Richard Pitino believes “the future is bright” for Golden Gophers basketball thanks to what he considers a versatile 2015 recruiting class.
https://twitter.com/MNCoachPitino/status/603365982212599808
The seven-player class was capped off Tuesday with the signing of Texas A&M transfer Davonte Fitzgerald, a 6-foot-7 small forward who has to sit out a year per NCAA transfer guidelines.
The other six players are: freshmen Kevin Dorsey, Ahmad Gilbert, Jarvis Johnson, Dupree McBrayer and Jordan Murphy and Illinois State transfer Reggie Lynch.
The class, according to 247 Sports, is ranked 49th in the country – which shows a marked improvement from being a top 70 class in 2014 and a top 90 class in Pitino’s first year leading the Gophers.
Kevin Dorsey: 4-star guard from Maryland
“Kevin Dorsey has the ability to be one of the best on-ball defenders in the country,” said Pitino. “He also has the ability to get by anybody and create offense in the lane.”
Ahmad Gilbert: 6-foot-6 wing from Philadelphia
“We are very excited about the addition of Ahmad Gilbert,” said Pitino, according to GopherSports.com. “We set out to add some size on the perimeter and Ahmad brings that. He has the ability to guard multiple positions as well as shoot the 3.”
Jarvis Johnson: All-State guard from DeLaSalle
“Jarvis Johnson has grown up a Gopher fan his whole life, and will certainly be a valuable addition to our backcourt,” said Pitino.
Dupree McBrayer: Scoring guard from New York
“Dupree McBrayer is one of the most versatile guards we saw in this class,” Pitino said. “He has the ability to score in a variety of ways, and he has tremendous upside and potential.”
Jordan Murphy: 6-foot-7 forward from Texas
“He will bring the size, ability and versatility that we were looking for,” said Pitino, per Gopher Sports.
Reggie Lynch: Edina native from Illinois State
“He was one of the best players on a very good team in a proven conference,” Pitino said. “We expect him to make an immediate impact.”
Richard’s recruiting hasn’t gone without competition from his father, Rick Pitino, who has out-recruited Richard for three recruits, according to SB Nation. As it stands, Richard is 0-2 against his father in head-to-head competition on the court and 0-3 against his father in battles for top recruits.
.@MNCoachPitino drawing a crowd for autographs this morning at Delano Elementary on the #GopherRoadTrip! pic.twitter.com/DGyoHeFCId
— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) May 27, 2015
