Big in-state basketball recruit Amir Coffey chooses Minnesota

Coffey also had interest from Marquette, Baylor, Arizona, Michigan, Alabama, SMU, Oregon and others. “I believe in the coaching staff and the players they have there now”.

The Gophers’ chances to get Coffey were bolstered by news he had cancelled an official visit with Texas last week.

Hopkins high school basketball player Amir Coffey committed to the Gophers Monday afternoon, following in the footsteps of his father Richard, who also played college basektball at the University of Minnesota. As a rising junior, though, Coffey averaged 9.3 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range on the Nike EYBL circuit with the Howard Pulley Panthers.

This was Pitino’s second commitment of the 2016 class, as Coffey will join three-star small forward Michael Hurt of Rochester, Minnesota. “It felt like I was supposed to be there and it felt like home”. Coffey, the son of former Gophers’ star and ex- Timberwolves player Richard, was no doubt Pitino’s No.1 target on the recruiting trail.

Unlike his father, who was a physical rebounding presence at 6-6 and 215 pounds, Coffey could be still growing but is just 190 pounds right now.

Coffey is the highest-rated recruit to commit to Minnesota since Royce White in 2009, and he would be the highest-rated recruit to play for Minnesota since Kris Humphries in 2003-04. “Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson did a great job recruiting Amir and he took a liking to Ben”. “He also bought into what Coach Pitino told him about them forming not only a strong relationship, but a partnership”.

But White, who was part of a Tubby Smith class that included top-100 local recruit Rodney Williams, never played for the Gophers and transferred to Iowa State. The first time they came in, I didn’t know them too well.

“The image is getting way better and more appealing to guys back home”, Coffey said. “After his visit, he came home and said, ‘I think I want to go to Minnesota.’ I started to get real excited”.