Continuing with our summer series of ranking the last 25 seasons, time to dive deeper into Gopher hoops. This exercise of ranking Gopher basketball players was a collective effort among the TDG staffers who pay the most attention to basketball. We each ranked our top 12 players over the last 25 seasons (starting with the 2000-01 season) and compiled the following list.
The past 25 seasons of Gopher hoops have been mostly unremarkable. The program has made it to just six NCAA Tournaments and earned
two wins. Tubby Smith upset UCLA as an 11-seed in his final season and Richard Pitino upset Louisville as a 10-seed in 2019. But we’ll get into the teams and seasons at a later time; today is all about the players.
#25 Elliott Eliason - C (2011-15)
I bet you didn’t expect to see Eliason on this list, but the center who played his first three seasons for the Gophers is 6th in total rebounds over the last 25 seasons and played in 139 games (3rd in that same span of time).
#24 Kris Humphries (2003-04) / Cam Christie (2023-24)
This one is a tie for the one-and-dones that came through the program in this timeframe. On the one hand, you have to acknowledge the respective talents of these two Gophers. But on the other hand, it is not like they left a legacy or helped to establish a foundation that led to greater success for the program.
Humphries was the 14th overall pick in the 2004 draft after just one year under Dan Monson. That particular season was one of the worst in the last 25 years as the team finished 3-13 in the Big Ten and just 12-18 overall. It wasn’t a fun season to watch. But Humphries averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds during his freshman season.
Cam Christie was Ben Johnson’s biggest recruiting win and it was clear very early in the season that Johnson trusted Christie with playing time and big shots. In the third game of the year, down two points at home against Missouri, it was Christie who had the ball in his hands with a chance to win it. He ended up scoring only 11 points per game with 3.5 rebounds as a freshman and was drafted in the 2nd round with the 46th overall pick.
#23 Maurice Hargrow - G (2001-06)
The guard from St. Paul is perhaps the most surprising 1,000-point scorer in Gopher history, sitting just ahead of Ralph Sampson III with 1,021 points. Hargrow played all four years but took a brief detour during his junior year. In January of 2004, Hargrow transferred out of the program to Arkansas ,where he practiced, but did not play in any games. It didn’t work out for him as a Razorback, so he enrolled back at Minnesota in the fall but was ruled ineligible. So he sat out the 2004-05 season, the only season the team made the NCAA Tournament during his career, and played out his senior year in 2005-06.
#22 Dupree McBrayer- G (2015-19)
Over the last 25 seasons, McBrayer ranks 8th in games started, 6th in assists and scored 1,100 points in his Gopher career. On top of that, he was an excellent defender for Richard Pitino. He was also able to play on two different NCAA Tournament teams
#21 Michael Bauer - F (2000-04)
Recency bias didn’t keep Bauer from making the list. Dan Monson recruited Bauer out of Hastings and landed a forward who started 68 games, scored 1,140 career points and 520 rebounds. He was never a part of an NCAA Tournament team, but in his junior season they were on the bubble before losing 5 straight games (including the Big Ten Tournament) to end the season and earn a disappointing NIT invite.
#20 Deandre Mathieu - G (2013-15)
Perhaps the most surprising name on the list and Matheiu found his way into the top 20. This Tennessee native bounced around for his first two collegiate seasons before being recruited by Richard Pitino for his first season as the Gophers’ coach. The 5’9” point guard held the spot down till Nate Mason was ready to be the full-time starter and finished with the 6th most assists in the 21st century in his two seasons.
#19 Rick Rickert - F (2001-03)
Played just two seasons in at The Barn, but Rickert finished his Gopher career with 940. He was the first Gopher to win Big Ten Freshman of the Year and he returned for his sophomore season, the one mentioned under Bauer, where the Gophers started strong, earning a top 20 national ranking in December, but the team floundered down the stretch before making an NIT run. Rickert was drafted by the Timberwolves in the late second round, but he never made the team and is perhaps best remembered for being punched by Kevin Garnett in 2004 pickup game.
