Minnesota Men’s Basketball Recruits Visiting Thursday

Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday night is a big night for the Golden Gophers’ football team, with No. 2 TCU coming to town in the nationally-televised season opener. But Thursday is also looking like a big day for the Minnesota men’s basketball team and head coach Richard Pitino, with class of 2016 targets Amir Coffey and Eric Curry coming in for official visits.

Coffey is a local product out of Hopkins and his father, Richard, played for the Gophers from 1986-1990. The 6’7″ guard is Minnesota’s top senior prospect, and obviously a top priority for Pitino, but Baylor, Marquette, Michigan, Miami and Texas are also known to be recruiting him right now. Texas, and new coach Shaka Smart, will have Coffey in for a visit on Sept. 18.

Curry is out of Southwest Christian Academy in Arkansas, and he told Gopher Illustrated.com over the summer that he thinks Pitino’s up-tempo system fits him well. Arkansas and SMU also have visits lined up with Curry later this month.

Coffey and Curry are both among Rivals.com’s top-150 recruits in the country, as four-star and three-star prospects respectively, so getting a commitment from either or both would be a big deal for Pitino and his staff.

With an ESPN audience against a highly-regarded team, the University of Minnesota will get a chance to put it’s best foot forward at TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday night with Coffey and Curry in attendance. Win or lose, getting a glimpse of the campus atmosphere should work to the Gophers’ advantage as two of Pitino’s top targets continue on the recruiting trail.