Gophers junior big man Frank Mitchell, who proved to be a formidable inside presence this season, is expected to enter the transfer portal.
Mitchell reposted on his social media accounts the news coming from his agent Wednesday evening.
The 6-8, 260-pound Toronto native averaged 4.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 15.6 minutes and shot 66% from the field in 29 games, including nine starts, in his first year with the Gophers.
The biggest impact for Mitchell came in his last eight games; he scored in double figures four times and had three double-doubles. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds vs. USC and 12 points and 11 rebounds vs. Rutgers in the last two regular-season games.
Mitchell’s best performance of the season came Feb. 15 at USC, where he had 15 points and 12 rebounds in the Gophers' 69-66 win.
In 2023-24, Mitchell had a breakout first Division I season with Canisius, ranking fourth in the nation with an average of 11.6 rebounds per game.
Mitchell didn’t want to talk about his plans March 12, the day the Gophers' season ended with a Big Ten tournament loss to Northwestern. “It’s hard for me to think about next year right now,” Mitchell said then. “We just lost.”
The Gophers are hiring a new coach after Ben Johnson was fired following that loss. Johnson had said Mitchell and freshman guard Isaac Asuma would likely return. Asuma is expected to hear from the next coach before making his decision.