He played professionally from 2003 to 2018, but never played in an NBA regular season game.
#18 Gabe Kalscheur - SG (2018-21)
When Gabe Kalscheur got hot, it was a lot of fun to watch. The elite shooting guard from DeLaSalle shot 34.5% from behind the arc during his three seasons in Minnesota while also playing great defense.
He started all 88 games at Minnesota, with a few signature games where he was on fire. Kalscheur put up 24 points with 8 rebounds in the program’s last NCAA Tournament win back in 2019 over Louisville.
During the coaching change from Pitino to Ben Johnson, Kalscheur took his game to Iowa State where he was able to play for two more seasons.
#17 Marcus Carr - G (2019-21)
This Canadian point guard began his career at Pitt, transferred to Minnesota for two seasons and then left for Texas during the transition year between Pitino and Johnson. But during those two seasons, Carr was one of the best Gopher point guards in memory. As a junior, he earned 1st Team All-Big Ten (AP) and during his sophomore season, he set the Gophers’ single-season assist record.
#16 Rodney Williams - F (2009-13)
Part of the elite 2009 recruiting class for Tubby Smith, Williams became a 4-year starter who electrified The Barn with his athleticism and dynamic dunks. There was no denying that Williams had an explosive first step, making him hard to defend. And defensively, he was adept at blocking shots as the second defender. What held Williams back was his 25% three-point accuracy.
He, along with Royce White, were both local, 4-star recruiting wins for Tubby Smith. Williams ended up being a very good Gopher who played in 134 games, starting 101. He finished his career as the 19th Gopher with over 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. And he played on teams that made the NCAA Tournament as a freshman and again as a senior.
#15 Ralph Sampson III - C (2008-12)
Coming to the program just a year before the Williams/White class, Ralph Sampson III was part of a very good class in 2008 that included Devoe Joseph and Colten Iverson. For this past quarter-century, Sampson finished 3rd in rebounding and 15th in points scored while starting 112 out of 125 games.
He is one of the rare Gophers who played in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, which has only happened three times in program history. His senior year had a talented roster that lost six straight in February/March to relegate Minnesota to the NIT where they made it to the championship game in Madison Square Garden.
Sampson played professionally for four years, mostly in the NBA G League.
#14 Dan Coleman - G (2004-08)
Coleman was a freshman on Dan Monson’s only NCAA Tournament appearance with Minnesota and he finished his career as a senior on Tubby Smith’s initial season. The Hopkins native ended up 6th in points and 5th in rebounds over this 25-year span and he started 98 games in maroon and gold.
#13 Lawrence Westbrook - G (2006-10)
Who could forget his 29-point night in Madison back in January of 2009? Westbrook hit the game-tying three to send the game into overtime and then scored nine in the final five minutes to lead the Gophers to a RARE win at the Kohl Center. Minnesota is just 1-11 in Madison since that win.
Westbrook came to Minnesota from Arizona to play for Dan Monson’s last year and stuck around for the Tubby Smith era. He currently ranks 27th on the Gophers’ all-time scoring list, finishing with 1,199 career points. His shot selection was suspect, but he had no fear.
#12 Damian Johnson - F (2006-10)
After redshirting his freshman season, Johnson played the same four years as Westbrook, crossing over between Monson and Smith. Johnson was the perfect complementary collegiate player. His numbers don’t jump out at you, but he did a little bit of everything...the consummate “glue-guy.”
His defensive alertness, his offensive awareness, and his willingness to do all of the little things to help his team win are what earned him a spot on this list. And frankly, I could easily see an argument that he should be higher.
Johnson committed to Minnesota out of Louisiana and still calls Minnesota home today. He is currently the head coach at Benilde St. Margaret and is having quite a bit of success with the Red Knights.
