Advertisement

Women’s basketball: Mara Braun says she will remain at Minnesota

john shipley, pioneer press
·2 min read

Lindsay Whalen’s announcement that she has stepped down as Minnesota’s basketball coach has not changed Mara Braun’s decision to play for the Gophers.

Braun, the Gophers’ leading scorer and a member of the Big Ten’s all-freshman team, said Tuesday that she plans to stay at Minnesota.

In a statement released through KFXN-FM 100.3 producer Justin Gaard, Braun said, “We came here to represent the state and turn the program around, and I intend to help finish what we started.”

Braun declined an interview request from the Pioneer Press.

Braun led the team in scoring with a 15.6-point average for a Gophers team that finished 11-19 overall and 4-15 in the Big Ten after falling to Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten tournament March 1. On March 2, the athletics department announced Whalen was stepping down.

In a news conference following the announcement, athletics director Mark Coyle said the decision was mutual between himself and Whalen, who coached the Gophers to a 71-76 record in five seasons at her alma mater.

Braun is a key piece in the program’s future, part of a four-woman 2022 recruiting class that was ranked in the Top 10 nationally by ESPN. Braun was the team’s leading scorer, classmate Amaya Battle led the team in assists (4.4) and and forward Mallory Heyer averaged 7.1 rebounds a game for the Big Ten’s best rebounding team.

Sophomore Rose Michaeux was the Gophers’ starting center, and one of the Big Ten’s most improved players, averaging 14 points and eight rebounds a game, and classmate Katie Borowicz led the team in steals (1.6).

“Coach Whalen and I have talked and she wants this for us as well,” Braun said in her statement. “To shut down any speculation, I am a Gopher and look forward to continuing Coach Whalen’s vision for us and the program.”

The official Gophers roster on Tuesday included all players from 2022-23, and website wbbblog.com, which tracks the transfer portal, listed no players from Minnesota.

Related Articles