2021 Recruiting

Donate To GopherHole
Both Kendall Coley (Nebraska) and Meg Newman (Arizona State) announced commits tonight.
Updated Known Gopher Offers:


Offered/In-state:

Sophie Hart-Farmington-6’5 Center

Adalia McKenzie-Park Center- 5’10 Guard/Forward

Ellie Dague-Henning-5’9 Guard

Giana Kneepkens- Duluth Marshall-5’11 Guard

Out of State Offers:

Jersey Wolfenbarger, 6’1 PG, Northside HS (AR) ESPN Ranked #19

Ariana Wiggins, 5’8 G, Heritage Christian (IN) ESPN Ranked #29

Aziaha James, 5'11 G, Princess Anne (VA) ESPN Ranked #30

Alana Micheaux, 6’2 F, Wayne Memorial (MI)

Let me know if I have missed a reported offer or if one of these have committed.
 

journalstar.com

Newest women's basketball recruit Coley is longtime friend of Husker volleyball recruit

Kendall Coley, who committed to play for the Nebraska women’s basketball team on Friday, will have a special friend in Lincoln, as well.
journalstar.com journalstar.com

A little more on Coley:
Kendall Coley and Kennedi Orr, two longtime friends now in high school, are going to be able to make one of their childhood dreams come true by playing college sports at the same school — Nebraska.
They’ve known each other since preschool in the Minneapolis area. Coley committed to play for the Nebraska women’s basketball team on Friday, announcing her decision Saturday evening. She’s a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who is a high school junior. Coley is the No. 32-ranked player nationally in the 2021 class according to Prospects Nation. Her sister, Chase, was a two-year starter for the Iowa women's basketball team.

Playing for St. Louis Park High School near Minneapolis, Kendall Coley averaged about 16 points per game this season and earned all-conference honors.

One of her best friends is Kennedi Orr, who is a Nebraska volleyball recruit and also a high school junior. Orr is from Eagan, Minnesota, and the setter has played with the U.S. youth national team.

...

Her college decision came down to Nebraska and Washington. While Nebraska has several open scholarship spots on its roster now, Coley said she made her decision now because the thought of Nebraska no longer having a spot for her in the future concerned her.


“Basically I just knew that’s where I wanted to be,” Coley said. “It was my No. 1 choice, and if anything would get in the way of me being able to accept my scholarship offer, I would be really sad. I wouldn’t feel like I was going to the school that’s right for me.
Click to expand...
 

Nebraska WBB is getting a lot of MN players currently. I wonder what the connection is? I really wanted Haiby to be a Gopher.
 

hailvarsity.com

Hail Varsity | Husker News, Stories, and Analysis

Get the latest Nebraska Huskers news and analysis from Hail Varsity by Hurrdat Sports. We take a fun, fresh approach to updating you on the Huskers.
hailvarsity.com hailvarsity.com

"Kendall Coleys Road to Nebraska" (emphasis added):

Kendall Coley looked at the college basketball landscape and thought why wait? The transfer portal being what it is now, no one is guaranteed a spot for more than a year. A starter one season wants a new challenge—or a new home—the next. And if a high school prospect has their heart set on a place before their senior season even begins, waiting to pull the trigger could mean there isn’t actually an open scholarship to take by the time you get around to it.

“It really was down to two schools I really enjoyed, and I ended up picking Nebraska because I felt like that was the right place for me,” Coley said of her recent commitment to Amy Williams’ Husker women’s basketball program.

Coley’s senior season hasn’t started yet. She’s a 2021 shooting guard, the 32nd overall prospect in the class and the No. 2 wing player in the country. At 6-foot-2, she can do just about anything you ask on the floor. But Minnesota called recently to tell her with some moving pieces on their board, namely the transfer of Kayla Mershon, they weren’t sure if they’d still have a spot for Coley.
Click to expand...


