Amir Coffey is going to stay in-state, announcing his decision to commit to play basketball at the University of Minnesota.
A small forward from Minnetonka, Minn., Coffey ranks 33rd overall on the 2016 ESPN 100 and is the top recruit from the state. The four-star prospect also ranks within the top 10 for players at his position.
According to ESPN, Coffey announced his decision at a press conference Monday, citing a certain level of comfortability with the Golden Gophers' coaching staff and with his home state.
"I developed a strong relationship with all the coaches, [assistant] coach [Ben] Johnson and [head] coach [Richard] Pitino," he told reporters. "I believe in the coaching staff and the players they have there now."
247 Sports gave Coffey a 0.9803 composite score and also ranked him tops among 2016 high school prospects in Minnesota. However, 247 Sports categorized Coffey as a shooting guard and ranked him 45th overall in the class.
Coffey was reportedly considering offers from a host of Big Ten schools like Iowa State, Michigan State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, as well as major national programs like Arizona, Texas, SMU, Oregon, and Alabama. Still, he indicated playing close to home was important for him.
"It just felt right," Coffey said. "It felt like I was supposed to be there and it felt like home."
His father, Richard, also played basketball at Minnesota and then went on to play in the NBA for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He told ESPN he did not try to influence his son's decision.
"I never pushed Minnesota on him because I played there," Richard Coffey said. "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."
