Former Farmington star Sophie Hart will transfer to Gophers women's basketball team

Former Farmington star center Sophie Hart will transfer from North Carolina State to the Gophers women's basketball team.

Hart announced her decision on social media Thursday night.

Hart had been in the NCAA's transfer portal since November. After sifting through a handful of high-profile offers, she settled on Minnesota in large part because of her comfort level with Gophers coach Lindsay Whalen.

"I feel she has a vision for me,'' Hart said. "I felt confident in her, that she feels confident in me. That was something I was really looking for when I went looking for a new school.''

The 6-5 Hart was ranked 64th in the country by ESPN and 34th by prospectsnation.com coming out of Farmington in 2021, where she scored more than 1,000 points and grabbed more than 1,000 rebounds in her high school career. Though Minnesota was among her finalists at that time, Hart chose North Carolina State. She played sparingly as a freshman on a team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight before losing to Connecticut in a regional final. After scoring 10 points in five appearances this season Hart announced her decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal.

Because she appeared in those five games, Hart will not be able to play for the Gophers this season. Once she is formally accepted into school she will be able to practice with the team. She comes with at least two years of eligibility remaining. But it could grow to three. Hart is expected to file for a waiver from the NCAA.

There is a built-in comfort level. Hart played with current Gophers player Maggie Czinano in AAU ball with the Minnesota Fury and played against Gophers guard Katie Borowicz in high school. She either knows or knows of just about all of the Minnesotans on the Gophers roster.

"It felt natural,'' Hart said of her visit with the Gophers. "When I went into the portal we started to scout out teams. They know how I play. It made me feel confident I'd be able to mesh with them.''

She becomes another highly rated Minnesota native to join the Gophers. Whalen's 2021 recruiting class included four players ranked in the top 100 prospects by various outlets in Mara Braun, Amaya Battle, Mallory Heyer and Nia Holloway. The class was ranked as high as 10th in the nation by ESPN. Braun, Battle and Heyer are starting; Holloway is out this season recovering from a knee injury.

In the end, Hart's comfort level paired with the opportunity to play close to home sealed the deal.

She will add much-needed depth in the post. Currently, Minnesota starts sophomore Rose Micheaux at center, with senior Destinee Oberg, a Minnesota native who transferred in from Arkansas this year, backing her up. Junior college transfer Aminata Zie, who was expected to get rotation minutes in the post, is out this season with a leg injury.

Hart will start getting to know her teammates on the court soon. She said she's looking forward to having the time to learn a new team and its system, while also working on individual skills and strength training. The goal is to be a big part of the team's rotation next season.

"I have to do my due diligence,'' Hart said. "Work hard. Nothing is given to you. But Whalen felt confident in me and my abilities. If I keep working hard I'll see the court.''