Minnesota Basketball: Gopher’s Isaiah Ihnen to miss the 2022-23 season

Just over 1 year from announcing that he was going to miss the 2021-22 season due to a knee injury, Isaiah Ihnen will miss this next season after reinjuring his surgically repaired knee.

Ihnen, a 6’9” forward, played his first two seasons under Richard Pitino. He was recruited out of Germany and despite being raw, he showed some incredible athleticism and promise. He averaged 10-15 minutes and around 3 points per game in those first two seasons. But Ihnen was expected to be a major contributor for Ben Johnson before injuring his knee for the second consecutive summer.

This just several weeks after forward Parker Fox announce that he had a major setback with his knee as well. Fox may not miss the entire season, but it seems likely.

This leaves the Gophers without 2 interior players who were expected to either start or play significant minutes. With a decision still looming about Dawson Garcia’s eligibility waiver.

Should Garcia not get his waiver, the Gopher interior is going to be incredibly thin and reliant on Treyton Thompson along with undersized youth.

Best of luck to Ihnen in his recovery again, this has to be a difficult blow for the young man.