The University of Minnesota men’s and women’s basketball programs focused first on keeping key contributors from their 2025–26 rosters before turning to the transfer portal to build out next season’s squads.
The women’s portal window ran from April 6–20, while the men’s opened April 7.
On the women’s side, the Gophers capped off their transfer class by adding 6-foot-6 Penn State center Gracie Merkle. A redshirt senior for the upcoming season, Merkle averaged 19.2 points (fifth in the Big Ten Conference), 8.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, while leading Division I with a 72.5% field-goal percentage. She announced her commitment on April 20.
Merkle joins two other portal additions. First is 5-foot-6 point guard Leah Harmon, who transferred from University of Central Florida after putting up 15.7 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game as a sophomore (following her initial stint at University of Miami). The Gophers also added 6-foot-3 forward Tayla Thomas from Northwestern University, where she averaged 9.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.
On the men’s side, Minnesota added two more transfers on April 18, bringing its portal haul to four players. Guard Kyan Evans reunites with head coach Niko Medved after previously playing under him at Colorado State University. Evans spent last season at University of North Carolina, averaging 4.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 33 games (17 starts) under former coach Hubert Davis. Prior to that, he averaged 10.6 points and 3.1 assists as a sophomore at Colorado State.
Evans is hoping to follow a path similar to Cade Tyson, who went from a limited role at North Carolina to becoming Minnesota’s leading scorer (19.6 points per game) under Medved. Other former Tar Heels like Dawson Garcia and Adam Boone also found success after transferring to Minnesota.
The Gophers also added 7-foot-2 center Malick Kordel, a Germany native who played in 14 games as a freshman for national champion University of Michigan, averaging 1.2 points per game. He joins fellow Michigan transfer Winters Grady, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward and former top-100 recruit out of Prolific Prep in California.
Minnesota’s first notable portal pickup came April 15 with Nolan Groves, a former standout from Orono who spent his freshman year at Texas Tech University. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 5.7 minutes per game and had previously been named Minnesota’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
After a Sweet 16 loss to eventual champion University of California, Los Angeles in the NCAA Tournament, the Gophers women’s team is aiming to build on its strongest season since 2005. Nearly the entire roster is set to return, including Tori McKinney, Mara Braun, and Grace Grocholski, with only one eligible player yet to announce a decision. Five players exhausted their eligibility, and four freshmen are set to join the program.
With a 15-player roster limit, Minnesota had 12 spots accounted for, leaving three openings—all of which were filled through the portal with Harmon, Thomas, and Merkle. Harmon helps replace graduating point guard Amaya Battle, while the departures of Sophie Hart, Finau Tonga, and Brylee Glenn leave room for frontcourt reinforcements and added depth.
Minnesota’s incoming freshman class is ranked No. 19 nationally by ESPN. The group includes point guard Tori Oehrlein (No. 58 in the class), shooting guard Natalie Kussow (No. 40 and Wisconsin’s Ms. Basketball), forward Adit Kuol, and Nebraska’s top recruit Kylee Paben.
In Medved’s first season leading the men’s team, injuries shortened the rotation as Minnesota finished 15–18. Still, the Gophers return a strong core, including Bobby Durkin, Isaac Asuma, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, and Grayson Grove. Durkin, Asuma, and Crocker-Johnson were among the team’s top five scorers, while Grove made 11 starts.
Leading scorer Tyson and starting guard Langston Reynolds have exhausted their eligibility, but freshman guard Kai Shinholster confirmed his return on April 20 after averaging 13.1 minutes per game.
Minnesota will also welcome three freshmen next season: Nolen Anderson (Wayzata), Cedric Tomes (East Ridge), and Chadrack Mpoyi, a 6-foot-11 center from Likasi in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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