Gophers lose Isaiah Ihnen to season-ending knee injury

John Shipley, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·1 min read

Jul. 15—Gophers forward Isaiah Ihnen, the only men's basketball player who didn't transfer Richard Pitino was fired this spring suffered a season-ending knee injury in practice this week.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, coach Ben Johnson said the 6-foot-9 junior will undergo surgery to repair his knee and won't be available this season.

"We are obviously disappointed for Isaiah, as he made great strides not only as a player, but also as a leader this summer," Johnson said. "As a valuable member of the team, we will be with him every step of his recovery and can't wait to have him back next year."

Ihnen scored a career-high 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his first career double-double in a Dec. 20 victory over St. Louis, and a career-high 11 rebounds in a Dec. 10 victory over Kansas City. But he didn't play much after that until center Liam Robbins was lost to injury late.

He averaged 2.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 29 games in 2020-21 and finished with 21 blocks.