Latest Gopher Basketball Commit Re-Opens His Recruitment

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Drew Peterson is a transfer from the Rice Owls, who committed to play for Richard Pitino and the Minnesota Golden Gopher basketball team just last weekend. His commitment was more than welcomed, just hours after local HS star, Kerwin Walton committed to the University of North Carolina, instead of staying home.

I liked the Drew addition a lot. I love how comfortable he is with and without the ball in his hands and the obvious playmaking ability that stems from that. It doesn’t look like he’ll display any of that talent in a Minnesota uniform after all, though…

Now, we have to unpack wtf happened in the last few days. This seems to be a shocker to everyone so all we have are the probable possibilities.

  1. The NCAA committee recommended AGAINST allowing for a one-time transfer rule among all major D1 college athletes. That means Drew would need a waiver to play next season. Does this ruling play into his de-commitment?
  2. If the NCAA recommendation DOES play into his de-commitment, was it Drew’s decision to look elsewhere OR was it Pitino who wanted to make sure he landed someone who would be eligible to play right away?
  3. If the NCAA ruling wasn’t involved in the decision, what caused this sudden change of heart? Has Drew been contacted by greener pastures… OR… has Pitino found a better horse to graze in his pasture?

Those are all questions that immediately come to my mind. The obvious place my head turns to next, is where Richard looks now. Peterson had taken the Gophers last scholarship for next season until this de-commitment. I’d be shocked if Richard doesn’t make sure he lands someone who is absolutely eligible for 2020-21. Marcus Fuller (Star Tribune) has some early steam:

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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