University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, November 2
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Macalester College
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
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/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Gopher Men's Basketball Opens Season in Exhibition Game vs. Macalester
10/30/2023 1:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GOPHERS OPEN 2023-24 WITH EXHIBITION CONTEST VS. MACALESTER
• For the first time since 1922, the University of Minnesota will play Macalester College. It comes in an exhibition contest, as the Gophers have faced Macalester 11 times in school history. In 1922, Minnesota fell, 12-11 in a home game. The last game between the Gophers and Scots even dates before Williams Arena was built, which opened in 1928. Minnesota is 7-4 all time against the Scots, all coming from 1896-1922.
• This is the second-straight year the Golden Gophers have faced a MIAC team. Last year, Minnesota hosted St. Olaf in an exhibition game, winning 71-55.
• The Gophers are one of 10 Big Ten teams playing either a Division II, III or NAIA team during the exhibition period.
ENTRY INTO WILLIAMS ARENA FOR 2023-24
Entry into Williams Arena for Gopher Men's and Women's basketball will primarily utilize the public gates located at the Oak Street entrance (east), University Avenue entrance (south), and Maturi Pavilion main entrance (west). The doors located off of SE 4th St (north) will not be available for entry but will continue to be available for exiting the arena. When event overlaps exist between Maturi Pavilion and Williams Arena, entry to William Arena will be available at the Oak Street entrance (east), University Avenue entrance (south), and SE 4th St (north).
GARCIA NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• University of Minnesota men's basketball standout Dawson Garcia (Savage, Minn.) has been selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, announced Oct. 6 by the league office. The Preseason All-Big Ten Team was selected by media members covering Big Ten institutions. All 10 members of the 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Team received All-Big Ten honors following the 2022-23 campaign. It is Garcia's first preseason honor of his career.
• Last season with the Golden Gophers, Garcia led Minnesota in both scoring and rebounding when he averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. His 15.3 ppg ranked 10th in league scoring, while his 6.7 rbp was 13th overall. Garcia started in all 26 games he played, as he missed five due to a bone bruise injury from Jan. 22-Feb. 18. In those 26 games played, Garcia was Minnesota's top scorer and rebounder in 10 contests. He shot 45.8 percent from the field this season and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc. Garcia scored double-digit scoring in 22 of 26 games last year, including a career-high 28 points at Ohio State on Jan. 12, 2023. He also established a career-high in rebounds this season when he collected 15 against Nebraska on Jan. 7, 2023. For his collegiate career, Garcia has amassed 893 points and 440 rebounds.
GARCIA NAMED KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR CENTER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON FINALIST
• In addition to Preseason All-Big Ten, Dawson Garcia was named to the Preseason Top 20 Finalists for Basketball Hall of Fame's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Garcia is one of four that hail from the Big Ten. Among that list is Purdue's Zach Edey, Rutgers' Clifford Omoruyi and Indiana's Kel'el Ware.
GOPHER RETURNERS
• Minnesota returns seven individuals from last year's team, including four that saw significant time during the 2022-23 season. Braeden Carrington, Dawson Garcia, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne all saw over 20 minutes per game. The Gophers also return Will Ramberg and Jackson Purcell from the bench this season. In total, Minnesota returns 45.1 percent of minutes played and 53 percent of returning scoring from last year's team. This ranks ninth in the Big Ten in returning minutes played and eighth in returning scoring from a year ago.
• In addition, Minnesota returns Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen from back-to-back season ending knee injuries. It would be Fox's first appearance in a Gopher uniform and Ihnen's first appearance since the 2020-21 season. Should both individuals play, it would be the first time under Ben Johnson's three year tenure as head coach.
BACK FOR YEAR 2
• Minnesota's Dawson Garcia is back for his second season in Big Ten play. One of the Big Ten's top returning scorers, Garcia averaged 15.3 points per game, behind returners Zach Edey (Purdue - 22.2 ppg), Boo Buie (Northwestern - 17.29), Terrence Shannon Jr (Illinois - 17.2) and Jahmir Young (Maryland - 15.8).
• Sophomores Pharrel Payne, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Braeden Carrington all saw significant time as true freshmen last year. Payne averaged 22 minutes per game and 8.2 points, followed by Ola-Joseph at 22.1 minutes played and 7.4 ppg, while Carrington played 20 minutes and 5.9 points.
GOPHER NEWCOMERS
• Minnesota welcomes three of its four backcourt in this newcomer class with the transfer additions of Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr., as well as freshman Cam Christie. Hawkins and Mitchell Jr., were starters at Howard and Peppderdine, while Christie was one of the top prospects out of Illinois last season.
