Reusse: An aging Williams Arena crowd has something to watch, at least, with these Gophers

The Gophers men’s basketball team opened the regular season Wednesday night against Oral Roberts University from Tulsa, Okla. It would be reckless to state that the average age of the crowd was the same as mine, since there were around 200 students gathered behind the west basket.

So, we’ll go with this: I made it to 79 last month and didn’t feel out of place among the roughly 4,000 or so bodies that were scattered in our ancient Barn (take the announced 6,975 as good humor).

One advantage for old-timers was not having to join in asking, “Oral Roberts ... what’s with that name?”

We were fully aware that Roberts made his fame with a weekly TV ministry in which the highlight was his ability to heal people who were sick or disabled in some way.

There would be a call to the front, and several audience members would be wheeled, assisted or struggling bravely to reach Roberts.

The minister would lay on a hand, make a plea to a higher power for a cure, and the previously afflicted often would spring back into the audience with the dexterity of an Olympic gymnast.

ORU opened in 1963 and has had an interesting basketball history, including an Elite Eight in 1974 (behind the legendary Anthony Roberts), and to a Sweet 16 in 2021 after a No. 15 vs. No. 2 upset vs. Ohio State.

The Golden Eagles were down last season — eighth in the nine-team Summit League — and they appeared still to be in need of a cure Wednesday: Gophers 80, ORU 57.

Gophers coach Ben Johnson had to put together a roster from faraway places and with modest résumés when he took over for the fired Richard Pitino for the 2021-22 season.

It’s pretty much a given that coaches will get four years at a minimum, and Johnson appeared to be building something in Season 3.

And then the new version of the transfer portal — the one with large name, image and likeness (NIL) dollars — devastated the roster last spring, leaving Johnson to again scour for reinforcements. As it is, they have 10 seniors-plus and three underclassmen.

Fortunately, Dawson Garcia, the 6-foot-11 forward, came back for a fifth college season at considerably less than market value. Maybe it was the opposition, but in this opener, Garcia looked more like a lock to be a productive NBA player than at any time, in my opinion.

He’s tall enough, he can slide inside to score, he’ll get some rebounds … but mostly, he can shoot. He was 4-for-5 on threes, with 30 points in 23 minutes. And nothing is more valued in today’s NBA than shooting.

One of the losses being lamented has been Elijah Hawkins, a transfer point guard to the Gophers last season. He wound up taking a large pile of NIL money from Texas Tech.

Lots of assists and a key in a few victories last season, but I’m not going to miss all that dribbling to nowhere when games were being decided in the final 10 minutes.

Mike Mitchell Jr. and freshman Isaac Asuma can be a workable combination running the offense.

The age angle will not be restricted to the witnesses in the Barn this season. Comparatively, there also will be that on the court, with Parker Fox in his eighth year of college eligibility and transfer Femi Odukale in his seventh.

Uncle Parker spent four years at Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D., where he became a legend. He had the free COVID season in the bank, then missed his first two seasons here because of knee repairs.

He played 14 minutes a game and averaged 5.1 points for the Gophers last season. These Gophers could use more, and Fox was running the court like a young pup to go 6-for-6 from the field in the opener.

The Gophers made history in this preseason when forecast to finish 18th (last) — 18th! — in a college conference, but the smallish crowd sounded like it was having a good time on opening night.

Just don’t expect full standing ovations to salute good stretches, fellas. Hard to pop right up from those low seats for my contemporaries.

The Gophers are back at it on Saturday against Omaha. If you have missed both games in this opening week for the Gophers, you can see Oral Roberts (Jan. 29) and Omaha (Feb. 15) later when they make their Summit League visits to St. Thomas.

Yes, I’m old and slow to rise from sitting on a Williams Arena bench seat, but not so diminished of mind to forget to take a cheap shot at Gophers basketball for refusing to schedule St. Thomas.

A nonconference game where the U could brag, rather than lie, about attendance. What a concept.