YouTube star offers inside look at Gophers men's basketball practice

Tristan Jass, who boasts 5.58 million subscribers, recently attended a Minnesota practice.

Minnesota head coach Ben Johnson reacts during the first half against Michigan State at Target Center in Minneapolis on March 14, 2024. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

If you ever wanted an inside look at a Division I basketball practice, the Gophers men’s basketball team offered a unique glimpse into the experience through the lens of YouTuber Tristan Jass. 

Jass is a former high school basketball standout at Tremper High School in Kenosha, Wis., and he even received a Division I scholarship offer at Ottawa University in Surprise, Ariz. But rather than continue his basketball career, Jass opted to pursue a career on YouTube, where he posts basketball-related videos and boasts 5.58 million subscribers.

Gophers coach Ben Johnson invited Jass to attend one of the team's practices, where Jass participated in drills, ran laps, got to know players and offered advice on how to conduct yourself on social media, an increasingly important message in an era where college athletes are receiving brand deals for their name, image and likeness (NIL). Jass posted a 19-minute video on YouTube on Tuesday, showing a wide audience what a typical Division I basketball practice entails.

Here were some of the highlights:

Running through drills

Jass participated in a series of drills with the Gophers. They worked on the catch-and-shoot, pick-and-rolls, post-ups, passing, working through screens and the U also did a full-team scrimmage, breaking the roster into three different teams.

In one fun drill, the U split the team in half, and the two sides competed against each other to see which side would be the first to hit six 3-pointers from each spot along the key. Each player had to grab their own rebound and pass it to the next guy in line, and after six makes, they moved to the next spot. The side that finished last was rewarded with push ups.

On the side of the court, the Gophers have five basketball stacked on the sideline. For each turnover, one gets taken down, and if all five get taken down, that means they're running. The Gophers also closed the practice with some sprints, and Jass was shown running alongside the Gophers as they did down-and-backs for the closing activity of the day.

Different animal

Jass quickly bonded with fellow Wisconsin native Caleb Williams, who's in his first season with the Gophers after transferring from Division-III Macalester. Williams talked about his experience playing for the Scots last season, when he scored 41 points in an exhibition game against the Gophers. A year later, Williams is wearing the Maroon and Gold.

Jass was impressed with Williams' journey asked about the jump from Division III to Division I. Williams described being with the Gophers as a "different lifestyle" than what he had grown used to at Macalester.

"We're pampered here, but I'll tell you what, it's intense," Williams said.

Closing messages

Johnson was pleased by his team's effort during practice that day and felt like the team was "getting there," and wanted to see how they'd respond the next day. It's not about one good day of practice, it's about stacking good days of practice.

"Now it’s like, OK, (you) play well in the first half, how are you going to respond in the second half to win the game?" Johnson said. "We had a good day. To close the week out, how are we going to respond tomorrow in a situation where we should have our best practice of the week? Got a day off, it’s the weekend, that mentality — let’s not be a first-half team. Let’s not be a second-half team. Be that complete team."

Johnson turned it over to Jass to talk about branding and marketing yourself on social media the right way.

“I think it’s very important, before you guys post anything, whether it’s a story, IG post, whatever, you gotta review that s**t and think about it before you post," Jass said. "You know, people are watching you guys, following you guys, you know what I’m saying? Got a couple dudes in here who might end up in the NBA, you got scouts looking at you guys. Stay on top of that shit and be mindful of it because you never know.” 

You can find Jass' full video of the Gophers' practice below: