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Royce White might attract more talent
The 6-foot-7 junior forward, who now attends basketball-powerhouse Hopkins after being dismissed from De La Salle during the winter, has raised the U's profile with at least one other elite recruit from Minnesota.
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Good things could come in twos for the Gophers men's basketball team after Royce White's decision to commit verbally to Minnesota. Rodney Williams, the state's other top junior, said Wednesday that his AAU teammate's decision has moved the Gophers up on his personal list.
But Williams, who led Cooper to the state Class 4A tournament this winter, said he'll continue to look at other schools this summer. Williams, considered one of the nation's top recruits, is also drawing interest from Wisconsin, Arizona, Illinois, Kansas and Purdue.
"[White's verbal commitment] makes it more of a top school," Williams, a 6-foot-4 guard, said of Minnesota.
White said he's going to do his best to lure Williams to Minnesota. Both players will be freshman during the 2009-10 season.
Landing both White and Williams would accomplish two goals that past Gophers coaches have struggled with: keeping the state's best players home and getting them early.
"I'm definitely going to try to persuade him to come here," White, a 6-7 forward, said.
White, the former De La Salle star who now attends Hopkins, called Gophers coach Tubby Smith on Wednesday morning to verbally commit. White, considered a top 50 national recruit, had also attracted interest from UCLA, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Arkansas.
White said Minnesota's proximity to home, his familiarity with the program and Smith's coaching were all big factors for him.
"I believed just the fact that Coach Smith is probably one of the best coaches," he said.
White's collegiate future appeared up in the air this winter after he was dismissed from De La Salle. He admitted Wednesday that an "academic mistake" led to his transfer to Hopkins. White did not elaborate, but he said it was a learning experience that jeopardized his basketball career.
It didn't help that Minnesota is less than 10 years removed from a massive academic scandal under former coach Clem Haskins that led to harsh NCAA penalties.
"Any time you make a mistake, it can always hurt your future," White said. "I don't want to do anything to hurt my future academically or basketball-wise."
White said he talked to Gophers coaches about academics and vowed to balance his life on and off the court.
"They always tell me you've got to work on academics, you've got to work hard in the classroom," he said.
Gophers officials can't comment about verbal commitments until they officially sign, but Athletic Director Joel Maturi said he's confident that Minnesota's admissions office will not accept any athlete that doesn't meet its requirements. He said academic counseling is available for those who need it.
"If they do their part and they take advantage of the opportunities given to them, they can walk out of here with their degree," Maturi said.
Meanwhile, the Gophers were playing host to Champaign, Ill., prep point guard Verdell Jones III, Wednesday. Jones has plans to visit Arizona and Virginia in the next two weeks, but he was considering the possibility of committing to the Gophers on Wednesday, according to his father, Verdell Jones Jr.
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