Richard Pitino got its man Monday afternoon.
When Tray Jackson announced Monday afternoon that he is going to attend the University of Minnesota, Pitino not only got the best fit for his program, he answered the program's biggest need once the 2018-19 season concludes.
"Jordan Murphy is one of the top producing forwards in America and is primed to complete his college career this season, so a talented forward is a must in the 2019 class for the Gophers, " Corey Evans wrote just a few days back when assessing the Gophers' recruiting needs.
He also added that Jackson is an "attainable" prospect for Pitino.
That pretty well summed up Jackson's importance for the Gophers. Add to that how two recent recruits who were scheduled to visit got away, the pressure was on the staff to get a pledge from the four-star power forward.
Pitino, Kyle Lindsted, and the rest of the coaching staff delivered over the weekend.
The thought among the staff members was there is an incredible amount of positives to show around campus. Once the visits started lining up, it would be hard for a recruit to say no. Not only is there a great city, a beautiful campus, and a revered basketball arena to show off, the administration has poured money into brand new state of the art athletic facilities.
Combine that with Lindsted's familiarity with the Sunrise Christian basketball program, and it was not a huge surprise that Jackson committed within 24 hours of returning home from the past weekend's official visit.
Sunrise's Head Coach, Luke Barnwell, spoke with us a few weeks back and went into detail about his Jackson's game and recruitment.
"He has a great body, and is a great athlete. He is only 17 years old too. Tray competes at a high level. He has a very high ceiling. We are excited to have him here, " Barnwell told The Gopher Report.
Rivals' Eric Bossi lives in Kansas City and saw a lot of Jackson. He gave a ringing endorsement of the versatile forward.
"The 6-foot-8 combo forward was at times sensational but most of all he was steady and versatile. Jackson defended in the post, he defended on the wing. He hit jump shots, he attacked off the dribble and he played all over the floor. Basically, he looked like that new age positionless basketball player that everybody wants."
Barnwell and Bossi agree that Jackson can play both the three and four, but as his skills improve, he could make a natural move to the perimeter.
Jackson had taken other official visits to Oklahoma and Seton Hall, but Barnwell told us recently that it was Xavier who was sticking out along with the Gophers. Missouri was also fighting to get an official visit.
The Michigan native was ranked No. 105 in Rivals' most recent rankings that came out in July. New ones will be coming out tomorrow, so it will be interesting if he can climb any higher, seeing that he is on the periphery of getting into the Top 100.
We will have more on this exciting commitment within the next few hours on The Gopher Report.
When Tray Jackson announced Monday afternoon that he is going to attend the University of Minnesota, Pitino not only got the best fit for his program, he answered the program's biggest need once the 2018-19 season concludes.
"Jordan Murphy is one of the top producing forwards in America and is primed to complete his college career this season, so a talented forward is a must in the 2019 class for the Gophers, " Corey Evans wrote just a few days back when assessing the Gophers' recruiting needs.
He also added that Jackson is an "attainable" prospect for Pitino.
That pretty well summed up Jackson's importance for the Gophers. Add to that how two recent recruits who were scheduled to visit got away, the pressure was on the staff to get a pledge from the four-star power forward.
Pitino, Kyle Lindsted, and the rest of the coaching staff delivered over the weekend.
The thought among the staff members was there is an incredible amount of positives to show around campus. Once the visits started lining up, it would be hard for a recruit to say no. Not only is there a great city, a beautiful campus, and a revered basketball arena to show off, the administration has poured money into brand new state of the art athletic facilities.
Combine that with Lindsted's familiarity with the Sunrise Christian basketball program, and it was not a huge surprise that Jackson committed within 24 hours of returning home from the past weekend's official visit.
Sunrise's Head Coach, Luke Barnwell, spoke with us a few weeks back and went into detail about his Jackson's game and recruitment.
"He has a great body, and is a great athlete. He is only 17 years old too. Tray competes at a high level. He has a very high ceiling. We are excited to have him here, " Barnwell told The Gopher Report.
Rivals' Eric Bossi lives in Kansas City and saw a lot of Jackson. He gave a ringing endorsement of the versatile forward.
"The 6-foot-8 combo forward was at times sensational but most of all he was steady and versatile. Jackson defended in the post, he defended on the wing. He hit jump shots, he attacked off the dribble and he played all over the floor. Basically, he looked like that new age positionless basketball player that everybody wants."
Barnwell and Bossi agree that Jackson can play both the three and four, but as his skills improve, he could make a natural move to the perimeter.
Jackson had taken other official visits to Oklahoma and Seton Hall, but Barnwell told us recently that it was Xavier who was sticking out along with the Gophers. Missouri was also fighting to get an official visit.
The Michigan native was ranked No. 105 in Rivals' most recent rankings that came out in July. New ones will be coming out tomorrow, so it will be interesting if he can climb any higher, seeing that he is on the periphery of getting into the Top 100.
We will have more on this exciting commitment within the next few hours on The Gopher Report.
