Gophers guard Payton Willis was named the Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday. ((credit: University of Minnesota Athletics))
MINNEAPOLIS - Ben Johnson didn’t really know what to say Tuesday when he was asked about COVID-19 and its most recent impact on sports.
He headed up the elevator at Williams Arena to speak with reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game against UW-Green Bay, the Gophers’ last test before Christmas. He had just learned Michigan had its game against Purdue-Fort Wayne canceled due to COVID-19. Northwestern had a game against DePaul canceled due to COVID-19. Kentucky faced North Carolina in Las Vegas a few nights ago after their opponents had COVID-19 cases.
The NHL is on a pause until after Christmas, and the NFL had three games rescheduled due to COVID-19. The Minnesota Timberwolves are without five players at Dallas Tuesday night due to COVID-19.
For Johnson and the Gophers, their game was moved to 4 p.m. Wednesday to replace a game that had been canceled due to the pandemic, and it's being aired on Big Ten Network.
"I don’t know man, you talk about it every day. It’s by the hour. It’s tough because I remember how it was in college, you don’t want to live in quarantine. You don’t want to live in a bubble, none of us do. They’ve put themselves in a position where they’re having fun, you just don’t want it to end," Johnson said.
With Johnson’s leadership, the Gophers are 9-1 in his debut season and 4-1 at Williams Arena. They put the college basketball world on notice with true road wins at Pittsburgh and at Mississippi State, and bounced back from losing their Big Ten opener against Michigan State with a rare road win at Michigan.
The Gophers were projected to be last in the Big Ten this season. They’re on the verge of being ranked in the top 25 with a few more wins. Their biggest hurdle now? Avoiding COVID-19.
"There’s only one way to do that, and that’s to protect yourself and the team. That means everybody has to make sacrifices, and that’s the hard part. It’s me saying, ‘Look man, I’m doing this for you guys. I want you guys to be able to maximize this year,’ and don’t want to have games canceled and sit games out, be in isolation and all that stuff," Johnson said.
Wednesday’s game against Green Bay will be their first in eight days, due to final exams and the holidays. They get another week before hosting Alcorn State on Dec. 29, and resuming Big Ten play against Illinois on Jan. 2.
PARKER FOX NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY THIS SEASON
Anyone who has come to a Gophers’ game this season has likely seen Parker Fox dunking pregame, or getting shots up. The former Mahtomedi standout was a Division II All-American at Northern State, and heard from Division I programs across the country after entering the NCAA transfer portal.
He chose the Gophers, but his 2021-22 season came to a halt after having surgery for a knee injury. He’s ahead of schedule in his rehab, but Johnson said Tuesday he’s not expecting Fox to play this season.
"He’s a competitive kid, I know whenever he’s ready he’ll let us know and he’ll be involved more and more as we go on. I have no timetable, I’ve got no expectations," Johnson said. "I told him I’m moving forward as if you’re never going to play this year, if you do it’s a great bonus, but there’s no expectation from my end about him."