Gophers contact Marquette's Theo John; other big man target to decide on transferring this month

Adding perimeter talent to the Gophers men's basketball roster has been a priority for new coach Ben Johnson so far with the transfer portal.

Johnson's first four commitments this spring are going to help the Gophers mainly in the backcourt, but they're now looking hard to add some inside depth as well.

The Gophers received a commitment from Division II Northern State forward Parker Fox on Thursday.

Most recently, Marquette big man Theo John has been contacted by the Gophers, according to sources. The 6-foot-9 former Champlin Park standout entered his name into the transfer portal this week and could use the NCAA's extra year of eligibility granted due to the pandemic.

John, who was also reportedly contacted by Duke, averaged 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last season for the Golden Eagles, who hired former Texas coach Shaka Smart to replace Steve Wojciechowski last month.

The Gophers are also focused on North Dakota's Filip Rebraca, who told the Star Tribune he'll make his decision by the end of the month.

Rebraca, a 6-9, 220 pound native of Serbia, doesn't have a list of finalists, but he's also conducted a video call with Iowa. South Carolina also expressed heavy interest recently.

The Gophers could have up to six scholarships available after losing most of their team from last season to the portal, including 7-foot starting center Liam Robbins who announced this week he committed to Vanderbilt.

It's uncertain if John will definitely return to college since he initially was looking to play pro basketball, but he now has options with his name generating interest in the transfer portal.

John finished second in career blocks (191) and started 89 games for Marquette in his four-year career, including 26 starts alongside fellow Minnesotan Dawson Garcia last season. Garcia, a 6-11 freshman and former Prior Lake star, announced earlier this week he's testing the NBA draft process. But Garcia is also leaving open the possibility of coming back to college.

Johnson, who replaced Richard Pitino as Minnesota's coach last month, recruited John and Garcia in high school when he was on Pitino's staff with the Gophers.