#11 Vincent Grier - G (2004-06)
Perhaps the one player who nearly saved Dan Monson’s career at Minnesota, Vincent Grier transferred to the Gophers after a year at UNC-Charlotte and a year at Utah Tech. He led the team in scoring both seasons and carried the team into the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
On a per game basis, Grier was the 4th leading scorer over the past 25 years at 17 ppg. He was a fearless perimeter player who attacked the lane.
Grier is also in the coaching world and was most recently on staff at Truman, a D2 school in Missouri.
And Now for the Top 10
#10 Blake Hoffarber - G (2007-11)
There has not been a better pure shooter in Gopher history. I would accept an argument for Voshon Lenard, but his 37% career three-point percentage is not at the same level as Hoffarber’s 41%. But it wasn’t just his pure percentages; you have to also include his penchant for hitting big shots.
It started in Hopkins, hitting a game-tying shot while sitting on the floor to send the state championship game into overtime. And it continued through his game-winner of Indiana in the 2008 Big Ten Tournament. A shot that possibly secured an NCAA Tournament bid, pushing them up and off the bubble.
He is the program’s all-time leader in threes made and finished 23rd in career scoring with 1,267 points.
#9 Al Nolen - G (2007-11)
For my money, Nolen is the best on-ball defender in my lifetime as a Gopher fan. And perhaps the best, traditional point guard we have seen since Ariel McDonald. He would be higher on this list if it were not for a complete omission by one of the esteemed TDG voters. He would also likely be much higher on this list were he not suspended for academics in 2010 and then missed half of the 2010-11 season with a broken foot. Despite missing out on the equivalent of one full season, Nolen ranks 4th on the all-time assist leaderboard.
Both of those seasons were talented teams and each of them could have achieved some postseason success, had Nolen been there for February and March. But I digress.
Nolen is now the Gopher radio broadcast color commentator and he runs the Al Nolen Foundation to help youth in high-risk youth who are in difficult situations.
#8 Daniel Orturu - C (2018-20)
The big man from Cretin-Derham Hall who played his first two seasons for Minnesota, before leaving early and being drafted by the LA Clippers with the first pick of the 2nd round.
On a per-game average for his two seasons, Orturu averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds. Those numbers are not far off from Jordan Murphy’s 13 points and 9.8 rebounds. He was also named to the Big Ten All-Defensive team following his sophomore season. Returning for one more year in college may have benefited his pro career; it certainly would have made the 2020-21 Gopher team significantly better.
#7 Trevor Mbakwe - F (2010-13)
A double-double machine over his three seasons in Minnesota. Mbakwe was a beast on the boards, reminiscent of Richard Coffey. By my count, Mbakwe had 32 double-doubles over his 72 career games as a Gopher.
He missed most of the 2011-12 season because of a December ACL tear, but was able to come back with a medical redshirt the following year. That season he led the team to an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament and a first round win over Florida.
Very recently, Mbakwe was hired at the U, working as the Director of National Engagement for the alumni association.
#6 Austin Hollins - G (2010-14)
Similar to Damian Johnson, Austin Hollins was a fantastic collegiate “glue-guy.” His mark on the Gopher record books is most noticed as the program’s career leader in games played, with 141. But he also ranks 19th on the all-time scoring list with 1,321 career points. Perhaps most importantly, during Hollins’ final three seasons, those teams accounted for more wins than any other 3-year span in the past 25 seasons. Between the NIT and NCAA tournaments, Hollins was also 10-2 in the postseason in his final three seasons.
Hollins was a great off-the-ball defender, smooth at attacking the rim and played with a high basketball IQ. He was also the MVP of the 2014 NIT after the Gophers beat SMU for the championship.
He continues to play professionally throughout Europe and the Middle East.
#5 Amir Coffey - G (2016-19)
The biggest recruiting win for Richard Pitino and Amir Coffey delivered. Coffey finished 24th on the Gophers’ all-time scoring list with three seasons of playing. During those three seasons, the Gophers made the NCAA Tournament twice, missing only in 2017-18 when Coffey missed the last half of the season with a shoulder injury.
