ESPN 100 prospect Amir Coffey, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Hopkins High School in Minnesota, announced his commitment Monday to play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Coffey picked Minnesota from a long list of schools that included Texas, Alabama, SMU and Oregon.
"I developed a strong relationship with all the coaches, [assistant] coach [Ben] Johnson and [head] coach [Richard] Pitino," Coffey said at a news conference. "I believe in the coaching staff and the players they have there now."
Ranked No. 33 in the 2016 class, Coffey missed the spring and summer AAU circuit after tearing his ACL back in December. As a rising junior, though, Coffey averaged 9.3 points and shot 42.5 percent from 3-point range on the Nike EYBL circuit with the Howard Pulley Panthers.
Coffey is the second commitment for Minnesota in the 2016 class, joining fellow in-state recruit Michael Hurt. The Golden Gophers also have two transfers sitting out the upcoming season in Reggie Lynch (Illinois State) and Davonte Fitzgerald (Texas A&M).
"It just felt right," Coffey said. "It felt like I was supposed to be there and it felt like home." Coffey's father, Richard, played basketball at Minnesota and for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA.
"I never pushed Minnesota on him because I played there," Richard Coffey told ESPN's Reggie Rankin. "Minnesota assistant coach Ben Johnson did a great job recruiting Amir and he took a liking to Ben. He also bought into what Coach Pitino told him about them forming not only a strong relationship but a partnership. The players made him feel like part of the team. Amir knew them -- they played pickup ball together."
"It means a lot," Amir Coffey said. "Now that I'm actually going to the Gophers, it'll be cool to follow in his footsteps."
This marks the second straight year Minnesota has been able to keep the top high school player in the state. Four-star point guard Jarvis Johnson made the decision last year, although he wasn't medically cleared to play at Minnesota due to a heart condition. Back in 2014 -- Pitino's first full year in the program -- Tyus Jones (Duke), Rashad Vaughn (UNLV) and Reid Travis (Stanford) all left the state.
Minnesota has one scholarship remaining in the 2016 class, and it hopes to land Arkansas native Eric Curry. The 6-foot-7 forward is expected to choose soon between the Gophers, Iowa State and Arkansas.
