Gophers Basketball Recruiting: Alvin Ellis Commits To Minnesota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers landed their first basketball recruit on Sunday, as athletic wingman Alvin Ellis has committed to play for Tubby Smith, according to the Star Tribune's Amelia Rayno.

Ellis, a 6'4, 185-pound shooting guard/small forward from Chicago, Ill., turned down offers from Kansas State, Northwestern and Wichita State to commit to the Gophers. Ellis is rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.

It didn't take long for Ellis to make a decision, as it came shortly after he made a visit to the University of Minnesota campus over the weekend. Fellow recruits Alex Foster and Tory Miller were part of the visit, as well, but neither player has made a decision as of yet.

Michigan State remains the only Big Ten school without a commitment from a 2013-14 recruit.

For more on the Gophers, be sure to visit The Daily Gopher. And, for additional college hoops coverage, head over to SB Nation's NCAA basketball hub.

Gophers Basketball Recruiting: Tory Miller Ready To Take Trevor Mbakwe's Place

It's that time of year again: NCAA basketball recruiting is starting up again. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are already getting plenty into it, and recently had several unofficial visits over the weekend. Though he didn't visit this weekend, Tory Miller is set to make an official visit this week. It will actually be his first official visit for any school, which is significant given the interest he's garnered.

While he's been looked over by some of the bigger schools, he's got offers from Arkansas and Nebraska. Marcus Fuller of The Pioneer Press had a quote from Miller, in which he talks about potentially replacing the role filled by Trevor Mbakwe:

"I just try to be me, and I hope somebody will base their game off me," he said. "Right now, I can see myself stepping into (Mbakwe's) place and taking over."

Miller is definitely a physical presence on the court, and when Mbakwe looks for greener pastures in the NBA, it could be Miller's time to shine in Minnesota. And as the piece notes, Miller isn't interested in how the Golden Gophers look on the court this season. He'd just be happy to play under coach Tubby Smith, which could be huge for them. Still, there's a lot of recruiting time left and things could change.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

Minnesota Basketball Recruiting Update: Several Unofficial Visits This Past Weekend For Gophers

Though the Minnesota Golden Gophers didn't have any potential recruits in for visits with head coach Tubby Smith this week, there were still plenty of unofficial visits to report. According to Amelia Rayno at the Star Tribune, the Golden Gophers had unofficial visits from two players from the potential 2014 class, one from 2013, one from 2015 and one from 2016.

Basketball coach Tubby Smith didn't have any recruits in on official visits this past weekend, but Minnesota had several unofficial visits including Rashad Vaughn (2014), Henry Ellenson (2015), Ellwood Ellenson(2014), Reggie Lynch (2013) and Amir Coffey (2016).

No word on how the visits went of course, but it's good to see that Minnesota is keeping just as busy as everyone else is. The first recruit listed, Vaughn, is having a busy week. He's had visitors from North Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Louisville.

According to the piece, SF/SF Alvin Ellis (Chicago), F Alex Foster (Chicago) and F Tory Miller (Missouri) are marked down for official visits this coming weekend. It also states that Alex Illikainen did not visit as was originally reported.

For more on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, check out The Daily Gopher. You can also learn more about college basketball around the nation at SB Nation's College Basketball hub.

Cedric Hankerson Says 'Anything Can Happen' After Gophers Visit

Two-star recruit Cedric Hankerson is keeping his options open after his first official visit with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, according to a report from the Pioneer Press. The shooting guard out of Coral Reef High School in Miami has a scholarship offer from Oklahoma State, will visit Boston University on Sept. 14, and says it is "probable" that he will visit Virginia Tech and Pennsylvania.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard was noncommittal in his comments about Minnesota, saying "anything can happen" in regards to his decision and adding:

"I know (the Gophers) play in a great conference with a high level of competition against schools like Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State," Hankerson said. "I wouldn't mind being a part of that."

During his visit Hankerson attended a football game, where he was impressed with the fan atmosphere, and spoke to current Gopher basketball players Andre Hollins and Maverick Ahanmisi as well as head coach Tubby Smith. Smith told Hankerson he envisions the Gophers as a running team, something that would play directly into Hankerson's strengths.

Stick with this StoryStream for more coverage of Gophers basketball recruiting. For all things Minnesota, head over to The Daily Gopher.

Minnesota Chasing Prep Football Star Reid Travis To Play Basketball

Reid Travis is a two-sport star from De La Salle high school in Minneapolis where he is both a promising forward (ranked 31st in the 2014 ESPN 60) and a star QB. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are among the many schools offering Travis a basketball scholarship, but the high school star is undecided on which sport he wants to focus on for his future.

Travis is also receiving interest from top-flight football schools. Alabama and Ohio State have both recently made inquiries about Travis as a potential QB recruit. Travis will play both sports this year and has said that he will make the decision on weather to pursue basketball or football in either the summer or fall of 2013.

For more on Minnesota Gophers basketball, check out The Daily Gopher. For college basketball news and notes from around the country be sure to check out SB Nation's college basketball hub.

Gophers Recruiting: Basketball Team Hosting 3 Players Friday

Three 2013 Minnesota basketball targets will make an official visit to campus this Friday.