Gophers Athletics Director Mark Coyle spent a portion of Friday talking to current players on the men’s basketball team. No. 1 on Coyle’s to-do list is hiring a new head coach, but roster management is also a box to check because while the NCAA transfer portal doesn’t fully open until March 24 , the U’s coaching change allows current players to leave immediately. And one already has decided to explore his options. “We obviously are in conversation with our current student athletes, keeping them updated,” Coyle said Friday from Indianapolis, where he is serving on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection committee. “I’ve actually talked to two of them. I have a call (scheduled) with another student-athlete, so our goal is to be in constant communication with them.” The Gophers had 10 seniors last season but a handful of players have options to come back to the U. Freshman guard Isaac Asuma tops the list of most-promising players on the current roster, followed by junior forward Frank Mitchell and senior guard Brennan Rigsby. Senior guard Tyler Cochran reportedly plans to enter the portal on Friday; the Toledo transfer did not play last season because of a foot injury. Coyle said the U has retained assistant coach Dave Thorson and director of operations Ryan Livingston to caretake the program during this interim period. Livingston did so during the last transition from Richard Pitino to Ben Johnson. Who’s making the hire? The Gophers have not retained a search firm to aid in the hiring process, but Coyle left the door open to bring one on board. As in previous coaching hires, the Gophers will be using a committee of sorts from within the athletic department and university system. “When we made the announcement in the change in leadership of our basketball program, we have gotten calls from coaches who want to be a part of that,” Coyle said. “They understand the value of the Big Ten and understand the value of Minnesota and what it means. Our media contracts are phenomenal in terms of the exposure we get.” One person interested in the job is Ryan Saunders, a former U player/alum and ex-Timberwolves head coach who is currently an assistant with the Denver Nuggets, the Pioneer Press has learned. Boosters commentary What role did boosters play in the decision to move on from Johnson after four seasons? Coyle said he talked with fans who have contribute a lot or a little to the Golden Gopher Fund. “People were supportive of Ben,” Coyle said. “I think people recognize that we needed more consistency. … I didn’t hear from a lot of donors who are like, ‘Oh my gosh, we need to do something right now.’ I did have conversations with some who expressed concern with the direction of the program. But, again, people were really supportive of Ben, the student-athletes.” Rare emotion Coyle has a reserved disposition in public and doesn’t often share much emotion, but he did so to an extent on Friday. “It’s been frustrating, quite honestly, that we have not had more success in basketball,” Coyle said. “I had a chance to work at Kentucky. I had a chance to work at Syracuse. When I was the AD at Boise (State), we went to a couple NCAA tournaments. And that is addicting. You want to get back to that experience. So that is why this is such a critical hire for our department.” Related Articles College Sports | Gophers basketball: Revenue sharing delays potential renovations to Williams Arena College Sports | John Shipley: Gophers’ next coach has to be program’s true star College Sports | Names to consider as Gophers look for next men’s basketball coach College Sports | Why did Gophers fire basketball coach Ben Johnson in middle of night? College Sports | Mark Coyle says ‘inconsistency’ led Gophers to fire men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson ...read more read less