Gophers men's hoops in market for new backcourt with visits scheduled, including an Indiana transfer

Who will be the starting backcourt for Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson next season?

The transfer portal will likely have the answer much like it did last year, but Johnson cast a wider net this spring with the Gophers needing to replace basically every guard who saw major minutes.

The Gophers saw eligiblity run out for starting point guard and co-captain Payton Willis and third leading-scorer E.J. Stephens. They also lost starter Luke Loewe and sixth-man Sean Sutherlin. All of them were plucked out of the portal a year ago.

Players with scheduled visits to Minnesota's campus in the next week or so include Indiana's Parker Steward (this weekend), Illinois State's Josiah Strong (April 18), Elon's Hunter McIntosh (April 19), Morehead State's Ta'Lon Cooper (April 22), and Purdue's Isaiah Thompson (April 25).

Here's a look at some of the top guards linked to the Gophers from the transfer portal:

PARKER STEWART, INDIANA – A 6-5, 200-pound redshirt junior, Stewart averaged 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and shot 39% from three-point range in 34 games for the Hoosiers this season, including 31 starts.

Stewart will be playing for this fourth school after starting his career at Pittsburgh and UT Martin. In 2019-20, Stewart averaged 19.2 points playing for his father after transferring, but ex-UT Martin coach Anthony Stewart passed away from unknown causes in November 2020.

The Tennessee native had six double-figure games this season for Indiana, including 12 points and three rebounds in a home win vs. the Gophers on Jan. 9.

JOSIAH STRONG, ILLINOIS STATE – The former Champlin Park star averaged 11.5 points his last two years with the Redbirds. As a senior this season, he also averaged 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and shot a career-best 40.9% from three.

Prior to playing for Illinois State, Strong played at Iowa Western College and Navy. The Brooklyn Park native reportedly heard from Iowa State, Clemson, Minnesota, Western Kentucky, Fresno State and others after entering the portal.

HUNTER MCINTOSH, ELON – The 6-2 McIntosh started 85 games in three years at Elon and is a two-time All-Colonial Athletic Association point guard. The Georgia native ranked second on the team in scoring (13.3) and assists (2.8) and shot a team-best 37.7% from three-point range this season.

After entering the portal last week, McIntosh heard from a number of programs, including South Carolina, Clemson, Loyola Chicago, Colorado State and Wichita State.

TA'LON COOPER, MOREHEAD STATE – The 6-4, 190-pound Cooper averaged 9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists for Morehead State this season. He ranked seventh in Division I in assists and was named Ohio Valley all-conference first team.

A South Carolina native, Cooper heard from schools such as Georgetown, Iowa State, South Carolina, USC, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.

ISAIAH THOMPSON, PURDUE – Thompson's one of three high-major point guard transfers with the Gophers among their finalists this month. The 6-1 junior averaged 4.2 points and shot 42% from three in 37 games for the Boilermakers this season, including 20 starts.

Thompson, who had a season-high 18 points in a Jan. 27 win vs. Iowa, has his top five schools as Minnesota, Florida Gulf Coast, Northern Kentucky, Loyola Marymount, and Grand Canyon.

NICK HONOR, CLEMSON – The 5-10, 200-pound Honor averaged 7.7 points and had a team-high 79 assists this season. The former Fordham transfer started 35 games in two seasons with the Tigers. He announced last week he narrowed his list to Minnesota, Missouri, and Southern Methodist.

MICHAEL JONES, DAVIDSON – The 6-5, 210-pound Woodbury native's one of the top shooters in the Atlantic 10. Jones averaged a career-high 11.8 points and shot 42.4% from beyond the arc. He started all 34 games this year, including with a career-high 29 points on eight threes vs. Richmond and with 21 points in a win vs. Alabama.

Jones was contacted immediately by the Gophers after entering the portal, but Iowa State, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Stanford are pursuing. He visited Stanford last week.