Following his junior season, he left early, went undrafted, and signed a two-way contract with the Clippers. They eventually signed him to a 3-year, $11 million contract and he is currently a free agent.
#4 Andre Hollins - G (2011-15)
The four-star recruit from Memphis with a huge smile was a huge recruiting win for Tubby Smith. He ended up being the 5th all-time leading scorer in Gopher history and is second to Austin in total games played with 140. He had a memorable 41-point night against Memphis, early in his sophomore season, where he was 5/5 from three and 12/13 from the free throw line.
He and Austin were a fun pair to watch for their three years together.
After college, Hollins was briefly a graduate assistant on the Gopher staff. He has since gone back and earned his MBA from Carlson and is working in the local business community. He married Gopher women’s great, Rachel Banham, to become the ultimate Gopher power couple and perhaps we will see another generation of Hollins/Banham in The Barn.
#3 Nate Mason - G (2014-18)
Quite easily the most complete guard we have seen in a Gopher uniform over these past 25 years. Mason scored, he defended, he distributed and led. Mason was a 3-star recruit out of Georgia who had won three state championships and was his class valedictorian.
He finished his Gopher career ranking 2nd in assists, 3rd in threes made and 6th in scoring.
As a junior, he led the team to a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Middle Tennessee St. And his final season at Minnesota had a chance to be fairly special with Jordan Murphy, McBrayer, Reggie Lynch and Coffey on the roster. But the Coffey injury and Lynch suspension derailed the team that had been ranked as high as #12.
Mason is still playing professionally, currently in Dubai.
#2 Dawson Garcia - F (2022-25)
The highest ranking Gopher who is also from Minnesota, Garcia initially passed on playing for Richard Pitino and played his freshman season at Marquette. From there, he transferred to UNC for part of a season. And finally settled on playing for Ben Johnson, back home at Minnesota.
His first year as a Gopher did not seem to be a great fit with Jamison Battle and the team sputtered to a 9-22 record. The following two seasons were very clearly his teams to lead. The 2023-24 season was one that had a chance to be very good as the team jumped out to a 12-3 record, 3-1 in the Big Ten. Garcia was the focal point of a team that included Cam Christie, Elijah Hawkins and a group of sophomores who were all coming into their own. They were on the bubble as of late February before struggling down the stretch and eventually getting knocked out of the NIT in the 2nd round.
Garcia averaged 17.5 points and 7 rebounds per game over his three seasons. He finished with 1,557 points and 621 rebounds as a Gopher (over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for his collegiate career).
#1 Jordan Murphy - F (2015-19)
And finally we get to Jordan Murphy. This forward out of San Antonio was a 3-star recruit from San Antonio who had been committed to Shaka Smart at VCU before Smart took the Texas job. Richard Pitino convinced him to come to Minnesota, where he was dominant.
By then end of his career, he was the Big Ten’s 2nd leading all-time rebounder (eventually passed by Zach Edey, pushing him to third). He ranks 1st in Gopher history in total rebounds and 2nd in points. He is also tied with Andre Hollins for the most starts as a Gopher, with 122 games.
Murphy’s teams made two NCAA Tournaments, losing to MTSU as a 5-seed in 2017 and beating Louisville as a 10-seed as a senior in 2019.
Murphy was a treat to watch. Not only was he an elite Big Ten forward, but he was was a great teammate and played with joy. Well-deserved to be #1 on this particular list.
Honorable Mention:
I’m sure we are missing people that you may think belong.
Spencer Tollackson - C (2004-08)
Had a very productive career and stuck it out through the transition from Monson to Tubby.
Tolloackson also served as the color commentator on the Gopher’s radio broadcast, making his name familiar to younger Gopher fans as well.
Lawrence McKenzie - G (2006-08)
Transferred back to Minnesota after originally playing for Oklahoma, McKenzie played two seasons at Minnesota. McKenzie made 157 threes over those two seasons and averaged 13.3 points per game.
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