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Photo by: Brad Rempel
2021-22 Year in Review
4/5/2022 3:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FIRST YEAR UNDER BEN JOHNSON
• The 2021-22 season was a new beginning in Golden Gopher men's basketball. On March 18, 2021, Gopher alum Ben Johnson was named the Minnesota head coach. As a first-year head coach, Johnson had the task of establishing not only a coaching staff, but a full roster. With the new era of NCAA transfer portal rules in place, he was also under the task of bringing in 10 newcomers to the Gopher roster.
• Coach Johnson established his first career win in the season opener with a 71-56 win over Kansas City, Nov. 9, 2021. Johnson also collected his first Big Ten win of his career in a 75-65 victory over Michigan on Dec. 11. The Gophers went undefeated in nonconference play (10-0) and went 4-16 in Big Ten Conference season for a 13-17 first-year record.
THE SEASON IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• The 2021-22 edition made its mark in a few statistical categories. Minnesota set a school record for fewest turnovers in a single season with just 276. The second highest was just last year at 324, while the third-highest ranked at 342 in 1984-85. The 2021-22 season ranked first in the league and second nationally. The Gophers had nine games in which they committed five or fewer turnovers a game. Of the nine, seven came against Big Ten opponents: Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue and Penn State. Overall, Minnesota has had 18 games in which it has committed single-digit turnovers.
• Minnesota scored 234 three-pointers this season and had 636 attempts. Both of those marks rank eighth in school history. It was Minnesota's best three-point season since 2019-20 when the Gophers made 257. The school record for three-pointers and attempts dates back to 2013-14.
BATTLE AND WILLIS IN THE GOPHER RECORD BOOKS
• Jamison Battle scored 48 threes in Big Ten play this season. That tied a school record with Andre Hollins, who also had 48 in 2014-15. Payton Willis ranked third in school history with 46 threes in league action.
• Jamison Battle recorded 507 points this season, which ranked 25th all time. He tied for fifth in school history in sophomore scoring (17.5) and ranked 10th in school history in three-point FGs made in a season (75) and third in attempts (205). Battle also recorded 39 points in the game at Maryland, which tied for sixth in school history for points in a single game.
• Payton Willis ranked sixth in school history in season 3-pt field percentage (42.5 %). He also produced over 300 pts and 100 assists this season, only one of 14 players in school history to do so.
SENIOR SALUTE
• Minnesota had eight seniors on the Golden Gopher roster this season, including four starters: Eric Curry, Luke Loewe, Eylijah Stephens and Payton Willis all started for the Gophers, while Sean Sutherlin, Charlie Daniels, Danny Ogele and Joey Kern came off the bench. Minnesota will look to replace 72 percent of its scoring from last year's team, including 70 percent from its starters.
BATTLE, WILLIS AND CURRY RECEIVE B1G AWARDS
• Minnesota had two representatives on the All-Big Ten team as Jamison Battle and Payton Willis received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention awards, while Eric Curry was Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award honoree. It marks the first postseason Big Ten awards for all three individuals.
• Making the jump from the A10 to Big Ten, Battle has continued to impress averaging 17.5 points per game. That marks a season-best for the sophomore and leads the team. It also ranked seventh among league athletes. He's the first Gopher to lead Minnesota in points (17.5) and rebounds (6.3) since Daniel Oturu in 2019-20. Battle was named a Third Team All-A10 athlete at George Washington.
• Willis is having his best point performance season of his collegiate career. He averages 15.9 ppg, which betters his 13.4 he averaged last year at College of Charleston and 8.9 his first time at Minnesota. He also leads the league in best three-point efficiency at 42.5 percent. Willis was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week after the Mississippi State and Rutgers wins.
• Despite missing a few games due to injuries, Curry is still having his best point production season of his Gopher career. The senior averaged 7.7 ppg, bettering his 3.7 ppg he had in 2020-21 and 5.5 in his freshman year.
1,000 CAREER POINTS
• Luke Loewe became the third Gopher this season to earn his 1,000th career point, as he set the milestone against Indiana Sunday. The fifth-year senior held 769 career points with William & Mary and had 244 as a Golden Gopher for 1,013 points.
• Jamison Battle reached his 1,000th collegiate point with his first made field goal of the Penn State game (2/17). Battle earned over 1,000 career points spanning over two and a half collegiate seasons when he scored 636 points at George Washington before transferring to Minnesota. He currently has 507 with the Gophers, totaling 1,143 collegiate points.
• Payton Willis reached 1,000 career points against Green Bay earlier this year and finished his career with 1,296 points. Eylijah Stephens led all Gophers in career scoring with 1,313 points. He accomplished 1,000 college points at Lafayette.
CURRY SETTING CAREER BESTS
• Eric Curry had one of his best point production seasons of his career. He set career best games in points three times this season, most recently 22 against Penn State as well as field goals made (10) and attempts (19) against MSU). He also established a career-best rebounds (12 vs. Texas A&M CC) and tied career bests in assists. Curry also established his first career double-double in the Green Bay win earlier this year. Hampered with injuries throughout his career and a Golden Gopher member since 2016-17, Curry has started in 26 games this season and seen action in 104 during his Golden Gopher career.
FROM THE FIELD
• Minnesota had one of its best shooting displays in the Northwestern win (2/19) as the Gophers were 29-of-52 (.558) field goals. It marked Minnesota's best shooting percentage of the Big Ten season, only behind a 58.1 shooting percentage against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in nonconference play. Minnesota's best three-point percentage was in the Rutgers win (1/22) when the Gophers had a season-best 13 threes and shot 54.2 percent. The Northwestern win also marked the seventh time the Gophers have shot over 50 percent in a game, something Minnesota failed to do in all 29 games last season. Minnesota added 14 threes in the loss to Indiana, a season best.
WHERE THEY RANKED
• Minnesota ranked eighth nationally in fewest fouls (and first in the Big Ten) with 422.
• The Gophers also rank second in the Big Ten in fewest turnovers and second nationally with 276.
• As a team, Minnesota ranked third in the Big Ten and 36th nationally in three-point percentage (36.8).
• Individually, Payton Willis and Jamison Battle averaged 2.59 and 2.55 three-pointers per game, which ranks second and third in the league. Willis ranks first in the Big Ten shooting 42.8 percent and 10th nationally. Battle's 17.5 ppg ranks seventh in the Big Ten, while Willis averaged 15.9 for 10th in the league. Willis also ranks fifth in the league in steals per game (1.45) and seventh in total steals (42). Willis, Battle and Luke Loewe average most minutes played per game at 36.9 36.2 and 34.5, which ranks second, third and fifth in the league.
20-PLUS GAMES
• Minnesota's Jamison Battle has had 11 games in which he's scored over 20 points in a game, a team high. He also produced a 39-point performance, which tied for sixth in school history.
• Payton Wills has five games with over 20 points, including a 32-point performance against Rutgers (1/22) earlier this year. That marks a program high this season.
• Eric Curry, Luke Loewe and Eylijah Stephens have each recorded one 20-point contest this year. Curry established it against Penn State (2/12), while Stephens had 22 points against Iowa (1/16). Luke Loewe joined the club with a 24-point performance against Northwestern (2/19).
WILLIS AT THE POINT
• Payton Willis earned his 1,000th career point Dec. 22 in the win against Green Bay. Not only did Willis reach his 1,000th career point, he also had 10 assists in the win, a career high.
• Willis was the first Gopher since 2020 to have a double-double in points and assists. The Penn State win (2/12) marked his third point-assist double-double this season.
• Willis is just the third player in school history to record at least three point-assist double-doubles in a season, joining Arriel McDonald, 1993-94 (3 times) and Marcus Carr 2019-21 (four times).
NEW FACES, SAME GAME
• Minnesota has 10 newcomers to the Golden Gopher roster, however some with multiple years of collegiate basketball experience. Both Luke Loewe and Eylijah Stephens played four years of collegiate ball at William & Mary and Lafayette. Payton Willis returns to the Gophers after a year at College of Charleston. In addition, Jamison Battle saw two years of action at George Washington before coming to Minnesota.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Minnesota held two captains for 2021-22 is redshirt senior Eric Curry and senior Payton Willis. The duo was chosen based on player voting.
• It marked the second time for Curry, after he was named a captain last season. It also marked the second straight time Willis has served as a captain, at College of Charleston last year.
ASHEVILLE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
• The Golden Gophers won the inaugural Asheville Championship, Nov. 12 & 14 in Asheville, N.C. It was the first regular season tournament win since 2018 when the Gophers won the Vancouver Showcase.
• Payton Willis was the tournament MVP. At the end of regulation, he had 13 points, but he was unstoppable in the overtime periods. Willis combined for 16 of his career-high 29 points to propel the Gophers to the win and earn Asheville Championship MVP honors in the process. Willis recorded his first career point-rebound double-double, with the 29 points and a career-best 10 rebounds.
