Pepperdine Transfer Mike Mitchell Jr. Commits to Minnesota

Minnesota added to their roster this week with the news that Mike Mitchell Jr. was committing to the program.

The sophomore guard spent his first two seasons at Pepperdine, averaging 11.4 points, 5 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game this past season. Mitchell also hit 43.3% of his field goals, including 44% from three, providing an experienced option in the backcourt next season for the Gophers.

“I love the culture they have at Minnesota and want to be apart of it,” Mitchell told On3 on the recruiting process. “I built a great relationship through the recruiting process with Coach Johnson and really feel like we can do damage next year in the Big 10. On my visit I got close with the guys on the team and I think we’ll all play well together. It’s a close knit team.”

The addition of Mitchell adds an experienced piece to the backcourt on a team that has been thin all over the roster during the duration of head coach Ben Johnson’s tenure in Minnesota. This past season the Gophers went 2-17 in the league and 9-22 overall. Mitchell should be able to have an immediate impact for Minnesota and should see plenty of minutes this fall.

Johnson will likely be heavily involved in the transfer portal in attempt to piece together Minnesota’s roster for the 2023-24 season. Minnesota was hit with some rough news a couple days ago when wing Jamison Battle, one of the Gophers best players, announced he was entering the transfer portal.