Amir Coffey, a senior wing from Hopkins who was named Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball, signed with the Gophers in the fall. Coffey will play in the prestigious Jordan Brand Classic on Friday night at the Barclays Center.
Coffey averaged 18.8 points per game this season, leading the Royals to a 31-1 record and the Class AAAA state title. He scored in double figures in all but three games with a season-best 35 points versus rival Minnetonka.
Gopher Hole recently caught up with Coffey after he played in the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association All-Star series. Coffey had 57 points in two wins for the Maroon team.
Gopher Hole: It has been a couple of weeks since the state tournament. What is the feeling like been since winning the state title as a senior?
Amir Coffey: It is still the same feeling. Feeling pretty great about the season. Just happy about it.
Gopher Hole: Was that the perfect way to finish your high school career?
Amir Coffey: Of course. We only lost one game during the season. When you get to state, everyone wants to finish it off, so that was the perfect way to end it.
Gopher Hole: You got a chance to play in the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association All-Star series. You had 35 points Friday and your team won both games. What was it like playing with and against a lot of kids that you had grown up with AAU-wise?
Amir Coffey: It was just a fun weekend. It was a good program they put together. A good couple days. Fun playing against all the top kids in Minnesota, so I had a lot of fun.
Gopher Hole: You are going to be playing in the Jordan Brand Game. What is that experience going to be like?
Amir Coffey: I don’t know yet. I watched a lot of the episodes that they made last year about it, so I’m pretty excited. I’m sure that it will be a good experience.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, the next move is to start college. You are going to go down there in June. What are the expectations for you as a freshman?
Amir Coffey: I have high expectations for myself as well as the coaches and I’m sure the fans, too in myself and the team, too. I just want to get better as much as I can. Improve myself and get my body better, improve my shot and my dribbling. Just become a better all-around player and do as well as I can as a freshman.
Gopher Hole: I know the Gophers had some suspensions, but played hard throughout most of the year before they got worn down. What was the feeling about watching the team this year and going to the games?
Amir Coffey: It was a pretty young team and they lost a lot of games that were pretty close at the end. The team chemistry is there. I know that. There are just the little pieces that you have to put together at the end of the games. There are five or six games that they lost in the Big Ten that were under 10 points. It was a close group, but they just have to finish it out in the end.
Gopher Hole: They lose Joey King, but return pretty much everyone else. What do you think of the expectations of what this team could be as quickly as next year?
Amir Coffey: I think that we could be a pretty strong team. We are adding a lot of length for next year with Davonte (Fitzgerald) and Reggie (Lynch), myself and Michael (Hurt) and also Eric (Curry), so that is a lot of big bodies coming in. Like I said before, we all have high expectations for ourselves, so we are just going to get the work in this summer and hopefully turn it around next year.
Gopher Hole: Your dad was part of a Gopher rebuild when they were down and helped them get back up. That is something that you are maybe going to be doing. Is that something that you have talked to him about?
Amir Coffey: Not really. Really when we talked, we talk about the team. Stuff that we notice. Stuff like that. We knew that it was going to be rebuilding year. We don’t really talk much about his season. He talks about how good that they did in the tournament, but otherwise it is about the team now.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to get the Gophers back into the NCAA Tournament?
Amir Coffey: It would mean a lot. I don’t remember the last time that they were there. I think it was the year with Hoffarber. It would mean a lot. That is one of my dreams to go to the NCAA Tournament. I’m sure that it is really fun to play in. It is a lot of fun to watch, so getting there would be pretty cool.
Gopher Hole: Would that make it even more special being the hometown team?
Amir Coffey: Of course. To do it for your hometown is always great, so it would be pretty special.