So Richard Pitino is just Giving Up on In-State Recruits Now?

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The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Richard Pitino have missed out on yet another in-state recruit. This time Stewartville High School standout Will Tschetter announced his plan to leave the state Monday morning.

Tschetter, who led the whole state of Minnesota in points per game with an eye-popping 34.4 points, committed to the Juwan Howard-led Michigan Wolverines. 

Tschetter started picking up offers from across the country. According to 247Sports.com, Tschetter first received offers from North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, Loyola Chicago, Colorado State and South Dakota all on April 7th. Arkansas was the first Power 5 who offered the 6-foot-8 forward on May 27th. Then Minnesota, Michigan and Nebraska all offered on June 1st. But according to Darren Wolfson, it sounds like after Minnesota offered Tschetter, Pitino and Co. just stopped pursuing him. 

In-State Struggles Continue

If you’ve been paying attention to the recruiting scene in Minnesota the past few years, Tschetter’s commitment to Michigan will come as no surprise. Not only have the Gophers missed out on 5-stars like Tre Jones (Duke), Matthew Hurt (Duke), Dawson Garcia (Marquette), and Jalen Suggs (Gonzaga). That is just the beginning of the list. They have also missed out on 4-stars players like Tyrell Terry (Stanford), Nate Reuvers (Wisconsin), Kerwin Walton (North Carolina) and Jericho Sims (Texas) just to name a few.

Now, Pitino did manage to snag Daniel Oturu, Gabe Kalscheur and Jarvis Omersa in the 2018 class. But aside from that, there have been almost no Minnesotans that commit to their home-state school.

I know it’s hard to turn down Juwan Howard; he was a member of the Fab Five, played in the NBA for 19 years (including an All-Star appearance in 1996) and won two NBA championships with the Miami Heat. But you can add Tschetter to the list of players that should’ve never left the state. 

Then again, maybe it didn’t matter who Minnesota’s coach was. Based on this quote from Tschetter, that certainly feels like the case.

“I feel like it’s kind of the big thing with Minnesota kids where everyone obviously wants them to stay at the hometown school, but I’m open to leaving the state, for sure. I really like Michigan’s coaching staff. It’s a bunch of great basketball minds and good people. I like everything they have to offer. They have great academics, great facilities, good academic support. Just kind of the whole thing is pretty attractive when you look at it.”

Will Tschetter

According to 247Sports Composite Rankings, Tschetter is ranked as the No. 149 overall prospect in the 2021 class and the No. 28 overall prospect at the power forward position. 

Silver Lining?

The news of Tschetter moving on may be softened slightly by the fact that the Gophers were listed among the top 7 schools for Chet Holmgren. Some even went as far as to list the Gophers as his top choice. That remains to be seen, but Holmgren would be a massive addition for Richard Pitino. But if Pitino’s track record has taught us anything, don’t get your hopes up.

Other Recruiting News and Notes

Sean Pedulla

  • Minnesota recently offered Sean Pedulla, a 2021 guard from Edmond, Oklahoma. This is Pedulla’s first Power-5 offer. Pedulla is regarded as one of the best shooters in the class of 2021 and had a strong showing at a recent Nike EYBL event, scoring 31 points. Pedulla has also received offers from Wofford, Texas State, Tulsa, among others.

Skyy Clark

  • 5-Star 2021 guard Skyy Clark recently talked with 247Sports on his ongoing recruitment. Clark, who was born in Minnesota and whose mother is originally from Willmar, received an offer from Minnesota on June 15th. Ranked 18th in 247sports Composite rankings, Clark also has received offers North Carolina, Kentucky, Arizona, among others. Below is a quote from Clark on Minnesota: 

“(Minnesota’s) where I’m from, that’s where I was born so playing for my hometown would be a great thing for me.”

Skyy Clark via 247 Sports

Tre Holloman

  • 2022 Cretin-Derham Hall guard Tre Holloman also recently spoke with 247Sports. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 11 points, 9.2 assists, 2.7 steals and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 44.4% from the field and 37.2% from deep his sophomore season. He is ranked as the 88th overall prospect in his class according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Holloman has also received offers from Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Baylor, among others. In addition to saying that Minnesota has been in active contact with him, he also had this to say about Minnesota:

“Minnesota has been calling and texting me. Their message is that I can do something special by staying close to home and being the leader of the program.”

Tre Holloman via 247 Sports

Kendall Brown

  • 5-Star 2021 guard/forward Kendall Brown, the former East Ridge star who now attends Sunrise Christian Academy, updated his ongoing recruitment with 247Sports. Ranked 14th overall in 247Sports Composite Rankings, the 6-foot-8 recruit is considering Minnesota, Marquette, Kansas, Ohio State, Virginia, among others. Below are two quotes updating his recruitment, one from this week via 247Sports and the other from last month via the Star Tribune.

“That is my hometown school. It would be awesome to play in front of friends and family. They tell me that I could accomplish anything at home, and that I could be the face of the program.”

Kendall Brown via 247 Sports

“[Minnesota] told me I would be like a big guard who could initiate the offense for them,” Brown said. “Just use my passing ability as an advantage and everything. [Pitino] has been recruiting me a lot recently … That means a lot being from here and the love they are showing me right now.”

Kendall Brown via the Star Tribune

Carson Ruen | Minnesota Sports Fan

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