Gabe Kalscheur transfers to Iowa State

The offseason defections continued Saturday for the Gophers as senior guard Gabe Kalscheur announced his intent to transfer to Iowa State.

It’s another name in a long list of players who are choosing different paths after a coaching change.

Kalscheur’s departure leaves a gaping hole on both sides of the ball for Minnesota, as he was a key player on offense and defense. Not only was he a major contributor in the scoring column, he was considered a premier lockdown defender, frequently guarding the opposing team’s top backcourt player.

Kalscheur only recently announced he was entering the transfer portal, though given his connections to the Twin Cities some wondered if he was simply exploring his options.

It’s a bit of a head scratcher — new head coach Ben Johnson just this week hired former DeLaSalle head coach Dave Thoreson as an assistant, a coach with whom Kalscheur has a strong history with. You’d think that paired with a strong Minnesota connection would entice him to stay.

Kalscheur had a down year for the Gophers in 2020-21. Known as a sharpshooter, he posted his lowest three-point percentage of this career this year, hitting just 24.5% of his attempts before missing the final seven games of the season with a broken finger. He also had the worst field goal percentage of his career and posted a career low in scoring average, putting up fewer than 10 ppg for the first time in his career.

We’ll see if a fresh start gets him back on track. For the Gophers, it’s back to the transfer portal in hopes of replacing a player at Kalscheur’s level.