Inside Look at How Niko Medved Crafted the Gophers’ Basketball Squad

Niko Medved is close to finalizing his first Gophers men’s basketball roster as summer practice approaches next month.

After Ben Johnson was let go following a 15-17 season, Medved inherited a team set to lose most of its players to graduation. With only Isaac Asuma and Grayson Grove returning as scholarship players, Medved and his staff have been busy building a nearly entirely new roster, which now features nine newcomers.

Medved faced a similar rebuilding challenge when he took over at Colorado State in 2018, turning the program around in just one season.

Here are the key players forming the foundation of Medved’s revamped Gophers for his debut season:

Returning players

Isaac Asuma, 6-3 sophomore (Cherry, Minn.)

A former four-star point guard in the 2024 recruiting class, Asuma demonstrated flashes of his talent by averaging 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 24.7 minutes per game — the ninth-highest average among Big Ten freshmen.

Grayson Grove, 6-9 redshirt freshman (Alexandria, Minn.)

Also part of the 2024 recruiting class alongside Asuma, the 230-pound Grove could provide the Gophers with added depth at both frontcourt spots after redshirting last season.

Transfers

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, 6-8 junior (San Antonio)

The Colorado State transfer is a strong contender for a starting frontcourt role, having averaged 9.0 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 35.4% from beyond the arc in 29 starts last season.

Bobby Durkin, 6-7 junior (Glen Ellyn, IL.)

A standout shooter in the Atlantic 10 as a sophomore, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Durkin topped 20 points in seven games last season, including five performances with five made three-pointers for Davidson.

B.J. Omot, 6-8 junior (Mankato)

The former Mankato East star had a breakout year in 2023–24, earning first-team All-Summit League honors at North Dakota. However, after transferring to California, he was limited to just four games last season due to a wrist injury.

Langston Reynolds, 6-4 senior (Denver)

Reynolds was named to the All-Big Sky first team last season at Northern Colorado, boosting his scoring average from 6.0 points as a sophomore to 16.2 as a junior, while shooting an impressive 40.9% from three-point range and 59.3% from the field.

Chance Stephens, 6-3 junior (Riverside, Calif.)

After beginning his college career at LMU as a freshman, Stephens was anticipated to be part of Maryland’s backcourt rotation until a patellar tendon injury sidelined him in 2023.

Nehemiah Turner, 6-10 sophomore (Auburndale, Fla.)

Expected to start at center for the Gophers, the 265-pound Turner finished his freshman season at Central Arkansas on a high note, averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.8 blocks over his final 10 games.