Five transfers to watch for Minnesota and Ben Johnson

As Ben Johnson starts his journey as the head coach of the Gophers, he will be taking over a roster that has some strengths (given guys stick around). The front court is solid if Liam Robbins and Brandon Johnson choose to return. Plus, you're getting Treyton Thompson in the 2021 class, and as of right now, Kenny Pohto.

Ball-handlers will be at a premium with Jamal Mashburn Jr. and Marcus Carr already in the transfer portal (Carr also navigating NBA process).

Gabe Kalscheur will return, as will likely Both Gach and Tre' Williams could be back as well. Next step is adding depth and talent to all these position groups.

How about guys that have struggled to find consistent minutes like Sam Freeman, Martice Mitchell, and Isaiah Ihnen? Coach Johnson has said he wants everyone back, but there is surely going to be talent added through the portal that might make it tough for everyone to return.

TGR takes a look at some guys that Ben Johnson could target in the transfer portal in the coming days/weeks:

Disclaimer: The Gopher Report is only including players publicly in the transfer portal, and will not use this article to speculate on potential transfers. That's for the message boards.

The first, and most obvious name on the list is Jamison Battle. The De LaSalle connection is there between Johnson and Battle, and they both have a chance to represent the Islanders and their home state with a fresh start in 2021. It just makes too much sense for this reunion to happen between the former D1 Minnesota star and the state of Minnesota.

Jamison Battle offers versatility at the four, with his ability to knock down three-point shots and be a reliable player on the glass as well. He probably wouldn't get the volume he got at GW, a team that finished this season in 11th place in the Atlantic 10, but he would be getting more spacing and talent around him. He turned from a spot up shooter primarily on offense as a freshman, to an efficient scorer three level scorer on higher volume as a sophomore (1.0 2pt makes per 2.0 2pt shots as a FR, to 4.0 makes on 6.8 2pt shots as a Soph).

He's a high-major player, and one that Minnesota and Ben Johnson should try to lock up as soon as possible.

Ben Johnson is going to need ball-handlers if he's going to have any type of success in year one at Minnesota. That's something that needs to be addressed right away. One Minnesota native that fits the bill and is in the transfer portal is Ball State's Ishmael El-Amin. The former Hopkins and D1 Minnesota star averaged over 16 pointers per game as a senior, and will have one year of eligibility as a grad transfer.

El-Amin's role on the Cardinals was to be a primary scorer, and he was just one of three that was able to score double-digits or more so his role was very high volume. Because of that, some shooting numbers went down from junior to senior year as he got more shots, with more attention put towards him defensively. His 36.8% shooting numbers from deep as a sophomore, and 39.3% as a junior resonate more than that 31.7% this past year on over 7 long range attempts per game.

El-Amin could add another ball-handler to a backcourt that desperately needs one, and could help push the Minnesota movement that Ben Johnson may be looking to start as the Gopher head coach.

More on addressing the need of ball-handlers, former Prior Lake star Tyree Ihenacho would be an ideal fit for the Minnesota Gophers. The 6'4" point guard is coming off a freshman season that won him Summit League freshman of the year while putting up 8.7points/5.7reb/4.1ast per game on 41.4/35.4/52.5% shooting splits.

He entered the transfer portal and is looking for a new home. Why not make your new home your old home? He played Minnesota Select for AAU.

He could be a capable starting point guard in the Big Ten in his career, and right now, he would be a perfect backup ball-handler. Plus, with his size at 6'4", he can take on any defensive point guard matchup he has to be asked to handle. Minnesota would be smart to reach out.

While the forward position might be getting a little full at Minnesota, especially if they take a guy like Battle while keeping Johnson and Ihnen, Parker Fox is a guy to look at for Minnesota and Ben Johnson.

The D-II All American averaged over 20 points and just under 10 rebounds for Northern State this past year, and grew up a huge Gopher fan, as he told TGR earlier this week. Over 100 programs have reached out, and double-digit high major programs have as well. Fox has a spot in his heart for Minnesota, so he's theirs to lose at the end of the day. Johnson also reached out to Fox while he was still an assistant at Xavier, just last week.

At the same time, playing time and a chance to succeed on both team and individual levels are a factor. If Ben Johnson see's that he can offer those things at Minnesota for Fox, then it could be a great fit for both sides.

Again, Ben Johnson needs ball-handlers. Tandy was more of a scoring two-guard for the Musketeers, but he is a former four-star that Ben Johnson got to come to Xavier so he is for sure one to monitor in this process as he is someone in the transfer portal.

Tandy was Big East All-Freshman his first year, but actually got less minutes in his sophomore season, and part of that could be due to Xavier's best player being at his position. His three point shooting numbers are encouraging, as is his free throw percentage.

I'm not sure he's as high on the list as some other prospects, but he is someone to keep an eye on as Johnson fills out the Gopher roster.