Mara Braun vows to stay with Gophers after Whalen's departure

Originally posted on FanNation Bring Me The Sports
By Joe Nelson | Last updated 3/7/23

Mara Braun, the freshman from Wayzata who led the Gophers women's basketball team in scoring this season, says she has no plans to leave the University of Minnesota following the unexpected departure of head coach Lindsay Whalen.

Whalen allegedly stepped down from her role as head coach last week. The news broke one day after Minnesota's season ended with a loss to Penn State in the Big Ten tournament. Athletics director Mark Coyle claims the decision was made "mutually," though Whalen has yet to address the issue publicly.

"We came here to represent the state and turn the program around and I intend to help finish what we started. Coach Whalen and I have talked and she wants this for us as well," Braun told KFAN's Justin Gaard. "To shut down any speculation I am a Gopher and look forward to continuing Coach Whalen's vision for us and the program."

It's common in NCAA basketball for players to enter the transfer portal following a coaching change, so Braun sticking around provides an assurance to the next head coach that they'll have one of the top freshman in the Big Ten on the roster in 2023-24.

Braun was part of Whalen's heralded 2022 recruiting class that features fellow Minnesotans Amaya Battle, Mallory Heyer and Nia Holloway.

This article first appeared on FanNation Bring Me The Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: