It has been less than two months since Minnesota officially hired Niko Medved as its next men’s basketball head coach, but he has been busy building his first roster. He spoke with national college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman on Monday, revealing his top priority this offseason was retaining freshman guard Isaac Asuma.
“I met a young player, Isaac Asuma. We think he has a chance to be a great player. He was a high-level freshman last year. No. 1 priority was to retain him. We were able to do that on the first day and a half,” Medved told Goodman.
Hailing from Cherry, Minnesota, Asuma was a productive player for Minnesota as a true freshman. He averaged 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 24.7 minutes per game. He was incredibly efficient, shooting 43.7% from the field and 35.7% from three, while averaging only 1.2 turnovers per game.
He had six games with more than 10 points, and it was clear that he has a bright future. He had a season-best performance against Ohio State, with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 7 of 11 shooting from the field.
Fans of Gophers basketball were able to see his intriguing potential. The fact that Medved said Minnesota’s “No. 1 priority” was to retain him says a lot about how they view his potential in the maroon and gold.
Minnesota had added three players to its backcourt this offseason around Asuma. Western Michigan transfer Chansey Willis Jr., Northern Colorado’s Langston Reynolds and incoming freshman Kai Shinholster will all provide unique skillsets.
If there was any question about Asuma’s potential of starting next season, Medved’s sentiment makes it seem like the Gophers think he can be a focal point of their program as soon as next season.
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