Nov 11, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Chance Stephens (13) takes a shot against Florida A&M Rattlers guard Sterling Young (4) during the second half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Portal profile: Is Chance Stephens the Gophers' forgotten transfer?

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 3:03 PM ET

Maryland transfer guard Chance Stephens was a late addition to Niko Medved's first portal class when he committed to the Gophers on May 9. With only seven games played in the last two seasons, he is a bit of an unknown heading into 2025-26.

2024-25 stats: 1.3 PPG, 0.0 RPG, 0.0 APG (7 gms)
Previous school: Maryland (Big Ten)
Height: 6-foot-3
Years of eligibility remaining: 2

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As a native of Riverside, California, Stephens starred at Riverside Polytechnic High School at the prep level. He was ranked just outside the top 50 players in his state for the class of 2022 according to 247Sports. He held notable top offers from San Diego State, Colorado, Rhode Island, Hawaii and Rice before he opted to stay home and play for Loyola Marymount.

The 2022-23 season was Stephens' campaign with significant playing time. He played in 28 games, and averaged 6.0 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists. He had six games against Division I opponents in which he scored more than 10 points. His best performance at the college level came against Wake Forest on November 20, 2022, when he scored 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting from three.

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Stephens transferred up a level the following season to the Big Ten with Maryland. He missed the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury. He came back in 2024-25, but only played seven games on a Maryland team that made it to the Sweet 16. He will now have two seasons to earn a role with Medved and Minnesota.

Historical Gophers comparison: Abdoulaye Thiam

A comparison to a player like Thiam, who played 3.3 minutes per game in his lone season with Minnesota, might seem a little off the board, but stay with me. Stephens is 6-foot-3, Thiam is 6-foot-4, and they're both undersized two guards.

Harrison Barden-Imagn Images

Stephens shot very well from three in 2022-23 with a 37.4% mark on 4.7 attempts per game, but he recorded 13 total assists the whole season. Thiam transferred to High Point after playing with the Gophers in 2021-22, and he never averaged more than 1.4 assists per game.

With Chansey Willis Jr., Isaac Asuma and Langston Reynolds all likely ahead of Stephens on the backcourt depth chart, it's hard to imagine he will have a very significant role in 2025-26. However, he provides Minnesota with some solid depth in case of an injury. His potential is still a bit of an unknown, but he fills out the Gophers' roster with a capable player.