Ex-Maryland guard Chance Stephens commits to Gophers in portal

Former Maryland and Loyola Marymount guard Chance Stephens has committed to the Gophers in the transfer portal, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247Sports.

Stephens is a 6'3" guard who was originally a two-star recruit out of high school in Riverside, CA. He began his college career at LMU and played in 28 games as a freshman, averaging 6.0 points per game in around 17 minutes a night. He was primarily a three-point specialist, averaging 4.5 attempts from deep and just 0.5 two-point shots. Stephens connected on 37.4 percent of those long-range shots.

In a November 2023 game against Wake Forest in Jamaica, Stephens went 7 for 10 from deep and led all scorers with 23 points as LMU won in overtime. He also hit at least three triples on seven other occasions.

After that season, Stephens transferred to play for Kevin Willard and Maryland. He redshirted in the 2023-24 season due to a knee injury and then appeared in seven games last season in a reserve role, none of which came after Dec. 4.

With Minnesota, Stephens figures to be a reserve with a chance at earning a role off of the bench, based on how everything shakes out on a team filled with transfers. His three-point shooting could potentially be valuable.

Niko Medved has had to build basically an entire roster in the portal this offseason after being hired by the Gophers. His backcourt rotation is likely to heavily feature returning sophomore Isaac Asuma and transfers Chansey Willis Jr. and Langston Reynolds, but the opportunity should exist for others to emerge as contributors as well.