per Marcus:
With as big of a turnaround as the Gophers basketball team has made so far this season, four-star Cretin-Derham Hall big man Daniel Oturu couldn't wait any longer to make it official that he wanted to stay home.
Oturu, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound junior, announced Thursday afternoon he will play for the Gophers. The commitment came in front of fellow students, friends and family at his high school gym.
A surprising 15-4 start for Minnesota coach Richard Pitino's team paid dividends with him landing his most high-profile local recruit since signing former Hopkins star Amir Coffey last year.
"It's a big deal," said Rene Pulley, founder of Howard Pulley, Oturu's AAU team. "He kind of knew he wanted to stay home. He wanted his family to see him play. He didn't want to leave."
Oturu is ranked No. 1 in the state's junior class by ESPN.com. He's ranked 76th nationally in 2018 by Rivals.com, 66th by Scout.com and 78th by 247Sports.com.
Oturu picked Minnesota after receiving scholarship offers from schools such as Kansas, Texas, Baylor, Nebraska, Georgia Tech and Memphis.
Pitino signed Coffey and Michael Hurt from Rochester John Marshall in Minnesota's 2016 class. The Gophers failed to land any local prospects in a loaded 2017 class, but Pitino could have up to five scholarships available for a 2018 group that is just as talented at the top.
Minnesota also offered Apple Valley's Tre Jones, Armstrong's Race Thompson and DeLaSalle's Gabe Kalscheur. Jones, Thompson and Oturu are the top three players in the state's junior class and consensus top 100 prospects in the country.
"I think getting Daniel helps the Gophers a lot," Pulley said. "The Gophers have gone after hometown kids, but they just weren't fortunate enough to get them all — some of the best ones. Maybe now that will change."
http://www.startribune.com/richard-...daniel-oturu-of-cretin-derham-hall/411244465/
Go Gophers!!