...
Kendall and Tylor came on a visit to Nebraska in February. They got to see the gameday atmosphere inside Pinnacle Bank Arena—a major selling point for just about every basketball kid coming through Lincoln—and be around the team.

Kendall has built relationships with assistant coaches Chuck Love and Tom Goehle. Goehle came to Minnesota for a few of Kendall’s team workouts. Head coach Amy Williams and company had actually just landed in the state for a home visit with Kendall when the impact of COVID-19 forced the NCAA to shut down all travel-based recruiting activity.

“Kendall feels real good about her decision,” Tylor said.

Her sister and her favorite player, Chase, played basketball at Iowa. There, Chase was a two-year starter as a forward. Kendall gets told they shoot the same way but she doesn’t see it; she likes to hang around the 3-point line, more of a guard in a stretch-four’s body.

Kendall plays one through four in high school and for her AAU team. Even with a slight frame and a ways to go in terms of post play and physicality, Kendall’s wingspan lets her guard one through five at the other end.

“I think Coach Williams has a lot planned for her,” said Tylor, who coaches her AAU team, FBC North. “I think she can pretty much move that kid around. … And if she’s anything like her mom and myself and her sister, she’s still blooming. Chase grew two inches at Iowa. I grew an inch-and-a-half in college. Mom grew two inches in college.”
Click to expand...
...

Kennedi Orr will no doubt be watching from the stands. Kendall picked Nebraska for basketball reasons, but a major advantage NU held over schools like Washington and Minnesota was the fact that Orr, Kendall’s best friend since preschool, is coming to play for John Cook’s volleyball program.

Orr, a setter, played with the US youth national team and earned the 2019 Gatorade Minnesota Volleyball Player of the Year award this past season. She committed to Nebraska over two years ago.

They talked about going to the same school when they were growing up, but Kennedi never pressured Kendall to actually follow through once she committed to Nebraska.
Click to expand...
 



after seeing some of the updates: Here is the updated/known list of offers for Gophers still remaining

Offered/In-state:

Sophie Hart-Farmington-6’5 Center ESPN Ranked #43

Adalia McKenzie-Park Center- 5’10 Guard/Forward

Out of State Offers:

Jersey Wolfenbarger, 6’1 PG, Northside HS (AR) ESPN Ranked #19

Ariana Wiggins, 5’8 G, Heritage Christian (IN) ESPN Ranked #29

Alana Micheaux, 6’2 F, Wayne Memorial (MI)
 

bball_craz_26 said:
after seeing some of the updates: Here is the updated/known list of offers for Gophers still remaining

Offered/In-state:

Sophie Hart-Farmington-6’5 Center ESPN Ranked #43

Adalia McKenzie-Park Center- 5’10 Guard/Forward

Out of State Offers:

Jersey Wolfenbarger, 6’1 PG, Northside HS (AR) ESPN Ranked #19

Ariana Wiggins, 5’8 G, Heritage Christian (IN) ESPN Ranked #29

Alana Micheaux, 6’2 F, Wayne Memorial (MI)
Click to expand...
Also Gianna Kneepkens, PG, Duluth Marshall.
 


Would like to see 6-5” Hart commit, we need that big presence. Any idea when she will make decision?
 







Skye Williams to Purdue:

Sharon Versyp has picked up the third recruit for the 2021 class in Skye Williams, to add to the duo of Jayla Smith and Sacha Washington.

Skye is listed as a 5’10 combo guard from Pickerington Central High School in Ohio, where she will be a senior next season. She is rated 280th overall in the class of 2021 and 13th in the state of Ohio by MaxPreps.

Purdue beat out a rather deep list of high majors schools to offer Williams as she chose the Boilers over Michigan, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Minnesota and Georgia Tech among others.

She has also become a social media star with this nasty crossover in high school.
Click to expand...
 



Getting Sophie Hart will be a huge deal for Coach Whalen.
 


