Golden Nuggets: It's July Which Means Gophers Basketball Coaches Hit Recruiting Trail

[GopherHole Staff]

Golden Nuggets: It's July Which Means Gophers Basketball Coaches Hit the Recruiting Trail
By Chris Monter

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/401677?referrer_id=388419

The Minnesota Gopher basketball coaches will be on the road this month watching the top prospects in the country. The Gophers will lose four seniors in Andre Hollins, Elliott Elaison, Maurice Walker and Deandre Mathieu and will have four scholarships available for the 2015-16 season.

Howard Pulley seniors-to-be Alex Illikainen, Jarvis Johnson and Sacar Anim were expected to play in the Ty Lawson & Victor Oladipo All American Camp at Dematha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland this weekend. However, the trio will instead play with their Howard Pulley teammates in the Chicago Summer Jam.

Howard Pulley faces the Champaign Heat Friday at 5:50 and the I Can All-Stars at 12:40 and Mac Irvin Fire at 5:20 Saturday at the Romeoville Athletic Center.

Howard Pulley will also play Mac Irvin Fire in the opening game of the Peach Jam on July 17th, so expect the Saturday contest to feature all the flavor of a NFL preseason tilt as neither team will likely show much with both teams facing each other five days later.

Jarvis Johnson and Sacar Anim, both teammates from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, have helped lead the Islanders to its third straight Class AAA championships. Johnson has scholarship offers from Clemson, Creighton, Iowa State, Marquette, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Penn State, Providence, UCLA, UNLV, Wichita State and Wisconsin.

Here is a link to the most recent Gopher Hole interview on Johnson.

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/399276?referrer_id=331171

Anim has offers from Dayton, Drake, Lehigh, Indiana State and Northern Iowa. The Gophers are expected to closely watch Anim this month and decide about extending him an offer after July.

Here is a recent interview with Anim:

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/401438?referrer_id=388419

Alex Illikainen, a 6-9, 210-pounder recently announced that he is transferring from Grand Rapids to prep power Brewster Academy. Illikainen had been considered one of the top players in the state in the Class of 2015 and was thought to be the leading candidate for Minnesota's Mr. Basketball.

Illikainen helped lead Grand Rapids to a 16-10 mark this season, but they missed making their fourth straight appearance in the Class AAA state boys' basketball tournament, losing to Hermantown 53-47 in the section semifinals.

Illikainen has scholarship offers from Boston College, California, Creighton, Green Bay, Iowa State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northern Iowa, Oregon, Providence and Texas Tech and Vanderbilt. He is expected to pick a school later this summer or early Fall.

Here is a link to a recent interview with Illikainen.

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/396806?referrer_id=334816

Chris Clarke, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Virginia Beach (VA) Cape Henry, will play in the Ty Lawson & Victor Oladipo All American Camp this week. The well-rounded player was named first team All-Tidewater and was the Tidewater Conference Player of the Year after he averaged 18.2 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals per game.

Clarke helped pace Cape Henry to a 26-1 mark this past season, losing to Fairfax (VA) Paul VI Catholic 64-56 in the VISAA Division 1 state championship game. Paul VI is led by Minnesota recruiting target Kevin Dorsey.

Here is a link to a recent interview with Clarke.

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/396468?referrer_id=334816

Kevin Dorsey, along with Clarke, played in Minnesota in May in the EYBL event. Dorsey will join Clarke at the Ty Lawson & Victor Oladipo All American Camp this week. Dorsey, a 6-foot, 160-pound point guard from Fairfax (VA) Paul VI, has narrowed his list of schools to Minnesota, Maryland and Nebraska. He is expected to choose a school very soon.

Here is a link to a recent interview with Dorsey.

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/392118?referrer_id=388419

Jimmy Whitt, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from Columbia (MO) Hickman, recently attended the Minnesota Golden Gopher team camp. He previously played in Minnesota in the Howard Pulley Invitational, where they reached the semis, despite missing two starters. Whitt helped lead the K.C. Run GMC team to the Jayhawk Invitational title in April.

Whitt helped lead the Kewpies to a 27-3 mark, losing to Christian Brothers 86-77 in overtime in the Class 5A title game. Whitt had 29 points, seven rebounds and seven steals in the game as Hickman rallied from a twelve-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to force overtime.

He was named Class 5A All-State after averaging 22.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 steals per game this season.

His high school head coach, David Johnson, attended Fergus Falls Community College and cached in Brainerd.

Whitt and his KC Run GMC will play in the Mullen's high Profile Tournament in St. Charles, Missouri. They open play versus the Missouri Impact Friday at 4:45.

Here is a link to a recent interview with Whitt.

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/399860?referrer_id=334816

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Gopher fans are hoping that one of these players could be the first member of the Class of 2015.

The Big Ten has 19 commitments to-date for the Class of 2014. Ohio State leads the way with four commitments. Michigan State has three verbals and Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern and Penn State have two each. Nebraska, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin have landed one players so far, while Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota have yet to land a player.

 

[Stan]

Good stuff Chris, thanks. I really hope we can get our first commitment in the next few weeks. It would be nice to create some urgency with the other guys we're going after and to start the domino effect a bit.