Gophers newest recruit Jayden Henley brings out comparison to Amir Coffey

Only 44 miles separate Crypto.com Arena from Colony High in Ontario, Calif., but Jaden Henley hadn't known much about Los Angeles Clippers guard Amir Coffey until being recruited by the Gophers.

His future coach Ben Johnson told the 6-7 Colony senior and newly signed Minnesota recruit there were similarities between Henley's game and Coffey's with the Gophers.

"The sky's the limit with Jaden," Johnson said after Henley signed on Wednesday. "What stood out to us when we recruited him was his size, length and versatility."

Both Coffey and Henley are taller guards (nearly 6-8) who have the ability to put pressure on defenses off pick-and-rolls with their facilitating, outside shooting, and athleticism to finish at the rim.

"Amir Coffey has been hooping," Henley said about this season. "I haven't seen him much [in person], but I know he can hoop and is getting real comfortable in the league."

Henley's dream is to play in the NBA, but he came a long way to just sign with a high major program this week.

In November, the Gophers were only the second Division I school to offer a scholarship to the under-the-radar West Coast talent, joining San Diego State. Henley committed to the U in December.

"It feels amazing," Henley said about finally signing Wednesday. "This is something I've been looking forward to since I was a kid."

Coffey, who lost to the Timberwolves on Tuesday night in the NBA's play-in game at Target Center, averaged a career-high 9.0 points in his third season for the Clippers, which included a 35-point, 13-rebound, five-assist game to end the regular season.

The former Hopkins standout was once a 6-7 freshman who was able to make an impact on an NCAA tournament team with the Gophers in 2017. He eventually honed his all-around game to become an All-Big Ten player as a junior before declaring for the draft.

"I feel like that's kind of where the game is going to play position-less basketball," said Coffey, who hopes Henley can follow in his footsteps. "Guys who can play 1-4 and can guard different positions and be multi-purpose guys. It just adds to your team, if you can do different things in the lineup."

Henley, who was recruited by Gophers assistant and California native Marcus Jenkins, averaged 17.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.5 steals and led Colony to a 25-3 record and berth in the CIF Division I state quarterfinals this year.

After making Henley's inked letter of intent official at the start of the early signing period Wednesday, Johnson talked about his newest recruit's potential.

"We're really excited about Jaden and think he's got a big future ahead of him," Johnson said in a statement. "The sky's the limit with Jaden. He can dribble, pass and shoot. Colony's Jerry De Fabiis, Team Inland's Coach Koolaide, and his family did an unbelievable job with his growth and development. We are excited about his future here."

Henley's signing officially adds to Minnesota's 2022 recruiting class that includes Pharrel Payne (Park Cottage Grove), Braeden Carrington (Park Center), and Joshua Ola-Joseph (Arizona Compass Prep).