If Gophers move on from Richard Pitino, do key players exit as well? - Grand Forks Herald

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“I’m reminded every two seconds that I’m not going to be back here, right?” Pitino said in a video teleconference Tuesday. “I still have hope. I still believe. But I’m certainly a human being and certainly understand that (firing is) an option.”

A seven-game losing streak to end the regular season has put Pitino’s job outlook into serious doubt. The last attempt at salvation begins at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday when the 13th-seeded Gophers (6-14, 13-14) play No. 12 Northwestern (6-13, 9-14) in a first-round game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

“Yeah, that part of the job sucks,” Pitino said of the rumors concerning his job status. “There is no getting around it. It’s not fun. But you keep a positive attitude, you continue to coach your guys to the bitter end, keeping them positive. We’ve all sacrificed a lot to play these games through a pandemic. This is not a normal year. Unfortunately, it’s a part of the profession.”

Pitino’s future isn’t the only one up in the air going into next season. During his eight-year tenure, Minnesota has had an average of 5.8 new scholarship players each season. That’s nearly half the roster, and the program could easily reach hit average for whoever coaches at Minnesota in the 2021-22 season.

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The Gophers can easily get halfway there. Senior center Eric Curry said last week he won’t return, freshman guard David Mutaf already has transferred, and junior forward Jarvis Omersa opted out of this season and next year is in doubt.

“I think everybody’s roster is going to be insanely in flux due to the pandemic, due to the pending one-time transfer rule going through,” Pitino said. “Will kids take that extra year of eligibility? … Whenever you tell college kids that they can get the year back, that is going to really cause a lot of issues with rosters, trying to figure everything out.”

Here’s a look at key pieces to the Gophers’ roster going into next season:

Marcus Carr

The junior point guard from Toronto explored turning pro after last season before deciding to return. He will entertain turning pro again this offseason, and his decision seems independent of Pitino’s future.

“We will cross that bridge when I get there,” Carr said Tuesday. “Just talk about it with my family once the season is over and everything is really done … but right now my focus is on the Big Ten Tournament.”

Carr was third in Big Ten scoring with an average of 19.6 points per game during the regular season. On Tuesday, he was named first-team all-conference by the Associated Press, second team by media members and third team by coaches.

“I don’t know what his future holds, but I believe it’s bright,” Pitino said. “I think he has a chance to go to the NBA. That would be three players from our program in back-to-back-to-back years. That would be special.”

If Carr leaves, Minnesota would lose one of its captains, its alpha leader, its best offensive playmaker and game-on-the-line shot-taker. The rebuilding, or at least significant retooling, would be immediate if Carr leaves Dinkytown this spring.

Jamal Mashburn Jr.

The heir apparent to Carr is directly tied to Pitino. While his father Rick Pitino brought Jamal Mashburn Sr. to Kentucky several decades ago, Richard was credited with netting the four-star recruit for Minnesota on his own accord.

Since moving into the starting lineup in mid-February, Junior has finished in double figures in five of six games. He is averaging 7.7 points, but his 28-percent 3-point shooting mirrors the team’s woes.

Would a dismissal of Pitino prompt the son of an longtime NBA standout to transfer away? Could a new coach reinvigorate the precocious playmaker?

The Gophers have two 6-foot-11 centers signed in the 2021 recruiting class — Trenton Thompson and Kenny Pohto — but no guards are in the pipeline. That doesn’t leave a buffer if departures multiply.

Brandon Johnson

The Western Michigan transfer has been a positive, steadying influence as his ankle injury and teammates’ other injuries have stacked up. Limited by his ankle, Johnson produced team highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday’s overtime loss to Rutgers.

On Tuesday, he didn’t sound like a player who would be swayed by a possible coaching change.

“I understand it’s a business,” Johnson said. “It would be sad to see coach Pitino go, the guy that brought me in, the guy that motivates us every day to do better, strive to be better.

“But I don’t think that would play much of a part,” he said of his decision to return. “Because, honestly, I just want to play basketball at a high level. I’ve gotten to know these guys well over the short amount of time that I’ve been here and me going to a different situation, it would probably be too much.”

Liam Robbins

The Gophers’ biggest offseason victory a year ago was bringing in 7-foot transfer center Liam Robbins from Drake. His uncle, Gophers associate head coach Ed Conroy, and cousin, walk-on guard Hunt Conroy, played a part in the Iowa native coming north.

But with Hunt being honored on Minnesota's senior day last weekend and a potential new head coach expected to bring in another top deputy, would the loss of in-program family members lead Robbins to look elsewhere?

That, of course, is to be determined.

What is known is that this team is a shell of itself since Robbins — the Gophers’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder, and the conference’s No. 1 shot blocker — was sidelined by an ankle injury last month. Neither he nor injured guard Gabe Kalscheur is expected to be available against Northwestern on Wednesday.

The loss of Robbins is exacerbated by Pitino not having done enough in recruiting and developing other big men (see: Sam Freeman and Martice Mitchell) to bridge the gap after Robbins went down.

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