Former Gophers center Liam Robbins to transfer to Vanderbilt

Liam Robbins became the second Gophers player in the transfer portal to make a commitment to another program when he announced Monday he's headed to Vanderbilt.

The 7-foot junior averaged 11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and a Big Ten-best 2.7 blocks last season after transferring from Drake.

Robbins' uncle, Ed Conroy, was an associate head coach under Richard Pitino, who was fired at the end of the season. Conroy, who wasn't retained by Johnson, is reportedly expected to join Jerry Stackhouse's staff at Vanderbilt.

"Thank you to the University of Minnesota faculty, administration and fans for this past year," Robbins said in his Instagram post. "I would like to thank Coach Stackhouse and his staff for this opportunity."

In his last six games for the Gophers, Robbins was sidelined by a sprained left ankle after suffering the injury in a Feb. 11 win vs. Purdue. The Gophers had a 1-8 record when he was playing injured or sidelined.

Former Gophers starting guard Gabe Kalscheur, who was also injured at the end of last season because of a broken finger, committed to Iowa State on Saturday. Kalscheur had started 88 straight games and averaged 9.2 points as a junior last season.

The Gophers, who have seven players in the portal from last season's roster, added their fourth transfer Sunday with former New Hampshire guard Sean Sutherlin from Irondale.

Johnson also received earlier commitments from Jamison Battle (George Washington), E.J. Stephens (Lafayette) and Luke Loewe (William & Mary).

Robbins' official departure, though, leaves a gaping hole at center for the second straight spring. A year ago, Richard Pitino lost All-America big man Daniel Oturu, who left for the NBA draft.

Robbins filled that spot after transferring from Drake, but the Gophers have only one frontcourt player officially returning, sophomore forward Isaiah Ihnen.

Johnson said Monday that 6-8 senior Brandon Johnson, who started at power forward last season, was still considering using his extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA.