The Gophers have been participating in summer practice for a few weeks now, and Niko Medved finally spoke to the local media on Wednesday. His team added nine new players in the offseason, and it sounds like he might've found his preferred frontcourt for next season. Injuries forced Jaylen Crocker-Johnson to play a new role as Minnesota's starting center for the majority of the season. He averaged 13.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game before an injury cut his season short. He now returns to the Gophers for another season, and he has legit all-conference potential."We were able to get him cleared for the spring, so I think he had a really good spring, just kind of trying to improve his skill level, get stronger. I think for him, he had to play so many minutes at our P-spot, or kind of a more undersized five, and I think he'll be able to play, obviously, a lot more minutes this year, back kind of at a forward position for us, which he did at Colorado State," Medved said on Wednesday."It doesn't mean that he'll never play a small-ball (five), cause he was effective at times. But I think it will kind of allow him to kind of create some things for us that is a little more natural for him."Grayson Grove is the only other big man returning to the Gophers, but they went out and added Michigan transfer Malick Kordel and incoming freshman Chadrack Mpoyi. Kordel's 7-foot-2 size is something that Minnesota badly missed in the Big Ten last season. It sure sounds like Minnesota wants Crocker-Johnson to play power forward, so who will start alongside him in the frontcourt?Kordel comes to the Twin Cities as a bit of an unknown. The Oberhausen, Germany, native has been playing organized basketball for five years, and he played just 14 games in his first college season with Michigan. The 22-year-old big man still has immense potential.