It’s a big day for Gophers as they await the decision of Hopkins star basketball player Amir Coffey.
Coffey will announce his decision at 3:30 p.m. Monday from Hopkins High School and he’ll be choosing between the Gophers, Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State, Indiana, Texas, Baylor and Arizona, the Star Tribune reports.
The 6-foot-7 shooting guard is the top-rated player in Minnesota’s Class of 2016 and he’s the top target for Gophers coach Richard Pitino. ESPN ranks Coffey the No. 33 player in the country.
Decision day 😁
— Amir Coffey (@coffeyshop_) September 21, 2015
Just two years ago Pitino watched Tyus Jones pick Duke, Rashad Vaughn pick UNLV and Reid Travis pick Stanford. All three were heralded basketball recruits. Travis is entering his sophomore season at Stanford while Jones plays for the Timberwolves and Vaughn plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Will Coffey leave the state, too?
Amir Coffey (ESPN, No. 33) will announce his decision today: Sources told ESPN that Richard Pitino and hometown Minnesota the likely pick.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 21, 2015
” target=”_blank”>ESPN’s Jeff Goodman doesn’t think so.
Amir Coffey (ESPN, No. 33) will announce his decision today: Sources told ESPN that Richard Pitino and hometown Minnesota the likely pick.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) September 21, 2015
Everyone asking me what I predict — I predict Pitino will be celebrating tomorrow. But only Coffey can say for sure.
— Amelia Rayno (@AmeliaRayno) September 21, 2015
Coffey would be the highest-rated recruit to commit to the Gophers – and play for the Gophers – since Kris Humphries in 2003, Ryan James of GopherIllustrated.com told the Pioneer Press.
“If he commits, he would be the highest-rated player to play here since Humphries,” James said. “It would also be big for Pitino because it could show similarly high-ranked kids in Minnesota that going to Minnesota can be an option.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgcen2T-oQM
Two other high-profile players in Minnesota are Gary Trent Jr and Tre Jones from Apple Valley. Trent is the No. 1-rated shooting guard in the country in the Class of 2017, via ESPN’s Recruiting Nation, and Jones, the younger brother of Tyus Jones, is rising up the national charts in the Class of 2018.
According to 247 Sports, Pitino and the Gophers have already received a commitment from the No. 2 player in Minnesota’s Class of 2016 – Rochester John Marshall’s Michael Hurt.
Amir will announce his College choice tomorrow at Hopkins high school during a press conference at 3:30. Exciting times.
— Richard Coffey (@CoffeyUnlimited) September 21, 2015
