No luck for the Gophers

There are a number of excellent senior high school basketball players in Minnesota this year. None of them will be attending the University of Minnesota:

A week ago, there was a good chance Champlin Park’s dynamic basketball duo — Theo John and McKinley Wright — were going to be future Gophers teammates.

But Tuesday night at a commitment ceremony at their high school gym, John and Wright both decided to play elsewhere, picking Marquette and Dayton, respectively.

Meanwhile, two others, forward Nathan Reuvers of Lakevile North and guard Brad Davison of Maple Grove, are going to be Badgers. Another player, Jericho Sims of Cristo Rey, is headed for Texas, and the best player in the class, Gary Trent Jr., is not considering the Gophers at all.

Richard Pitino is trying to build a program with kids from outside the state. It might work, but getting hometown kids who can play helps that process along. Not a good scenario if you're a Gopher fan.