There are approximately 100 African American and other student-athletes of color this school year at the University of Minnesota. In an occasional series throughout the school year and sports year, the MSR will highlight many of these players.
This week: senior basketball player Mike Mitchell Jr.
Seniors Mike Mitchell Jr. and Dawson Garcia are the only returning starters from last year’s Gopher MBB squad. The two are among the probable starters for the 2024-25 home opener Wednesday, November 6.
The 6’2” San Jose, California native played his first two collegiate seasons at Pepperdine (2021-23) and started all 63 games he appeared in, but left after his coach Lorenzo Romar was let go.
Mitchell pointed out that Romar and Minnesota Coach Ben Johnson are similar in many ways besides being Black. “I feel like [Johnson]’s a younger version of [Romar],” said Mitchell of the Gopher HC.
“He’s just almost like a fatherly figure when he talks to you and teaches you little stuff, and he gets on you when he has to. I’ve learned so much with Coach,” added the guard. Romar, now an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount, taught him well, said Mitchell.
“I played point guard a lot, so he just taught me a lot of the ins and outs of the game, and thinking within the game like little nuances like time and score and that type of stuff.”
However, what neither Romar nor Johnson needed to teach him is how to fit in on the court. “I feel like I could fit with any of the four other people on the court with me,” explained Mitchell.
“I think I can play defense. I think I could shoot. I think I could pass—just knowing the people around me and helping them out as well as myself.”
As a young man growing up, “I was taught to kill or be killed when you step in between those lines, and you got to give it all out there, and I’m trying to win with my team and do as much as possible.”
As several former teammates left, Mitchell, Garcia, and sixth man Parker Fox all chose to return to Minnesota this season. “My reason for coming back was just to keep the tradition here that we started last year,” said Mitchell. “Changing the culture and bringing Minnesota back.”
Betts is back too
Redshirt sophomore guard Kadyn Betts also returned to Minnesota this season. The 6’8” forward from Pueblo, Colo. debuted last season after being redshirted the 2022-23 season. He made his college debut against Bethune-Cookman and scored his first collegiate points against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Now Betts is among the five Gophers who returned from last season’s 19-15 club.
“I think 19 wins was great for us,” he told us, “because it’s a step up from the season prior. But then also it makes us more hungry, because we know we could do more than 19 wins.”
Now a seasoned veteran of sorts, Betts said, “I think I’m ready to be out here on the court and just contribute to the team and do whatever it’s needed to help us win.”
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.