Gophers to compete in Pulley Pro-Am; Tyus Jones also expected to participate

Dec 31, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Top high school recruit Tyus Jones looks on prior to the game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Michigan State Spartans at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The only way to see new and returning Gopher basketball players this summer will be in the Howard Pulley Pro-Am League.

The league runs from June 28 to early August at High Performance Academy in Eagan and will feature all 13 Gopher basketball players expected to be on the roster in the fall, including Eastview prep star Joey King, Malik Smith, Daquein McNeal and Dre Mathieu.

Teams have not been set, but expect Apply Valley phenom Tyus Jones’ Howard Pulley Panthers to compete in the same league this summer. Reid Travis, another top Minnesota recruit, is teammates with Jones and the duo will use the opportunity to prepare for the Nike Peach Jam Championships in July, according to the Pioneer Press.

Practice for the Gophers under new head coach Richard Pitino started on Tuesday at Williams Arena.

• Former Gopher heavyweight wrestler, Ben Berhow, will join the Iowa Hawkeyes as the new volunteer assistant wrestling coach. He has been an administrative assistant in Minnesota for the last two seasons.
• Dave Winfield, a former First-Team All-American and two time All-Big Ten with the Gophers in the 1970s, will serve as the official ambassador for the 2013 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby.

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