Gophers' Braeden Carrington shares mental health battle, learns you can't always 'tough it out'

From the outside looking in, there were no obvious signs that Braeden Carrington was struggling with his mental health in the first month of the Gophers men's basketball season.

A week after the sophomore guard's best performance of the year, in a Dec. 6 comeback win vs. Nebraska, the former Minnesota Mr. Basketball announced he needed time to focus on improving his life away from the court.

Carrington's message to other athletes is "don't be afraid to speak up" about mental health.

"I was one of those people who thought you could just tough it out," Carrington told the Star Tribune on Friday. "There are a lot more people behind me than I would've thought."

The Gophers announced Carrington's indefinite leave of absence on Dec. 12 after his social media posts about focusing on himself. Mental health awareness is on the rise, with athletes across sports bringing the issue into the spotlight by openly seeking help.

Last season, Iowa's Patrick McCaffery took a break from basketball to deal with anxiety. Wisconsin's Sydney Hilliard left the women's hoops team for the second time in two seasons to concentrate on herself. And ex-DeLaSalle and Stanford star Tyrell Terry also quit pro basketball because of anxiety.

This season, Angel Reese — the All-America forward for defending women's national champion LSU — missed four games while fans were unclear on the reason until she returned.

"My mental health is the most important before anything," Reese told media earlier this month. "Because I don't want to cause any harm or cancer in the locker room."

Carrington, who still remains in school, shared something similar about his situation in that "my heart isn't all there for basketball, and I didn't want to hurt the team."

But Carrington's mental health fight was less apparent Friday, when he wore a bright smile as his alma mater Park Center honored him during a ceremony before playing Armstrong.

Joining him on the court while the crowd cheered, Pirates players wore T-shirts with Carrington's name and number. The Gophers basketball team attended to show support, including coach Ben Johnson, members of the staff and all of his teammates.

It seemed to be a step in the right direction. Carrington said getting back on track to play again will be a "day-to-day" process, "but now that I'm getting help, it's a really nice feeling."

All 21 Gophers sports teams meet with sports psychology staff before the season. Newcomers are screened on mental health when arriving on campus. Any athlete can sign up on their own for sessions with sports psychologists throughout the school year.

Missing nine games because of injuries and an illness last season, Carrington said he struggled with his confidence as a freshman. But his break this season from the Gophers had little to do with basketball.

"It's just my personal life," Carrington said. "I just want to make sure I'm 100 percent when I get back."

Dr. Carly Anderson, the U's director of sports psychology, couldn't speak specifically to Carrington's case. But she said about 55% of Gophers athletes used the athletic department's sports psych services last season, up from 30-40% pre-pandemic.

"It's always a personalized and tailored approach," Anderson said. "With the guidance and support of a medical team, we're never going to force an athlete to play with an injury. Nor are we going to force them to play if they don't feel ready [mentally]."

Social media can serve a purpose for athletes, including building brands during the name, image and likeness (NIL) era. But it also can be significantly damaging to mental health.

"It's just how do you have social media while also staying away from the potentially toxic and unhealthy side effects?" Anderson said. "The scrutiny can be so bad."

Johnson said when he played for the Gophers nearly 20 years ago, athletes kept to themselves and their mental health struggles "built up over time." But he's glad now that the stigma that you can't show vulnerability seems to be gone.

Carrington's situation could lead to others feeling comfortable to seek help, his coach said.

"Whether it's other guys on our team or other student-athletes here in the community," Johnson said. "Hopefully that gives courage to some other folks."

Five Minnesotans who stood out:

Dalton Albrecht, Bemidji State

The 6-7 senior averaged 22.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in two wins last week, including 25 points and the game-winning put-back in a 103-102 double overtime win vs. St. Cloud State.

Amir Coffey, L.A. Clippers

The former Hopkins and Gophers standout had a season-high 18 points with four three-pointers in his first start this season last week in a 121-113 win vs. the Golden State Warriors.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Timberwolves

Towns had 40 points on 15-for-25 shooting, to go with 12 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in a 127-109 win against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

Liza Karlen, Marquette

Stillwater product combined for 49 points on 18-for-36 shooting from the field and 12-for-13 free throws in two wins last week, including 25 points and 12 rebounds in a 76-70 victory over No. 20 Creighton.

Ayoka Lee, Kansas State

Back after missing last season with knee surgery, the 6-6 Byron native averaged 29.3 points in her past three games, including a 24-point, 21-rebound, five-block game in defeating Oral Roberts 102-59 on Monday.

20-5: Best record for the Timberwolves through the first 25 games in franchise history and tied for the best in the NBA this season.

15: Total blocks in a two-game span for Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren, the first NBA rookie since Tim Duncan in 1997-98 with consecutive games of seven blocks or more.

12-0: Season records for Moorhead and Minnesota State Mankato, ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in Division II nationally in men's basketball.

7.5: Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins' assists per game this season, ranking first in the Big Ten and third among NCAA Division I players.

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Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on startribune.com. Don't be a stranger on X after reading — chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).