With Gophers banged up, Brennan Rigsby’s sheer athletic ability gives them hope

The first unofficial dunk of the Gophers men’s basketball season came during the exhibition game against Bemidji State: Brennan Rigsby took off outside the key on the fast break.

A high-rising 6-3 senior, Rigsby had enough hang time that he pulled the ball back behind his head before throwing it down emphatically with two hands.

“I like being able to use my athleticism and get downhill to try to score,” Rigsby said.

Putting a 40-inch vertical on display in his Gophers debut made Rigsby an early fan favorite, but he’s more than just a highlight-reel dunker.

The Oregon transfer led the Gophers with 16.5 points and made seven threes in two exhibition games. Those numbers didn’t nearly translate to the regular season, but Rigsby showed signs of figuring out his role with 15 points and six rebounds in Saturday’s 59-56 win vs. Yale.

The Gophers (3-1), who play host to Cleveland State on Tuesday, are without starting guard Mike Mitchell Jr. with an ankle injury. Dawson Garcia is also the only player averaging double figures at 25.5 points.

Rigsby’s ability to defend, finish at the rim and hit shots from long range give him opportunities to impact the game in a variety of ways, which the Gophers need.

“Mike’s such a good player, and it sucks he’s out right now,” Rigsby said. “I definitely think that didn’t help us in the first game without him [a 54-51 loss vs. North Texas]. But I think we’re kind of getting in a groove.”

Gophers coach Ben Johnson told his players, when they were down 29-19 at halftime vs. Yale, to be more aggressive driving off ball screens. He wasn’t talking about Rigsby, who had a team-high eight points in the first half coming all inside of the arc.

“We were just talking about that we’re really good athletes,” Rigsby said. “And if we can get two feet in the paint, it just opens up so much more to the game. I think we did that pretty well in the second half.”

The Gophers had 16 points in the paint in the second half vs. Yale. Rigsby wasn’t the only player attacking the basket. Garcia had 19 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.

Rigsby averages 7.5 points on just 25% shooting from three this season. He averaged 6.1 points and shot 35.3% from three for Oregon in 2023-24. The Colorado native also had a career-high 19 points in a loss vs. Michigan, but he played mostly a backup role with 13 starts.

His Gophers teammates were surprised not just by Rigsby’s dunks but his jumper in practices before the season.

“I’ve seen him do some things when he’s hot,” senior Lu’Cye Patterson said. “Be on the watch out for him. Pretty sure that level of play is going to continue for him.”

Johnson is relying on veterans Patterson, Rigsby and Femi Odukale to carry a heavier load with Mitchell sidelined. Freshman Isaac Asuma is making strides defensively on the perimeter, but Rigsby was given the responsibility of guarding Yale’s leading scorer John Poulakidas for most of the game Saturday.

Rigsby didn’t make it easy on Poulakidas, who had 21 points but on 6-for-15 shooting from the field.

“I thought last game he was phenomenal defensively,” Johnson said. “Sometimes when you’re so consumed with defense you forget about offense. Well, now all of a sudden you play better. He had his most productive offensive game out of the last couple for sure. Now if we can get him to be that two-way guy, I think we’re in a good spot.”

6 p.m. Saturday at Williams Arena

TV; radio: BTN; 103.5 FM/1130 AM

The Vikings (3-2) are picked to finish seventh in the Horizon League preseason poll this season. They’ve already played two major conference opponents with losses at Michigan (101-53) and Kansas State (77-64). Dylan Arnett, a 6-9 junior, leads Cleveland State in scoring (13.0) and rebounding (8.2). Senior guard Tevin Smith had a team-high 24 points on 7-for-13 shooting and seven rebounds in Saturday’s 71-63 win against Eastern Michigan. … The Gophers, who have trailed at halftime in three straight games, rank last in the Big Ten in scoring (64.5) but second-best in scoring defense (57.8).