• The 2021-22 season was a new beginning in Golden Gopher men's basketball. On March 18, 2021, Gopher alum Ben Johnson was named the Minnesota head coach. As a first-year head coach, Johnson had the task of establishing not only a coaching staff, but a full roster. With the new era of NCAA transfer portal rules in place, he was also under the task of bringing in 10 newcomers to the Gopher roster.
• Coach Johnson established his first career win in the season opener with a 71-56 win over Kansas City, Nov. 9, 2021. Johnson also collected his first Big Ten win of his career in a 75-65 victory over Michigan on Dec. 11. The Gophers went undefeated in nonconference play (10-0) and went 4-16 in Big Ten Conference season for a 13-17 first-year record.
THE SEASON IN THE RECORD BOOKS
• The 2021-22 edition made its mark in a few statistical categories. Minnesota set a school record for fewest turnovers in a single season with just 276. The second highest was just last year at 324, while the third-highest ranked at 342 in 1984-85. The 2021-22 season ranked first in the league and second nationally. The Gophers had nine games in which they committed five or fewer turnovers a game. Of the nine, seven came against Big Ten opponents: Michigan State, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio State, Purdue and Penn State. Overall, Minnesota has had 18 games in which it has committed single-digit turnovers.
• Minnesota scored 234 three-pointers this season and had 636 attempts. Both of those marks rank eighth in school history. It was Minnesota's best three-point season since 2019-20 when the Gophers made 257. The school record for three-pointers and attempts dates back to 2013-14.
BATTLE AND WILLIS IN THE GOPHER RECORD BOOKS
• Jamison Battle scored 48 threes in Big Ten play this season. That tied a school record with Andre Hollins, who also had 48 in 2014-15. Payton Willis ranked third in school history with 46 threes in league action.
• Jamison Battle recorded 507 points this season, which ranked 25th all time. He tied for fifth in school history in sophomore scoring (17.5) and ranked 10th in school history in three-point FGs made in a season (75) and third in attempts (205). Battle also recorded 39 points in the game at Maryland, which tied for sixth in school history for points in a single game.
• Payton Willis ranked sixth in school history in season 3-pt field percentage (42.5 %). He also produced over 300 pts and 100 assists this season, only one of 14 players in school history to do so.
SENIOR SALUTE
• Minnesota had eight seniors on the Golden Gopher roster this season, including four starters: Eric Curry, Luke Loewe, Eylijah Stephens and Payton Willis all started for the Gophers, while Sean Sutherlin, Charlie Daniels, Danny Ogele and Joey Kern came off the bench. Minnesota will look to replace 72 percent of its scoring from last year's team, including 70 percent from its starters.
BATTLE, WILLIS AND CURRY RECEIVE B1G AWARDS
• Minnesota had two representatives on the All-Big Ten team as Jamison Battle and Payton Willis received All-Big Ten Honorable Mention awards, while Eric Curry was Minnesota's Sportsmanship Award honoree. It marks the first postseason Big Ten awards for all three individuals.
• Making the jump from the A10 to Big Ten, Battle has continued to impress averaging 17.5 points per game. That marks a season-best for the sophomore and leads the team. It also ranked seventh among league athletes. He's the first Gopher to lead Minnesota in points (17.5) and rebounds (6.3) since Daniel Oturu in 2019-20. Battle was named a Third Team All-A10 athlete at George Washington.
• Willis is having his best point performance season of his collegiate career. He averages 15.9 ppg, which betters his 13.4 he averaged last year at College of Charleston and 8.9 his first time at Minnesota. He also leads the league in best three-point efficiency at 42.5 percent. Willis was also a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week after the Mississippi State and Rutgers wins.
• Despite missing a few games due to injuries, Curry is still having his best point production season of his Gopher career. The senior averaged 7.7 ppg, bettering his 3.7 ppg he had in 2020-21 and 5.5 in his freshman year.
1,000 CAREER POINTS
• Luke Loewe became the third Gopher this season to earn his 1,000th career point, as he set the milestone against Indiana Sunday. The fifth-year senior held 769 career points with William & Mary and had 244 as a Golden Gopher for 1,013 points.
• Jamison Battle reached his 1,000th collegiate point with his first made field goal of the Penn State game (2/17). Battle earned over 1,000 career points spanning over two and a half collegiate seasons when he scored 636 points at George Washington before transferring to Minnesota. He currently has 507 with the Gophers, totaling 1,143 collegiate points.
• Payton Willis reached 1,000 career points against Green Bay earlier this year and finished his career with 1,296 points. Eylijah Stephens led all Gophers in career scoring with 1,313 points. He accomplished 1,000 college points at Lafayette.
