By John RittenhouseThe days of being a member of the University of Minnesota’s men’s basketball program are over for Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate Steve Esselink.Esselink, who has played for the Gophers the past two seasons, will forego his senior season at the U of M and transfer to a smaller Division 1 or 2 school for his final year of basketball eligibility."I need to get more playing time," Esselink said Friday, from his room on the U of M campus. "If I can get more playing time, I can develop my game a bit more. That should get me better looks (from European professional teams) overseas. That is a goal of mine right now."Esselink’s decision to leave the Gophers came after he helped the team compile a 19-14 record and place fourth at the recently completed National Invitational Tournament.After scoring 26-points per game for H-BC High School as a senior in 1999, Esselink chose to continue his basketball career at Augustana College.Esselink averaged 6.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game as a freshman at Augustana during the 2000-01 season, but he decided to leave the school in April of 2000 to become a member of a U of M program that was smarting from academic fraud violations.After sitting out the 2000-01 season in compliance with NCAA transfer rules, Esselink became an important member of U of M coach Dan Monson’s teams in 2001-02 and 2002-03.As a sophomore performer in 2001-02, Esselink played in 29 of the team’s 31 games. His top effort that year was a 12-point performance against Maryland-Eastern Shore, when he canned five-of-five field goals (including two-of-two from three-point range.)Esselink made a strong impression with Monson and the Gopher coaching staff as a sophomore, and was rewarded with a scholarship for 2002-03 season.Esselink played in 29 of 33 games for the Gophers as a junior, and started three games. He averaged 9.7 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. He led the Gophers in scoring with 18 points during a loss to the University of Oregon Dec. 22.Esselink said he is a couple of credits short of gaining his degree in communications, and he is confident he will meet his credit requirements at the college he decides to transfer to."I’m looking at going back to Augustana, or to River Falls (the University of Wisconsin-River Falls). The school year is winding down here, so I’ll be making my decision soon as I can," Esselink said.
