Amir Coffey, a senior wing from Hopkins who is considered the state’s top prospect in the Class of 2016, committed to Minnesota Monday afternoon at a press conference held at the school.
Coffey helped lead the Royals to 30-2 record as a sophomore as they finished runner-up in the Class AAAA Tournament, losing to Lakeville North in the title game.
Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Burnsville earlier in the season as a junior. Coffey played in only three games and averaged 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 54.1% from the field, 35.3% from three-point range and 65% from the line.
Coffey did not make Gopher fans wait long to hear the news that they were hoping for during his press conference
“I want to thank everybody for coming out. I want to thank my parents for always supporting me and all my coaches, my trainers, and my teammates. Next year, I will be attending the University of Minnesota.”
“Over the past year I have developed a strong relationship with all of the coaches, Coach Johnson and Coach Pitino and I believe in the coaching staff and the players they have there now and I am looking forward to being a piece of the puzzle that helps them get back to a national level and I want to be one of the first to stay home and play for the hometown and I am excited to be a Gopher.”
Coffey said that he settled on the Gophers after making his official visit to Minnesota earlier this month. He attended the TCU-Minnesota football game.
“The official visit definitely helped me out a lot, but I have been thinking about it the whole time, within the last couple weeks and I talked to my parents about it.”
Coffey said that there wasn’t any initial pressure to follow his father’s legacy at Minnesota.
“It means a lot. When the process started, when I first got my first couple of offers, that wasn’t really a factor. We just wanted to pick the right school for me, but now that I am actually going to the Gophers, it will be pretty cool to follow in his footsteps.”
“It is a big deal. It is pretty cool that I will going to the same school that my dad did and follow in his footsteps. I’m sure that it means a lot to him and it means a lot to myself.”
Coffey said Gopher fans should not expect him to being wearing his dad’s old number at Minnesota.
“I’ll be wearing number 13. (His number in high school that he wears in honor of Houston All-Star guard James Harden).”
Coffey felt that the visit made him realize that staying home was what he wanted.
“It just felt right. I went on the visit and had a good time and I talked to the coaches a lot and the players and it just felt like I was supposed to be there. It felt like home and I cancelled the Texas visit and made my decision.”
Coffey said that he had built a strong relationship with the Gopher coaching staff.
“They are just good people. I have been talking to them for years now and I have got to know them pretty well and the way that they can use me as a player and develop me on the court and off the court as a man, too.”
Coffey is a versatile player who can play multiple positions on the court, which is how Coach P(itino hopes to use him next year.
“I was being recruited as a combo guard a 1 or a 2 and Coach Pitino put together a video of how I would be used in the offense, so he is going to play me as a two, or as a combo guard in their offense. A combo guard, a 1 or 2, coming off ball screens. Coming off set screens and stuff like that.”