Recent Commits

-Adalia McKenzie to Illinois (ouch)

-Sacia Vanderpool to Wisconsin

-Tamia Ugass to LSU


Sophie Hart is the last 2021 local recruit by my count available.
 



Dague is a nice player but is she a Gopher’s fit for a B1G roster spot? Jade Hill, they can't go after her because they already have Borowicz.
If y'all want MN kids just to have Minnesota kids, then these players are still out there...
Vascellaro 6'0 scorer
Kindseth 5'10 Combo
Anna Miller 6'2 Post
Jenna Guyer 6'2 best Post left on the board
- Highest ceiling of remaining Top 50 that could play B1G basketball...

Not every MN kid is a High Major or Power 5 kid... Some of the High Major/Power 5 kids aren't there yet...
 

bball_craz_26 said:
no clue where her recruitment is sitting.
Click to expand...
She is one I wish we could have seen more of at the state tournament. I watched a couple games of hers this season, and I’m still undecided about if I think she is good enough to be a Gopher.
 

Minnesota Offers 4-Star Point Guard TyTy Washington
she,s 6 foot three the story is from 247 sports that I am unable to read!
 


tchoopsAcademy said:
Dague is a nice player but is she a Gopher’s fit for a B1G roster spot? Jade Hill, they can't go after her because they already have Borowicz.
If y'all want MN kids just to have Minnesota kids, then these players are still out there...
Vascellaro 6'0 scorer
Kindseth 5'10 Combo
Anna Miller 6'2 Post
Jenna Guyer 6'2 best Post left on the board
- Highest ceiling of remaining Top 50 that could play B1G basketball...

Not every MN kid is a High Major or Power 5 kid... Some of the High Major/Power 5 kids aren't there yet...
Click to expand...
Thanks for that update.
 

2021 WBB prospect Ellie Dague, 5-9 G, Henning HS (MN), has announced her commitment to North Dakota State
 


Farmington's Sophie Hart announces she'll play basketball at North Carolina State

www.startribune.com www.startribune.com

And from the STrib:

The 6-4 Hart announced Wednesday that she has decided to attend North Carolina State in Raleigh and play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. She selected the Wolfpack women’s basketball team from nearly 20 offers, including one from the Gophers.

“They are a post-oriented offense and I really like their coaching staff,” Hart said. She is playing for the Minnesota Fury this summer during the AAU season.

Hart called the decision “super tough I had a ton of great options. That’s what made it so hard for me.”

Hart is the No. 40-ranked prospect in the country by HoopGurlz recruiting. She is the highest rated state recruit in the 2021 class, according to the service.
Click to expand...
 

I have to ask. Did the public friction between Destiny Pitts and Coach Lindsay Whalen hurt Instate Gopher Recruiting?
 

Another ? we will not an answer to from the recruit or coach. Her comments about being a post centered offense seem to be a significant part of the selection. She would have been a great addition but at least she didn't pick a Big 10 team.
 

GringaGopher said:
Another ? we will not an answer to from the recruit or coach. Her comments about being a post centered offense seem to be a significant part of the selection. She would have been a great addition but at least she didn't pick a Big 10 team.
Click to expand...
I was hoping for this recruit but it does make sense picking a post oriented offense. It made me wonder the last time the Gophers implemented such an offense. When AZB was here, never got the impression that coach Stollings wanted to build the offense around her. Coach Whalen didn’t inherit much talent in the post. T. Bello was talented but teams could pack in as there were too few other options inside. I have heard the Michigan and Maryland coach speak about positionless rosters maybe that’s the direction the BIG is going
 

Katogopher said:
I have heard the Michigan and Maryland coach speak about positionless rosters maybe that’s the direction the BIG is going
Click to expand...

Yes! Or at least I favor the way Doug Bruno runs it at DePaul. On the other the hand, I got behind a post oriented offense when AZB was putting up 20+ points and 14+ rebounds a game in the B1G :).
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom