Experience fuels Minnesota’s athletic greatness. Will Gophers women’s basketball be next?

When Gophers standout women’s basketball players Mara Braun and Sophie Hart spoke to reporters earlier this week, the benefits of veteran wisdom became a key theme.

Braun, a junior coming off a great but injury-shortened season, said she feels the ability to lead better with another year of experience while also feeling a weight has been lifted. The Gophers welcomed six new players in the offseason, including three seniors among their four transfer portal additions, giving them far more depth and experience than they had a year ago.

“I think the most important thing is the strength of this year’s team. “I know that every time I make a substitution I have full confidence in the people that are being used,” said Braun. “I think our freshmen are just always so eager to learn from us and they’ve done a great job. And then of course the transfers come into play and show that they really want to contribute something. It feels like a big weight has been lifted from them. “I feel it every day and I’m getting used to it, but it will definitely be worth it.”

Hart, a senior whose injury, along with Braun’s, torpedoed the second half of the undermanned Gophers’ Big Ten season, echoed those thoughts.

“I think when we look at close games and game endings, situations like that, I feel like we have a lot more trust in each other and the coaches have a lot more trust in us,” Hart said. “I think it’s very valuable that we’re all having this experience now.”

They would hardly be alone in the Minnesota sports scene with experienced newcomers driving success. The Vikings are 5-0, thanks in large part to their experienced, veteran free agents. The Lynx are fighting in the WNBA Finals with a very experienced squad (Gophers players were there in Wednesday’s Game 3 loss).

The Wolves’ star is Anthony Edwards, but he’s in his fifth year and surrounded by solid leaders who are much older than him. Thanks to graduate transfer QB Max Brosmer, the Gophers football team has performed well in late game situations this year.

The last example is probably the most apt parallel to Plitzuweit’s team. Because of free agency, it has traditionally been easier to gain experience in professional sports compared to other teams. The transfer portal has dramatically increased player movement in college sports. It allows programs to build depth and experience quickly, rather than having to develop it over four or five years.