Another Minnesota basketball player has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. It’s a huge blow for the Golden Gophers.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN reported on Wednesday that Jamal Mashburn Jr. has entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal after one season in Minnesota. The news comes shortly after the school announced the firing of head coach Richard Pitino after eight seasons with the program.

Mashburn is the second Minnesota player to enter his name in the transfer portal this week. Jarvis Omersa, who opted out of the 2020-21 season after playing a handful of games, also put his name into the database.

Mashburn started the year coming in off the bench for the Golden Gophers and played between 15 and 20 minutes per game. However, he worked his way into the starting lineup late in the year and saw major improvement as the season progressed. Having Mashburn back in the mix would’ve been a huge advantage for the next coach.

In his first year at Minnesota, Mashburn appeared in all 29 games for Minnesota and made 8 starts. He averaged 8.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He scored in double figures 12 times and scored a career-high 19 points against Indiana. The Gophers ended the season with a 14-15 record and missed the NCAA Tournament.

Pitino was fired following Minnesota’s run in the B1G Tournament.

Because of the NCAA’s waiver for all student-athletes in winter sports, Mashburn will still have four years of eligibility remaining.