. He plays at times like he's just a shooter. He's not. He's a tremendous player, a tremendous rebounder, a tremendous leader."
Springs' growth as a player is noticeable, especially in his statistics. During his freshman year at Northern Illinois, the guard appeared in 18 games, which included eight starting roles. He averaged 7.7 points per game, as well as 2.9 rebounds per game.
From there, Springs transferred to Milwaukee, sitting out his sophomore season due to NCAA transfer rules, but came out of his redshirt sophomore season with 10.3 ppg and 4.9 rpg, as well as starting in 22 of the 28 games he played.
He garnered even more growth during his redshirt junior season, setting a career high with 13.2 ppg and 5.3 rpg, appearing in 32 games overall.
Now, Springs is making big waves with the Gophers. He has played all 17 games so far this season and is averaging 9.1 ppg, as well as 3.1 rpg, and still has the rest of the season to prove himself further.
Springs, however, is quick to give up recognizing his own accomplishments to create a team atmosphere and acknowledge team achievements. When asked about accomplishing this career milestone, Springs replied that the win over the Buckeyes was, "a good game for everybody. A big win for us."
Of Springs' character, Pitino said, "he's fearless. He's tough. He plays good defense. Makes big shots. That's what good [players] do."
- by Caroline Sobek, Athletic Communications Student Assistant
