The Minnesota Gophers men’s basketball team landed a big commitment from Cretin-Derham Hall’s Daniel Oturu.
Oturu announced Thursday afternoon that he would stay in Minnesota, choosing the Gophers over Kansas, Baylor, Nebraska and Creighton among others.
The 6-foot-9, big man is generally thought to be a 4-star caliber recruit. He’s a consensus top 100 recruit. ESPN.com lists Oturu as the top recruit from the 2018 class in Minnesota.
The Daily Gopher calls Oturu a raw, explosive and improving big man. Staying close to home was a priority for him.
Oturu on seeing local players in 2017 class not pick #Gophers: "I pride myself on Minnesota. I wanted to be the next one to come here."
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) January 19, 2017
That sentiment was also echoed by his AAU coach.
“It’s a big deal,” Rene Pulley, founder of Howard Pulley, told the Star Tribune. “He kind of knew he wanted to stay home. He wanted his family to see him play. He didn’t want to leave.”
Reggie Lynch is a senior in 2017-18 so Oturu could be one option to replace him. He’d bring a similar shot-blocking and rebounding presence to the Gophers.
Here’s a look at some of his AAU highlights.
Minnesota’s 2018 recruiting class is quite strong. The Pioneer Press reports that Minnesota has also offered Apple Valley’s Tre Jones – brother of Wolves’ guard Tyus Jones.
Tre Jones hasn’t picked a school yet, but also has offers from Duke, Arizona and a number of other schools.
