Ben Johnson compares Frank Mitchell to Gophers' great Jordan Murphy

Mitchell has a similar skillset to one of the best Minnesota players from the last decade.

Nov 8, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Canisius Golden Griffins forward Frank Mitchell (23) takes a shot as Syracuse Orange guard Justin Taylor (5) and center Naheem McLeod defend in the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

When Pharrel Payne entered the transfer portal in the offseason and left for Texas A&M, the Gophers were in desperate need of depth in the frontcourt and a big man to play alongside Dawson Garcia. One player they added was Canisius transfer Frank Mitchell.

Mitchell played one season at Humber College in Toronto before transferring up to the Division I level. He quickly proved that he belonged, performing as one of the best rebounders in the country last season. In his lone season with the Golden Griffins, he averaged 12.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, which ranked fourth in the entire country. He earned all-conference honors in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), but the Big Ten is a different beast.

Will his game translate?

"The challenge for him — because he wanted it, was could you be in the best shape you've ever physically been? I think he's really taken that personal in a good way, he's really challenged himself," Gophers head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday. "The other challenge was, the guy you were at Canisius — production-wise, not just numbers, but what you're able to do — can you do that at this stage, at this level?"

“He wants to be known as an elite rebounder.”

Ben Johnson compares #Gophers, Canisius transfer big man Frank Mitchell to Jordan Murphy. pic.twitter.com/gP5lmjxLMX

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) October 8, 2024

Listed at 6-foot-8, 260 pounds, Mitchell has a very interesting physical profile and style of play. He compares a lot to former Gophers big man Jordan Murphy, who was listed at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds. Murphy is a player that Johnson coached at Minnesota from 2015-2018, and the comparison tracks.

"I know one of his goals, is that he wants to be known as an elite rebounder," Johnson said. "I talked about, I coached Jordan Murphy. A guy that wasn't 6'8-6'10" but he was still able to get some stuff done. Just the mental approach for him. Like everybody, it's one time to play Syracuse one time, but it's another thing to do 20 of them and just preparing him for that. There's going to be ups and downs, you have to be mentally tough."

Minnesota's best lineup this season might be with Mitchell at the four, next to Garcia at the five, who is 6-foot-11, 234 pounds. Their skill sets are an interesting match as Mitchell is more of a physical bruiser who plays with his back to the basket, and Garcia is sometimes a finesse player who relies more on his skill to create his own shots.

Murphy was a double-double machine during his four-year career at Minnesota and Mitchell had 15 double-doubles last season at Canisius. If the Gophers can get a sliver of the same production from him this year, it will raise their ceiling dramatically.

"I think his best basketball is obviously ahead of him because he is older," Johnson said. "He's taken to the workload, he's got a great attitude, his body has definitely changed. I think he's confident with that, you can see it."

Out of the seven scholarship transfers Minnesota added in the offseason, Mitchell is the only one who has multiple seasons of eligibility remaining. He will have two seasons to prove that he can be an elite rebounder in the Big Ten.