• Kadyn Betts skipped his senior year of high school (2022) and reclassified last season to be a redshirt freshman with the Gophers. Being in the Gopher gym for the season, allowed the 18-year-old to develop in the college game.
• The Gophers also added Washington State transfer Jack Wilson. Standing at 6-11, 285 pounds, Wilson played football at WSU last season before joining the basketball program as a walk on. Prior to his collegiate football career, Wilson played college basketball at both Idaho and Oregon State.
• Also joining the Gophers are freshmen Kris Keinys and Erick Reader. Keinys, from Klaiedia, Lithuania, joined the Gophers in August after signing this summer. Reader was one of the top athletes out of New Life Academy and Minnesota last season.
DEPTH IN THE LINEUP
• For the first time in Ben Johnson's tenure, the Gophers have depth in his squad. Minnesota has 15 healthy players on the roster. Of the 15, eight are at the forward position, including returner Dawson Garcia. Minnesota also welcomes back Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen from back-to-back years of knee surgeries.
• Roster breakdown includes six guards, eight forwards and one center in Jack Wilson. Of the 13 scholarship players that played last year, 10 saw over 22 minutes of play the previous collegiate season.
DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
• The Golden Gophers gained experience from last year to this year. The average age for the Gophers this season is 21.09, compared to last year's 20.38.
• Minnesota has four returning players that saw over 20 minutes per game, and added Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr., who averaged over 29 minutes per game. Last season, both of which were starters for their respective teams.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Minnesota's Kris Keinys is the first Gopher player since Paul J. Sutton in 1944 to ever wear the No. 8. Since the 1958-59 season, the NCAA banned basketball athletes from wearing numbers 6-9 for officials to regulate foul calls to the scorers table. New this year, the NCAA now allows any athlete to wear numbers ranging from 0-99.
• Cam Christie is one of the youngest players in Division I men's basketball. In July, Christie turned 18, marking him the seventh youngest in sport.
GOPHERS IN THE CLASSROOM
• Minnesota continues to improve in the classroom as well. In the spring of 2023, the Golden Gophers earned a program record 3.36 grade point average as a team. That marked the second-highest GPA among men's programs in Gopher Athletics. In the fall of 2022, Minnesota bettered its team GPA of 3.23.
• Minnesota had 12 individuals that held a GPA above 3.0, while six were above a 3.5 GPA. In a two-year total under head coach Ben Johnson, Minnesota has had 12 individuals earn either a master's or bachelor's degree.
• For the first time since 1922, the University of Minnesota will play Macalester College. It comes in an exhibition contest, as the Gophers have faced Macalester 11 times in school history. In 1922, Minnesota fell, 12-11 in a home game. The last game between the Gophers and Scots even dates before Williams Arena was built, which opened in 1928. Minnesota is 7-4 all time against the Scots, all coming from 1896-1922.
• This is the second-straight year the Golden Gophers have faced a MIAC team. Last year, Minnesota hosted St. Olaf in an exhibition game, winning 71-55.
• The Gophers are one of 10 Big Ten teams playing either a Division II, III or NAIA team during the exhibition period.
ENTRY INTO WILLIAMS ARENA FOR 2023-24
Entry into Williams Arena for Gopher Men's and Women's basketball will primarily utilize the public gates located at the Oak Street entrance (east), University Avenue entrance (south), and Maturi Pavilion main entrance (west). The doors located off of SE 4th St (north) will not be available for entry but will continue to be available for exiting the arena. When event overlaps exist between Maturi Pavilion and Williams Arena, entry to William Arena will be available at the Oak Street entrance (east), University Avenue entrance (south), and SE 4th St (north).
GARCIA NAMED PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN
• University of Minnesota men's basketball standout Dawson Garcia (Savage, Minn.) has been selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, announced Oct. 6 by the league office. The Preseason All-Big Ten Team was selected by media members covering Big Ten institutions. All 10 members of the 2023-24 Preseason All-Big Ten Team received All-Big Ten honors following the 2022-23 campaign. It is Garcia's first preseason honor of his career.
• Last season with the Golden Gophers, Garcia led Minnesota in both scoring and rebounding when he averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds. His 15.3 ppg ranked 10th in league scoring, while his 6.7 rbp was 13th overall. Garcia started in all 26 games he played, as he missed five due to a bone bruise injury from Jan. 22-Feb. 18. In those 26 games played, Garcia was Minnesota's top scorer and rebounder in 10 contests. He shot 45.8 percent from the field this season and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc. Garcia scored double-digit scoring in 22 of 26 games last year, including a career-high 28 points at Ohio State on Jan. 12, 2023. He also established a career-high in rebounds this season when he collected 15 against Nebraska on Jan. 7, 2023. For his collegiate career, Garcia has amassed 893 points and 440 rebounds.
