Minnesota Basketball: Getting grad transfer Geno Crandall is a must for the Gophers

Minnesota Basketball is looking for a much better season in 2018-19. To solidify the perimeter, a late pickup grad transfer in Geno Crandall will do nicely.

There’s no nice way to put it for how bad the Gophers were in the ladder half of the 2017-18 season. Marred with a key player getting expelled from the school among other off-court distractions combined with just awful basketball performances, Minnesota finished under .500 and 11th in the Big Ten.

Things have to be better for both Richard Pitino and the team. And there happen to be some signs of hope for next season. Jordan Murphy will return for his senior year after averaging 16.8 ppg and 11.3 rpg last season.

He’ll be joined by Isaiah Washington and Dupree McBrayer on the perimeter, along with Amir Coffey who after scoring 14 ppg, missed most of Big Ten action with a shoulder injury. The Gophers hope that the incoming recruits and bench players will help fill in some voids, but the reality is that the overall roster as set is at-best a bubble team for the 2019 NCAA Tournament. And with the calendar entering July, there isn’t much help available.

There is one grad transfer who could help – one who happens to be a hometown player. Geno Crandall hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota who was the star at DeLaSalle High School before playing for North Dakota University. He’s been a three-year starter for the Fighting Hawks, upping his scoring average each year.

He became a grad transfer in early June, with the hometown Gophers on his immediate shortlist. Gonzaga and Xavier are the other two main options, places he either already has or plans to visit.

For the 2017-18 season, the grad transfer in question averaged 16.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 3.6 apg, leading the team. The 6’2 guard is a natural ball handler who could play off the ball as well. That’s huge if he decides to go to Minnesota, as perimeter shooting could be a weakness for the team next season.

The two projected starting guards for the Gophers (McBray and Washington) shot 34 and 24% from three-point ranger respectively. Crandall shot 42%, and 50% overall from the field. With Murphy not necessarily able to stretch the floor, someone on the guardline has to be able to knock down a jumper, otherwise the star big man won’t be able to operate cleanly in the post.

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Graduating senior point guard Nate Mason will be difficult to replace. He scored 16.7 ppg and led the team with 4.2 apg, while shooting nearly 40% from deep. The current group of Gopher guards are solid, but not at the level to carry a team to the Big Dance. Crandall is the closest option Minnesota has, they just now have to win him over. His decision could be the difference between competing for a Big Ten title and another disappointing season.