The second-ranked player in Minnesota’s Class of 2024 has committed to play basketball for the Golden Gophers. Isaac Asuma, a 6-foot-3 guard from Cherry High School in northern Minnesota, announced his intentions after his high school game Thursday night.
Asuma had a triple-double with 22 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in Cherry’s 87-55 win over Rock Ridge, then unzipped a hoodie to reveal a Gophers shirt as he announced his commitment in front of the home crowd that stuck around to witness the moment.
“I can’t thank my mom and dad enough for sacrificing all they have to bring me to AAU practice all over the country and just taking time off work when they needed,” Asuma said, then thanking coaches, teammates and the local community. “With that being said, I’ll be committing to the Minnesota Gophers.”
The only player in Minnesota rated higher than Asuma in the Class of 2024 is Bloomington Jefferson’s Daniel Freitag, who is also being recruited by the Gophers in basketball and football.
Minnesota’s 2023 recruiting class took a hit recently when 5-star center Dennis Evans asked to be released from his signed commitment, but head coach Ben Johnson’s recruiting class still features four-star guard Cameron Christie, who is one of the top seniors in Illinois.
Cherry is ranked fifth in Class A and owns a 21-5 record. They are among the favorites, along with Deer River and Northland, to reach the state tournament out of Section 7A.
