Gophers basketball set to move forward after disastrous season

Things appear to be looking up for the Minnesota Gophers following one of the worst seasons in program history.

Three highly-regarded recruits will join the program next season, including Amir Coffey, the top-ranked senior in the state. Transfers Davonte Fitzgerald and Reggie Lynch will be eligible to play as well, giving the Gophers some frontcourt depth.

Starting guard Nate Mason and reserve guards Dupree McBrayer and Kevin Dorsey will return to the team after they were suspended when a sexually explicit video posted to Dorsey's social media accounts surfaced.

Mason was the team's top scorer and Dorsey and McBrayer, both freshmen, provided depth in the backcourt.

In total, Minnesota returns 78.6 percent of its scoring from its 8-23 season, though it loses third- and fourth-leading scorers in Joey King and Carlos Morris (who was kicked off the team before the season's end). Notably, the team returns All-Big Ten freshman team member Jordan Murphy.

Minnesota's starting five will almost certainly be different than the group that was cobbled together at the end of this past season. Here's a closer look at the players who could make a difference for the Gophers next season:

Nate Mason, 6-foot-1 guard, rising junior:

Mason led the Gophers this past season with 13.8 points, 4.5 assists and 32.6 minutes per game, solidifying his position as the team's floor general and go-to scorer. His shooting percentages (38.9 from the field, 30.2 from 3) were down from his freshman season, but opponents were able to key in on him, as he was Minnesota's best shooting option.

Mason's return to the Gophers is especially crucial, because he does so much for this team. He scorers, he can shoot and he can find his teammates for open shots. He averaged 16.9 points in the nine games before the suspension, including a team-high 18 in the upset win over Maryland.

A productive Mason is arguably the most important thing the Gophers need to take a big step in the win-loss column. But a good post presence wouldn't hurt either, and the Gophers appear to have that for next season, which brings us to our next key player...

Jordan Murphy, 6-foot-6 forward, rising sophomore

Name the Gophers biggest pleasant surprise this season (pleasant being the key word), and Murphy is really the only that comes to mind. Right away, he showed he had the athleticism and rebounding savvy to compete in the Big Ten, and he finished tied for second on the team in scoring at 11.6 points per game while leading Minnesota in rebounding with 8.0 per game.

Despite being small for a power forward, Murphy showed he has the strength to complete on the glass. He should fit nicely into the Gophers' starting lineup next season, especially with several new players who will also fit in the frontcourt, including...

Reggie Lynch, 6-foot-9 center, rising junior

Coach Richard Pitino has said Lynch, an Edina. Minn., native, has NBA potential. Gophers fans should be skeptical until next Big Ten season, but there is a lot to like about Lynch.

In two seasons at Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Conference, Lynch had 189 blocks. He was by no means a prolific scorer, but he averaged 9.5 points on 50.9 percent shooting in 22.2 minutes as a sophomore. He's a big guy -- the Gophers have him listed at 260 pounds -- but he is relatively short for a center. Nonetheless, it will be nice to see a more polished big man, along with fellow transfer ...

Davonte Fitzgerald, 6-foot-8 forward, rising junior

Fitzgerald saw his production decrease in his second season at Texas A&M (a No. 3 seed in this year's NCAA tournament, to remind you), so he left for a fresh start. He missed the final 10 games of his freshman season at A&M because of a knee injury after a promising start to his career. Rivals.com had him rated as a three-start recruit out of high school, so the potential is there.

Eric Curry, 6-foot-8 forward, rising freshman

Curry appears similar to Fitzgerald on the surface. The Little Rock, Ark., native was a three-star recruit who had offers from Arkansas, Iowa State and VCU, among others. He looks like a lengthy and athletic small forward based on the limited highlights available. If he can shoot, he could turn out to be an upgrade to the previous small forwards Minnesota has used (think King and Rodney Williams).

Amir Coffey, 6-foot-7 guard, rising freshman

Coffey has generated the most coverage of any Gophers newcomer, and fairly so. He's a four-star recruit, the top player in his class in Minnesota, and he just won the state's Mr. Basketball award after an impressive senior season with Hopkins.

Coffey will have a role with the Gophers next season. It's hard to say exactly what, however. He could struggle against bigger, more athletic players, though he'll certainly be an asset if he can shoot the 3 with consistency.