Gophers exhibition a big deal for Ben Johnson and new-look team

Monday's exhibition for the Gophers men's basketball team against Concordia (St. Paul) won't count as Ben Johnson's official head coaching debut, but it's still a big deal to him.

Johnson sees the exhibition as an opportunity to make a feel-good first impression of his program in front of fans who haven't been at Williams Arena for more than a year.

"I'll be excited," said Johnson, who replaced Richard Pitino after last season's team finished 14-15.

"I don't think I'll have to give a motivational speech about competing. They're excited to get out there, they're excited for fans, they're excited to prove and show what they can do."

Gophers faithful will get their first look at an almost completely new roster. Johnson's style of play is a work in progress, but he hopes they can play up-tempo and be efficient in grind-it-out half-court games.

"We're not going to be Gonzaga where we're just flying up and down scoring 90," he said. "We'll have to have that balance. But the way we're going to play offensively will correlate to who we have personnel-wise."

The Gophers have 10 newcomers, most of whom have never played in front of a crowd like the Barn's when it fills up. Six of the eight transfers are from the mid-major Division I level while the other two are from Division II.

"When the Barn is rocking, they say it's one of the best places in college basketball to play," Lafayette transfer E.J. Stephens said. "With no fans being allowed at games last year, we're really looking forward to having fans back this year. I think it's going to be a great experience."

A Fond du Lac, Wis., native, William & Mary transfer Luke Loewe expects to have practically a section cheering for him for the exhibition game and the Nov. 9 opener against Missouri Kansas City.

"I know a lot are going to come for both," said Loewe, who also has family in nearby Hudson and Minnetonka. "I think my toughest thing this year is trying to get as many tickets as I can for games."

Stephens and Loewe are two new backcourt players who will be expected to contribute scoring at a high level, considering they averaged 16.4 and 16.2 points per game last season, respectively.

With major knee injuries to Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen in the frontcourt, the Gophers could be leaning more on players such as sophomore Jamison Battle and freshman Treyton Thompson inside. They're both more comfortable on the perimeter but have been developing in the post in practice.

"From a player development standpoint, it's been great for those guys, especially Treyton," Johnson said. "We don't have many subs in practice, so offensively and defensively they're getting a ton of reps."

Johnson doesn't know much about the Division II Golden Bears, who finished last in the Northern Sun Conference last season with a 1-10 record, but they feature seven Minnesota natives.

"He'll have his guys ready to play," said Johnson of Concordia coach Matt Fletcher. "It's going to be their Super Bowl. … For our guys, this is our biggest game because it's the game we got right now."