CURRY SETTING CAREER BESTS
• Eric Curry had one of his best point production seasons of his career. He set career best games in points three times this season, most recently 22 against Penn State as well as field goals made (10) and attempts (19) against MSU). He also established a career-best rebounds (12 vs. Texas A&M CC) and tied career bests in assists. Curry also established his first career double-double in the Green Bay win earlier this year. Hampered with injuries throughout his career and a Golden Gopher member since 2016-17, Curry has started in 26 games this season and seen action in 104 during his Golden Gopher career.
FROM THE FIELD
• Minnesota had one of its best shooting displays in the Northwestern win (2/19) as the Gophers were 29-of-52 (.558) field goals. It marked Minnesota's best shooting percentage of the Big Ten season, only behind a 58.1 shooting percentage against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi in nonconference play. Minnesota's best three-point percentage was in the Rutgers win (1/22) when the Gophers had a season-best 13 threes and shot 54.2 percent. The Northwestern win also marked the seventh time the Gophers have shot over 50 percent in a game, something Minnesota failed to do in all 29 games last season. Minnesota added 14 threes in the loss to Indiana, a season best.
WHERE THEY RANKED
• Minnesota ranked eighth nationally in fewest fouls (and first in the Big Ten) with 422.
• The Gophers also rank second in the Big Ten in fewest turnovers and second nationally with 276.
• As a team, Minnesota ranked third in the Big Ten and 36th nationally in three-point percentage (36.8).
• Individually, Payton Willis and Jamison Battle averaged 2.59 and 2.55 three-pointers per game, which ranks second and third in the league. Willis ranks first in the Big Ten shooting 42.8 percent and 10th nationally. Battle's 17.5 ppg ranks seventh in the Big Ten, while Willis averaged 15.9 for 10th in the league. Willis also ranks fifth in the league in steals per game (1.45) and seventh in total steals (42). Willis, Battle and Luke Loewe average most minutes played per game at 36.9 36.2 and 34.5, which ranks second, third and fifth in the league.
20-PLUS GAMES
• Minnesota's Jamison Battle has had 11 games in which he's scored over 20 points in a game, a team high. He also produced a 39-point performance, which tied for sixth in school history.
• Payton Wills has five games with over 20 points, including a 32-point performance against Rutgers (1/22) earlier this year. That marks a program high this season.
• Eric Curry, Luke Loewe and Eylijah Stephens have each recorded one 20-point contest this year. Curry established it against Penn State (2/12), while Stephens had 22 points against Iowa (1/16). Luke Loewe joined the club with a 24-point performance against Northwestern (2/19).
WILLIS AT THE POINT
• Payton Willis earned his 1,000th career point Dec. 22 in the win against Green Bay. Not only did Willis reach his 1,000th career point, he also had 10 assists in the win, a career high.
• Willis was the first Gopher since 2020 to have a double-double in points and assists. The Penn State win (2/12) marked his third point-assist double-double this season.
• Willis is just the third player in school history to record at least three point-assist double-doubles in a season, joining Arriel McDonald, 1993-94 (3 times) and Marcus Carr 2019-21 (four times).
NEW FACES, SAME GAME
• Minnesota has 10 newcomers to the Golden Gopher roster, however some with multiple years of collegiate basketball experience. Both Luke Loewe and Eylijah Stephens played four years of collegiate ball at William & Mary and Lafayette. Payton Willis returns to the Gophers after a year at College of Charleston. In addition, Jamison Battle saw two years of action at George Washington before coming to Minnesota.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
• Minnesota held two captains for 2021-22 is redshirt senior Eric Curry and senior Payton Willis. The duo was chosen based on player voting.
• It marked the second time for Curry, after he was named a captain last season. It also marked the second straight time Willis has served as a captain, at College of Charleston last year.
ASHEVILLE CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
• The Golden Gophers won the inaugural Asheville Championship, Nov. 12 & 14 in Asheville, N.C. It was the first regular season tournament win since 2018 when the Gophers won the Vancouver Showcase.
• Payton Willis was the tournament MVP. At the end of regulation, he had 13 points, but he was unstoppable in the overtime periods. Willis combined for 16 of his career-high 29 points to propel the Gophers to the win and earn Asheville Championship MVP honors in the process. Willis recorded his first career point-rebound double-double, with the 29 points and a career-best 10 rebounds.
Highlights: Gophers 67, Michigan 77
Tuesday, February 24
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Top Rutgers
Monday, February 23
Highlights: Gophers 80, Rutgers 61
Saturday, February 21
Cinematic Recap: Gophers at Oregon
Thursday, February 19