USA TODAY Sports

Battle, Cooper enter transfer portal while exploring pro options

Originally posted on FanNation Bring Me The Sports
By Joe Nelson | Last updated 3/17/23

It's been a couple of weeks since Minnesota Gophers head coach Ben Johnson said Jamison Battle and Ta'lon Cooper were likely going to leave the team to explore opportunities to play professional. That's still on track to happen, though a wrinkle in the evolution came Thursday with both players entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Entering the portal means Battle and Cooper can leave Minnesota and play for a different university. But there's no guarantee that's the route they choose. Both are also looking into professional opportunities, with Cooper going as far as entering his name into the 2023 NBA Draft.

But whatever road they choose, it appears they will not be back with the Gophers in 2023-24. And that makes four players from this season's team now in the transfer portal looking for a fresh start, as freshman wing Jaden Henley and sophomore forward Treyton Thompson are also transferring.

Battle, after leading the Gophers with 17.5 points per game in 2021-21, saw his scoring average drop to 12.4 points as Minnesota finished last in the Big Ten and won just nine games all season. Battle played two seasons with his hometown Gophers after transferring from George Washington.

Cooper averaged 9.8 points while finishing second in the Big Ten with 6.3 assists per game, which was also good for seventh nationally. Cooper played one season at Minnesota after transferring from Morehead State.

With Battle, Cooper, Henley and Thompson in the transfer portal and 5-star recruit Dennis Evans backing out of his Gophers commitment and signing with Louisville, Minnesota is down to 10 scholarship players for next season.