Ever since March 18th, there was a buzz and curiosity about what the Dawn Plitzuweit version of the Minnesota Golden Gophers Women’s basketball team would look like or how it would differ from the previous versions of teams in the history of the program. Fast forward to today and we are now one day away from going into the storied Williams Arena and getting the answer to that. With a star-studded sophomore group, exciting freshman, impactful transfers, and returnees, along with a renewed attention to the defensive side of the ball, there is plenty of reasons to be excited and optimistic for this year’s version of the Gophers. Here we break down what to look for this season and what we might see from this extremely exciting bunch.
Entering the Defensive Part of the Eras Tour:
If there is one thing you can go all in on is that this team is going to burst their butts on defense. Coach Plitzuweit is a known defensive dynamo as a coach and her teams make their living on getting stops and playing off their defensive pressure. Now, while Minnesota has had good defenders, it’s not too big a stretch to say that the Gophers are not the first team that comes to mind when you think of a lockdown defense, but this year could be the first one in the step towards changing that. Behind the defensive mind of Plitzuweit, an improved focus from the players and the additional of defensive type of players, it’s a fair to say this year’s version of the Gophers will not be easy to play against for opposing players.
The goal is to use their intense and impactful pressure on one side of the ball and use that to power their high-powered offensive weapons on the other side. For a team that last year, allowed multiple games to slip through their fingers, ratcheting up the defense could be what swings those heartbreaking close loses into triumphant and character building wins this season. If you know coach at all, you wouldn’t be surprised if the loudest voice for the “D-fence” chant in the arena comes from her.
Key Returners & A Braun Mamba:
In today’s age of college athletics, keeping talent from season to season has become a juggling act that each and every coach has to deal with to try and work around. Add in a coaching change and that can send some players running for greener pastures as soon as they have the chance. Now, while the Gophers didn’t go completely untouched by the transfer portal or players leaving, I would venture to say that the most important and key pieces to a successful future stayed in the maroon and gold.
Simply look at stats, and you see that they return the top three minutes played players, three of their top four scorers, as well as some of the most efficient outside shooters. However, they also were able to retain all four members of their top ten recruiting group from the class of 2022. Stats aside, keeping players at the level of those four 2022s that could have had their pick of any top program in the country in the Gopher program speaks to their commitment to bringing the program to soaring heights.
Also, to say that the three-player sophomore class will have a massive hand in everything the team does this year would be a monumental understatement. Those three will be the engines that power this year’s group. Here we look at what those returners could mean to the team this upcoming season.
Mara Braun
The Braun Mamba! The most explosive scorer on the team and a player who could be on the edge of breaking into the national limelight and making herself a household name in the Big Ten and country. She is coming off a summer where she won a Gold Medal in 3v3 competition, and her sophomore year could be something Minnesota fans have not seen since the likes of Rachel Banham and Lindsay Whalen were owning the court at the Barn.
Mallory Heyer
Mallory is basically the swish-army knife of players for her team and will likely have a hand in a little bit of everything her team does this season. She has shown she is a three-level scorer with a relentless motor. She has all the skills to be one of the best players both on this team as well as in the conference and she is about to pack the stats for the upcoming season.
Amaya Battle
When you watched Battle last season, you often were shocked to realize that she was playing in her first college season. She plays with the poise and basketball IQ that you would typically see from a fifth-year senior. She broke the freshman record for assists and I would expect assist records to continue to be broken as her career moves along. However, this year, with a lot of hard work on her shot, she is ready to remind opponents that they have to play her as a scorer, or she is going to bury them and score at will from anyway on the court.
Niamya “Nia” Holloway
What is delayed is not to be denied. This season will be the highly anticipated college debut of Nia Holloway. She is an explosive athlete with impressive combination of speed and physicality. She will provide them depth at the forward position and should thrive on the defensive side of the ball for the Gophers. Nia very well could be the x-factor for this year’s team and could be a reason Gophers walk away with victories they wouldn’t of last year when she was out.
Maggie Czinano
Just a reminder that the Big Ten still does have a Czinano out on the court and it’s the one who won the sisterly rebounding battle last season for a fun trivia fact. Maggie could be the 6th player of the year this season for the Gophers with her effectiveness on both sides of the ball. She is a determined attacker off the bounce, has an improved and capable outside shot and brings good energy and length on the defensive side of the ball.
Impactful New (& some familiar) Faces:
Another strong aspect that brings optimism to this team is the new faces, some coming back home and some making Minnesota a new home, that provide impressive and talented depth to the roster. While the dreaded injury bug has taken away some of the depth for this upcoming season, there is still plenty of talent to allow this team to be able to go consistently 8-9 deep. Here we look at what new faces people should be excited to see this year in maroon and gold.
Sophie Hart
Hart is now back home and ready to have a massive impact on this Gophers team. She gives them a notable presence at 6’4 inside the paint and a strong back to the basket post player. She will provide the team a reliable rebounder and defensive presence who could control the paint. A lot of elite teams lately in WNCAA have had a go-to and efficient post player and Sophie Hart could be that player for the Gophers.
Grace Grocholski
The highest rated freshman coming in, Grace appears like she is going to hit the ground and provide instant production for the team. She is a player who can shoot the lights out with her outstanding outside shot. She is a player who is comfortable playing and defending multiple different positions and could have a massive impact in her freshman season for Minnesota.
Janey Sanders
Janey brings a veteran presence to the team this year as a fifth-year graduate player. She is a hyper-quick guard who can put a ton a pressure on defenders with her ability to create with the ball in her hands. Her ability to get past defenders with ease will allow her to create her own scoring opportunities or lead to open outside shots for her teammates.
Ayianna “AJ” Johnson
AJ is an elite athlete, and her physicality could be something that gets her early minutes in her career. She is someone who could provide depth with paint defense and rebounding. She is a player who could thrive in the open court and could make a living beating slower footed post opponents down the court. AJ is someone who has all the tools to carve out a consistent place in the lineup this season.
Conclusion: Minnesota is in for an Exciting Season
With every season comes ups and downs and I would expect the Gophers to be no different than any other team this year in going through the highs and lows a season can through at a team. However, I would say there is more reasons pointing towards one of the most exciting teams the program has had in recent memory. Behind a group of hometown heroes, an extremely hard working coaching staff, and some talented fresh faces coming together, the barn should be the site of a must-see show this year in Women’s basketball and could a strong step in the program’s ascension to the top of the Big Ten Conference and the national spotlight.
