Watch CBS News

Akeem Springs' Confidence Buoying Struggling Gophers

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Gophers men's basketball team has a week to prepare for the Fighting Illini on Saturday.

They need the work on has become a fragile mindset that comes with five straight losses. But the silver lining is a fifth-year senior.

Akeem Springs came for one year from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and it's paying off.

Springs is rare find. He already graduated from UW-Milwaukee, which means he can be more of a gym rat.

"I'm in grad school, so I don't have a bunch of classes, so all throughout the week I usually get in, get my shots up in the morning," Springs said.

That's what has led to him making shots in games and getting playing time as a starter.

Akeem Springs
Akeem Springs (credit: CBS)

"He was mature, and we thought that part of it would really help. It was a bit of a bummer that he didn't get here till September because he had to finish up summer school," said Head Coach Richard Pitino. "With fifth-year seniors, it's tough. If they're not playing a lot right away, it's hard, and I get it. So now that he's comfortable with his role, he's providing great, great leadership."

What has blossomed is a senior who leads with a jump shot; the ability to make it through a process that he hopes is rubbing off on teammates through the recent drought.

"It's not like we're playing bad basketball, so it's not a time to panic. And I think we're still a confident group, and we should be a confident group," Springs said. "I think we'll bounce back."

And it looks like Springs may be the key to that bounce back.

"When we recruited him and we went to … Milwaukee to visit him, you could tell he's a confident kid, a smart kid, an analytical kid," Pitino said.

Tip-off against Illinois is this Saturday at 3 p.m. at State Farm Center in Champaign.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.