Gophers fans barely got to know this year's men's basketball team before the regular season came to an end with Sunday's loss at Northwestern.
Marcus Carr, Gabe Kalscheur and other Gophers men's basketball transfers — one season later
A look at the 10 players who transferred away from the Gophers last year.
March 7, 2022 at 6:42PM
In Ben Johnson's first season as coach, the Gophers (13-16, 4-16 Big Ten) captivated fans with a hot start, but it was easy when the losses piled up to wonder how successful they would've been if some players hadn't transferred last year.
Former starting guards Marcus Carr and Gabe Kalscheur are likely to be the only two departed players from last season to make the NCAA tournament this year at Texas and Iowa State, respectively. But there are others who made an impact on their new teams.
With the 2021-22 regular season over, we can look back at how the players who left the Gophers fared elsewhere.
Last season's top five players
Marcus Carr, Texas, senior guard: 11.0 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.1 rpg, 32.5% three-point shooting.
The former All-Big Ten point guard went from averaging 19.4 points last season to 11 points per game as Texas' floor leader this season. His assists numbers were down from 4.9 to 3.2, but he shot a higher three-point percentage at nearly 33%, and his defense showed improvement. Carr scored in double figures in seven of nine games in February, including a season-high 25 points in a one-point loss against Kansas State. But the Toronto native will look to bounce back in the Big 12 tourney after having five points and fouling out in a regular season-ending overtime loss Saturday at Kansas.
Gabe Kalscheur, Iowa State, senior guard: 9.4 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.5 steals, started 31 games.
Kalscheur's leadership was apparent with the Cyclones all season, especially early with their rise from a projected last-place team in the Big 12 to a top-10 national ranking. His 30-point performance against Memphis was a statement game. The former DeLaSalle standout wasn't the main scoring option, but he also had a memorable 22-point effort against his old teammate Carr in an upset over Texas in January. He finished the regular season with 18 points in a loss against co-Big 12 champion Baylor.
Jamal Mashburn Jr., New Mexico, sophomore guard: 18.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg.
Mashburn was the only player to follow Richard Pitino to his new program with the Lobos this season. Not surprisingly, the son of the former star who played with Pitino's father at Kentucky stayed loyal with their family connection. New Mexico went 13-18 and 5-12 in the Mountain West. But Mashburn blossomed with even more offensive freedom. He scored in double figures in all but one game during the regular season, including 14 games with 20 or more points. Mashburn's top games were 29 points in a double-overtime loss vs. Utah State and 27 points in a loss at Fresno State in late February.
Brandon Johnson, DePaul, senior forward: 10.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, started all 30 games.
Johnson considered staying with the Gophers to play for Johnson, but he couldn't turn down returning home to Chicago to finish his college career. The Blue Demons went 15-15 and 6-14 in the Big East in Tony Stubblefield's first year. Johnson was a solid scoring presence with 18 double-figure games, including five straight in late January and early February. Gophers faithful always will remember his eight threes in an overtime win vs. Iowa on Christmas Day in 2020. He shot 30% from three this year.
Liam Robbins, Vanderbilt, junior center: 6.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.9 blocks, 45% field goal shooting.
The 7-foot Iowa native ended his Gophers career sidelined with a foot injury that lingered for most of this season. Robbins, who led the Big Ten in blocks (2.9) last season, has been a defensive presence since making his debut Feb. 2. Robbins had four games with at least two blocks in his nine games this season. He had back-to-back double-figure scoring efforts with 16 points vs. Alabama and 14 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks vs. Texas A&M. Robbins ended SEC play averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his last six games, including 12 points and six rebounds vs. Ole Miss in the regular-season finale Saturday.
Last season's other five players
Tre' Williams, Oregon State, junior guard: 3.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, two starts in 18 games.
Williams, who started 13 games last season with the Gophers, played 16 minutes per game mostly off the bench with the Beavers this season. He had one double-figure scoring game with 11 points vs. Princeton in November.
Both Gach, Utah, senior guard: 9.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, nine starts in 29 games
The 6-6 Austin native started 16 games for the Gophers last season and initially wanted to remain with the new staff, but he decided to return to Utah. Gach was an offensive spark primarily off the bench with 14 double-figure games. His best performance was 28 points vs. USC in early December.
Sammy Freeman, Pacific, sophomore center: 4.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 60% field goal shooting, seven starts in 29 games.
The 6-10, 240-pound Freeman could've added depth inside for the Gophers this year, but he ended up providing that for the Tigers. He showed promise with three double-figure scoring games, including 12 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 23 minutes vs. Gonzaga.
Jarvis Omersa and Martice Mitchell: did not play this season.
Omersa, a former Orono standout, announced he was transferring to St. Thomas last year, but he decided to end his college career. Mitchell originally committed to Northern Illinois, but he also ended up not joining the team and didn't play.
Sophia Boman and Sophia Romine scored second-half goals as the Gophers advanced to the third round for only the third time in program history.
