Brian Flinn:
Future150 National Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
Hopkins, MN (Future150) -- Richard Pitino is considered to be one of the nation's top young coaches and on Monday he proved he has the skills to be worthy of that title. After being hired in the spring of 2014 and having to rush to recruit the state's best prospects in a two month span, the recruiting game has been a bit of battle for Pitino.
A talented 2015 group lost two members of it's class before they set foot on campus. Still, they landed three top-150 prospects in SG Dupree McBrayer, SF Jordan Murphy, and PG Kevin Dorsey. Throw in 3-star wing Ahmad Gilbert into the mix, and it's a decent foundation to build on.
A number of talented prospects have begun to emerge from the state of Minnesota, and it's important that Pitino lock the state down if he wants to have sustained success. On Monday he did just that, landing Amir Coffey, the state's top player.
A top-50 prospect nationally, Coffey is the biggest recruit Pitino has landed since becoming the head man for the Gophers. With one more scholarship left in 2016, they will hope to land either Shamorie Ponds or Bruce Brown, both of which are top 50 prospects in their own right.
Landing either Ponds or Brown probably bumps up the timeline for Pitino's rebuild, but Coffey is the most important piece in this class. Not only is he the best player in the state, but he has the size and skill to be a star in the B1G. With in-state high-major prospects in each of the next three recruiting classes, Coffey committing to the Gophers is massive. Pitino and company are hoping that it is the start of a trend, and they can get the program trending upwards sooner rather than later.
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