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Gophers Sign a Pair to National Letters of Intent
The Minnesota men’s basketball program today announced the signings of Elliott Eliason and Austin Hollins to National Letters of Intent. Both players will be eligible to compete during the 2010-11 season.
“We are really excited to now have Elliott and Austin as part of the Golden Gopher basketball program,” said Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith. “We have definite needs for Elliott and Austin in our system with the loss of Damian Johnson, Lawrence Westbrook and Devron Bostick. We know that we are getting a pair of players that not only have great basketball IQ’s but are also great students. We look forward to following and seeing their progression during their senior seasons.”
Eliason, a 6-11 senior center Chadron, Neb., averaged 14.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks (99 total blocks) as a junior in leading the Cardinals to a 26-1 record and the Nebraska C-1 state title game. He comes from an athletic family, as his father, Jay Eliason, and mother, Lorna Eliason, played football and basketball and volleyball, respectively, at South Dakota State University.
Ranked as the 27th-best center in the country by Scout, Eliason carries a 3.75 GPA and last year finished second in the Introduction to Business at the Nebraska Future Business Leaders of America state competition. The reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in the State of Nebraska, Eliason chose the Gophers over Stanford and Creighton.
“Elliott is a young man that has great length and size that will add some real depth to our front court. His skill level and passing ability set him apart at the center position,” said Smith. “I think that he will be able to develop and learn from Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson. His future’s is very bright.”
Hollins, a 6-4, 180-pound shooting guard from Germantown, Tenn., is the son of Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. The elder Hollins played collegiately at Arizona State and was a first round draft pick (sixth overall) by Portland in the 1975 NBA Draft. He would later help lead the ’77 Trail Blazers to the NBA Title.
Ranked as the 34th-best shooting guard in the country by Scout, Hollins averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a junior and led Germantown to a 20-12 record and to the Tennessee Region 8-AAA quarterfinals. This past summer he helped lead the Nashville Celtics to a 30-10 record and to the River City Showdown AAU Tournament championship. Hollins carries a 3.5 GPA and chose Minnesota over Arkansas, Memphis and Oregon State.
“Austin is a very intelligent and gifted player that has been around the game of basketball his entire life,” said Smith. “I think those experiences and the amount of exposure that he’s had to major athletics, especially basketball, have been very beneficial to him. We will benefit from his great outside shooting ability and ballhandling.”
The Gophers open the 2009-10 slate on Friday, Nov. 13 vs. Tennessee Tech at Williams Arena (7:00 p.m.). Minnesota’s home schedule contains 17 games, including a matchup with the Penn State Nittany Lions to open the Big Ten schedule on Dec. 29. Ohio State, Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue and Iowa will also make an appearance at Williams Arena.
Single-game and season tickets are still available for the 2009-10 season. Fans interested in purchasing tickets may call the ticket office at 612-624-8080, or toll free at 1-800-U-GOPHER. Tickets may also be purchased through Minnesota’s official athletics department website, www.gophersports.com.
The Minnesota men’s basketball program today announced the signings of Elliott Eliason and Austin Hollins to National Letters of Intent. Both players will be eligible to compete during the 2010-11 season.
“We are really excited to now have Elliott and Austin as part of the Golden Gopher basketball program,” said Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith. “We have definite needs for Elliott and Austin in our system with the loss of Damian Johnson, Lawrence Westbrook and Devron Bostick. We know that we are getting a pair of players that not only have great basketball IQ’s but are also great students. We look forward to following and seeing their progression during their senior seasons.”
Eliason, a 6-11 senior center Chadron, Neb., averaged 14.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocks (99 total blocks) as a junior in leading the Cardinals to a 26-1 record and the Nebraska C-1 state title game. He comes from an athletic family, as his father, Jay Eliason, and mother, Lorna Eliason, played football and basketball and volleyball, respectively, at South Dakota State University.
Ranked as the 27th-best center in the country by Scout, Eliason carries a 3.75 GPA and last year finished second in the Introduction to Business at the Nebraska Future Business Leaders of America state competition. The reigning Gatorade Player of the Year in the State of Nebraska, Eliason chose the Gophers over Stanford and Creighton.
“Elliott is a young man that has great length and size that will add some real depth to our front court. His skill level and passing ability set him apart at the center position,” said Smith. “I think that he will be able to develop and learn from Colton Iverson and Ralph Sampson. His future’s is very bright.”
Hollins, a 6-4, 180-pound shooting guard from Germantown, Tenn., is the son of Memphis Grizzlies head coach Lionel Hollins. The elder Hollins played collegiately at Arizona State and was a first round draft pick (sixth overall) by Portland in the 1975 NBA Draft. He would later help lead the ’77 Trail Blazers to the NBA Title.
Ranked as the 34th-best shooting guard in the country by Scout, Hollins averaged 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game as a junior and led Germantown to a 20-12 record and to the Tennessee Region 8-AAA quarterfinals. This past summer he helped lead the Nashville Celtics to a 30-10 record and to the River City Showdown AAU Tournament championship. Hollins carries a 3.5 GPA and chose Minnesota over Arkansas, Memphis and Oregon State.
“Austin is a very intelligent and gifted player that has been around the game of basketball his entire life,” said Smith. “I think those experiences and the amount of exposure that he’s had to major athletics, especially basketball, have been very beneficial to him. We will benefit from his great outside shooting ability and ballhandling.”
The Gophers open the 2009-10 slate on Friday, Nov. 13 vs. Tennessee Tech at Williams Arena (7:00 p.m.). Minnesota’s home schedule contains 17 games, including a matchup with the Penn State Nittany Lions to open the Big Ten schedule on Dec. 29. Ohio State, Michigan State, Northwestern, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Purdue and Iowa will also make an appearance at Williams Arena.
Single-game and season tickets are still available for the 2009-10 season. Fans interested in purchasing tickets may call the ticket office at 612-624-8080, or toll free at 1-800-U-GOPHER. Tickets may also be purchased through Minnesota’s official athletics department website, www.gophersports.com.
