A surprise loss for Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson came Thursday with sophomore big man Pharrel Payne officially entering the transfer portal. Within a couple hours, Gophers sophomore teammate Braeden Carrington entered the portal, too.
Payne, a 6-9 Cottage Grove native, averaged 10 points, 6.1 rebounds and a team-best 1.4 blocks this season for the Gophers, who made a 10-win improvement in Johnson’s third season.
Carrington, a 6-4 guard who was Minnesota Mr. Basketball at Park Center, took a break starting in December to address his mental health. He returned and averaged 4.6 points and 3.2 rebounds while playing a role as the team’s top perimeter defender.
On Wednesday, Gophers sophomore forward Joshua Ola-Joseph was the first to enter the transfer portal. Ola-Joseph, Payne and Carrington were members of the U’s 2022 recruiting class.
Progress this season for the Gophers wasn’t enough to keep these players with the program. Payne talked to Johnson about his intent to transfer during a meeting this week. The opportunity for more lucrative name, image, and likeness opportunities were potentially a factor.
The Gophers (19-15) ended their season last Sunday with a 76-64 loss at Indiana State in the NIT second round. Payne finished with a team-best 16 points and eight rebounds in his last game.
After the Big Ten tournament loss at Michigan State, Payne talked about his excitement over the Gophers’ potential next season if most of the core players returned.
“I think it’s important to keep the group together, so we can keep building on it,” Payne told the Star Tribune at Target Center. “Imagine what we could do if we keep the group together for next year.”
Starting point guard Elijah Hawkins said he would be back, but leading scorer Dawson Garcia and all-league freshman Cam Christie were among the players uncertain about their future with the team.
Payne’s departure leaves a big hole in the middle. The Gophers are hosting North Dakota State center Andrew Morgan on Thursday. They also add Alexandria high school senior Grayson Grove in the 2024 recruiting class.