Youth takeover: Gophers basketball freshmen embrace bigger roles in Ben Johnson's program

The future of Gophers basketball looked brighter after Ben Johnson signed a nationally ranked recruiting class last week, but the young talents in the program are already making a statement this season.

Three freshmen led the Gophers in scoring and combined for 40 points in Friday's 72-54 win against St. Francis Brooklyn.

Jaden Henley was slashing and hitting jumpers. Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne were punishing opponents with powerful dunks and points in the paint.

Sure, there were mistakes one would expect from 18-year-olds playing in their second official college basketball game, but Johnson saw a glimpse at how much last year's talented recruiting class could help the team right now.

"You're going against a team that was going to pressure," Johnson said. "To me it builds confidence for guys now and down the road."

That pressure will rise to another level for the Gophers (2-0) in Monday's Gavitt Games matchup against DePaul at Williams Arena.

Henley's game-high 16 points Friday were the most by a U freshman since Jamal Mashburn Jr. in 2020-21. Payne (12 points and eight rebounds) and Ola-Joseph (nine of his 12 points in the first half) combined to score 24 of the team's 32 bench points.

The freshmen also combined for 10 of the team's 12 turnovers Friday, including five from Henley. That comes with the territory when underclassmen are thrown into the fire early.

"One of the greatest teachers is experience," Johnson said. "Sometimes you got to go through it. We have a confident group because they work, and they dive into coaching."

The Gophers are forced to lean on younger players with upperclassmen Jamison Battle (foot), Parker Fox (knee) and Isaiah Ihnen (knee) sidelined. Fox and Ihnen are out for the season. The timetable for Battle's return is uncertain.

Injuries put freshmen in bigger roles.

In last week's 61-60 win against Western Michigan, Henley was the first freshman to start in the season opener for the Gophers since Daniel Oturu and Gabe Kalscheur in 2018-19. Payne and Ola-Joseph are two of the first players off the bench.

Sophomore big man Treyton Thompson, whom Johnson considers a freshman because of to his inexperience, is also in the starting frontcourt with transfer Dawson Garcia.

"You could look at the Big Ten with the amount of freshmen that we're playing," Johnson said. "I guarantee there's nowhere near four guys playing that number, but we need that. You don't want to lose anybody, but it's an opportunity for other guys to get reps, to maximize those reps."

There are Big Ten teams relying on as many freshmen as the Gophers to open the season.

Ohio State has played four freshmen double figures in minutes through two games, including Brice Sensabaugh ranked second on the team and first among Big Ten freshmen in scoring with 15.5 points per game. Purdue played four freshmen at least 10 minutes per game in two wins, including Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith in starting roles.

Michigan's Jett Howard and Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino are among the top players on their respective Big Ten contending squads.

The fourth Gophers freshman contributing this year could be Braeden Carrington, a state champion and Mr. Basketball winner from Park Center. Carrington missed the first two games because of an ankle injury, but Johnson hopes the sharpshooting guard can make his Gophers debut against DePaul.

In the exhibition win vs. St. Olaf, the Gophers first showed off their youth movement as freshmen combined for 43 points. That included Kadyn Betts, who will redshirt this season and make his debut with the incoming 2023 class, the team announced last week.

It was an exciting week for the Gophers on and off the court. They started 2-0 and signed four-star guard Cameron Christie and five-star center Dennis Evans.

"I'm really excited about getting Dennis because I've been playing with him for a long time," Henley said about his former AAU teammate. "Being able to play with him at the next level will be extremely fun."