The Gophers men’s basketball team said less than two weeks ago that starting point guard Elijah Hawkins would return for next season.

“PG1 is back,” the program posted on social media.

But those posts have since been scrubbed from the X platform.

Hawkins has requested to enter his name in the NCAA transfer portal, a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press on Monday. Joe Tipton of On3 Sports first reported the U-turn development.

Hawkins would have been an integral piece of a Gopher team looking take the next step and earn a bid for the NCAA tournament in March 2025.

The 5-foot-9 native of Washington, D.C., averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across 33 games last season. He was tied for second in the nation in assists per game last year, alongside Braden Smith of Purdue and just behind Marquette’s Tyler Kolek (7.7).

The Gophers had at least four open scholarships after Canisius forward Frank Mitchell signed with Minnesota last week. The exit of Hawkins would make it five vacancies.

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