MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota signed three prep basketball stars Wednesday to add to its 2016-17 top-20 recruiting class.
Guard Amir Coffey (Hopkins, Minn./Hopkins HS), forward Eric Curry (Little Rock, Ark./Southwest Christian Academy) and guard/forward Michael Hurt (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall HS) signed their National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.
The trio highlights a class ranked 17th according to 247Sports and 20th in the nation according to Scout.com. Both publications have the Gophers' class rated third in the Big Ten. It also marks head coach Richard Pitino's highest-rated recruiting class to date, according to the U of M.
"The signing of these three student-athletes represents another step in the growth of our program," Pitino said. "In Amir and Michael, we have the two best prospects in our state staying home to help us in our pursuit to win a championship, while Eric's signing shows that we have as much to offer as any program in the country. We look forward to having them represent our University both on and off the court."
Coffey, whose father Richard played for the Gophers from 1986-90, is a consensus top-50 player in the nation and four-star prospect. The 6'7" guard will be the highest rated recruit to suit up for the Gophers since Kris Humphries in 2003, according to the U of M.
Curry, at 6'8", is also rated a four-star prospect and a top-100 player. Gophers basketball says Curry helped lead the Lions to the 2014 NACA Division 4 National Championship, and this past season, averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds for Southwest Christian.
The 6'6" Hurt will join the Gophers after starring at John Marshall, averaging 20.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season with the Rockets, all team highs. He is among the top 150 prospects nationally, and received multiple Big Ten offers, according to the U of M.
Minnesota opens its 2015-16 season on Friday.
