Coach Richard Pitino had a different sales pitch for each of the three transfers who chose the Gophers men's basketball team this spring.
Brock Stull wanted to find a place he could feel comfortable quickly and a team that could win next season, his final year of eligibility.
Marcus Carr needed to find a team willing to accept him whether or not he gets an NCAA waiver to play next season.
Payton Willis wanted a coach he knew and a buddy on his next team to ease the pain of sitting out a year.
In the span of three weeks, Pitino added Willis, Carr and Stull, an injection of May optimism. All three are talented guards and have different reasons for coming — but they share Gophers fans' excitement. Pitino added to the buzz Tuesday on the Gopher Road Trip stop in St. Cloud, calling his current roster the "most talented" he has had at Minnesota.
His lineup's final piece was Stull, who committed May 15 after visiting campus. He took the longest to decide, ultimately choosing the same path from Wisconsin-Milwaukee as former Panthers guard Akeem Springs: an immediately eligible graduate transfer with an NCAA-tournament-or-bust attitude. Springs got to the Big Dance with Minnesota in 2017.
"Not making it my last three years to the tournament, I think it's kind of like a must," the 6-4 Stull said. "I came out and looked at schools I felt like had a really good chance to make the tournament. I wanted to play an important role on a good, winning team."
As a two-year starter and one of best shooters in the Horizon League, Stull was a hot name on the transfer market. His all-around game (13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season) attracted interest from Butler, North Carolina State and Virginia.