GARCIA NAMED KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR CENTER OF THE YEAR PRESEASON FINALIST
• In addition to Preseason All-Big Ten, Dawson Garcia was named to the Preseason Top 20 Finalists for Basketball Hall of Fame's Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award. Garcia is one of four that hail from the Big Ten. Among that list is Purdue's Zach Edey, Rutgers' Clifford Omoruyi and Indiana's Kel'el Ware.
GOPHER RETURNERS
• Minnesota returns seven individuals from last year's team, including four that saw significant time during the 2022-23 season. Braeden Carrington, Dawson Garcia, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne all saw over 20 minutes per game. The Gophers also return Will Ramberg and Jackson Purcell from the bench this season. In total, Minnesota returns 45.1 percent of minutes played and 53 percent of returning scoring from last year's team. This ranks ninth in the Big Ten in returning minutes played and eighth in returning scoring from a year ago.
• In addition, Minnesota returns Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen from back-to-back season ending knee injuries. It would be Fox's first appearance in a Gopher uniform and Ihnen's first appearance since the 2020-21 season. Should both individuals play, it would be the first time under Ben Johnson's three year tenure as head coach.
BACK FOR YEAR 2
• Minnesota's Dawson Garcia is back for his second season in Big Ten play. One of the Big Ten's top returning scorers, Garcia averaged 15.3 points per game, behind returners Zach Edey (Purdue - 22.2 ppg), Boo Buie (Northwestern - 17.29), Terrence Shannon Jr (Illinois - 17.2) and Jahmir Young (Maryland - 15.8).
• Sophomores Pharrel Payne, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Braeden Carrington all saw significant time as true freshmen last year. Payne averaged 22 minutes per game and 8.2 points, followed by Ola-Joseph at 22.1 minutes played and 7.4 ppg, while Carrington played 20 minutes and 5.9 points.
GOPHER NEWCOMERS
• Minnesota welcomes three of its four backcourt in this newcomer class with the transfer additions of Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr., as well as freshman Cam Christie. Hawkins and Mitchell Jr., were starters at Howard and Peppderdine, while Christie was one of the top prospects out of Illinois last season.
• Kadyn Betts skipped his senior year of high school (2022) and reclassified last season to be a redshirt freshman with the Gophers. Being in the Gopher gym for the season, allowed the 18-year-old to develop in the college game.
• The Gophers also added Washington State transfer Jack Wilson. Standing at 6-11, 285 pounds, Wilson played football at WSU last season before joining the basketball program as a walk on. Prior to his collegiate football career, Wilson played college basketball at both Idaho and Oregon State.
• Also joining the Gophers are freshmen Kris Keinys and Erick Reader. Keinys, from Klaiedia, Lithuania, joined the Gophers in August after signing this summer. Reader was one of the top athletes out of New Life Academy and Minnesota last season.
DEPTH IN THE LINEUP
• For the first time in Ben Johnson's tenure, the Gophers have depth in his squad. Minnesota has 15 healthy players on the roster. Of the 15, eight are at the forward position, including returner Dawson Garcia. Minnesota also welcomes back Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen from back-to-back years of knee surgeries.
• Roster breakdown includes six guards, eight forwards and one center in Jack Wilson. Of the 13 scholarship players that played last year, 10 saw over 22 minutes of play the previous collegiate season.
DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
• The Golden Gophers gained experience from last year to this year. The average age for the Gophers this season is 21.09, compared to last year's 20.38.
• Minnesota has four returning players that saw over 20 minutes per game, and added Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell Jr., who averaged over 29 minutes per game. Last season, both of which were starters for their respective teams.
DID YOU KNOW?
• Minnesota's Kris Keinys is the first Gopher player since Paul J. Sutton in 1944 to ever wear the No. 8. Since the 1958-59 season, the NCAA banned basketball athletes from wearing numbers 6-9 for officials to regulate foul calls to the scorers table. New this year, the NCAA now allows any athlete to wear numbers ranging from 0-99.
• Cam Christie is one of the youngest players in Division I men's basketball. In July, Christie turned 18, marking him the seventh youngest in sport.
GOPHERS IN THE CLASSROOM
• Minnesota continues to improve in the classroom as well. In the spring of 2023, the Golden Gophers earned a program record 3.36 grade point average as a team. That marked the second-highest GPA among men's programs in Gopher Athletics. In the fall of 2022, Minnesota bettered its team GPA of 3.23.
• Minnesota had 12 individuals that held a GPA above 3.0, while six were above a 3.5 GPA. In a two-year total under head coach Ben Johnson, Minnesota has had 12 individuals earn either a master's or bachelor's degree.
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