Gophers Basketball Signs 3 To 2016 Class
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The University of Minnesota men's basketball program signed three players to its 2016 class on Wednesday, coach Richard Pitino announced.
The class is highlighted by Hopkins senior guard Amir Coffey, one of the top 50 players in the country. The Gophers also signed forward Eric Curry and guard/forward Michael Hurt out of Rochester John Marshall Wednesday to national Letters of Intent.
The 2016 class is Pitino's highest-rated class as he enters his third season as Gophers head coach. Recruiting services have the class of Hurt, Coffey and Curry ranked between 17th and 20th nationally and third among Big Ten teams.
Coffey is the son of former Gophers star Richard Coffey. Amir Coffey is a consensus top-50 player who missed most of last scene with a torn ACL. He's the highest rated local recruit to stay in Minnesota since Kris Humphries in 2003.
Curry is a 6 foot, 8 inch forward and is a top-100 prospect. He led his team in Arkansas last year with 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Hurt is a left-handed shooter who averaged 20.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season with Rochester John Marshall. He is a top-150 prospect nationally.
Those three, along with transfers Davonte Fitzgerald and Reggie Lynch, will be eligible for the 2016-17 season.