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Minnesota added a pair of walk-ons to their roster this past week with the news that Joey Kern and Jackson Purcell will be joining the team next fall.
Excited to say I’ll be playing my final year of hoops at the U of M! I appreciate all the people who have helped make this dream come true and am extremely grateful for my Hopkins family -> 〽️ pic.twitter.com/cjPmxyd0xZ
— Joey Kern (@joeyMkern) May 25, 2021
I am excited to have the opportunity to play basketball at the University of Minnesota! Thank you to all of my coaches, teammates and my family for everything you have done to make this possible! Go Gophers! 〽️ pic.twitter.com/k7BwhQXPtb
— Jackson Purcell (@JacksonPurcell3) May 26, 2021
Joey Kern is a transfer from Division III program John Hopkins, where he averaged 8.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a junior (the 2020-21 season was cancelled due to COVID-19). The 6’1” guard shot 39.6% from three that season and ranked seventh in school history in career three pointers made.
Jackson Purcell is an incoming freshman that averaged 15.1 points per game last year at Eastview before getting hurt. Coming in at 6’5”, Purcell made the switch last year from wing to point guard and had his school undefeated before sustaining an injury.
Minnesota currently has 10 scholarship players for the upcoming 2021-22 season so the Gophers will likely continue to look for additional players to fill out the roster. Minnesota also recently received a commitment from JUCO transfer Abdoulaye Thiam.