Division II All-American Parker Fox will get to prove he can play at a higher level by returning home after he committed Thursday night to play for the Gophers.
"It just felt right," the Mahtomedi native told the Star Tribune. "My heart was there. I just knew it was the spot I wanted to be."
The 6-foot-8 Fox averaged 22.3 points, 9.8 rebounds and national-best 3.5 blocks as a junior last season at Northern State in South Dakota. The same kid with no D-I offers out of high school received nearly 30 calls from schools after entering the transfer portal last month.
Fox picked his home state Gophers over high-major programs such as Ohio State, Creighton, Florida State, Vanderbilt, and Texas Christian.
Here's the video of his announcement:
He called it "unreal" that he'll get to play on the same Williams Arena floor where he helped to sweep during timeouts as a kid. He grew up watching and admiring Gophers players such as Trevor Mbakwe, Rodney Williams Jr., and Andre Hollins.
"I knew that this was my home," Fox said. "And I didn't want to be anywhere else but in Minnesota."
Last season, Fox shot 36% from three-point range and tallied 74 blocks and 80 dunks. His best games were with 39 points and eight blocks vs. Moorhead, and 21 points and 21 rebounds vs. St. Cloud State.
