Blake Hoffarber has a very logical mind and his father is a CPA, so when it came time to sort out the nearly 40 scholarship offers he received from Division I college basketball programs, the Hoffarbers naturally put everything on a spreadsheet. Pluses and minuses, strengths and weaknesses, coaches and locations, academic options and basketball prospects -- everything carefully ranked according to specific criteria, looking for the best fit. And one school eventually stood out as Hoffarber's obvious No. 1 choice.Notre Dame.
Oh well. It was a fun exercise anyway.
"I really thought I'd be at Notre Dame. I was ready to commit. I was going on an official visit, and I planned to give them my [verbal commitment]," the Gophers senior captain said. "And at the last minute, Minnesota called and offered me [a scholarship]. And I knew right away this was where I wanted to be."
From that victory of passion over planning came one of the most notable and unique careers in school history, a four-year journey of incredible highs, painful lows and lots of three-point jumpers, one that gives perhaps its final campus performance Sunday not in South Bend, Ind., but at Williams Arena. Hoffarber can't believe his time at Minnesota is up, can't figure out why the Gophers didn't win more games -- but can't wait for whatever is next, either.
"It's been a great four years, and I'll definitely be a little sad on Sunday," said the 22-year-old senior, whose 1,230 career points rank 18th in Minnesota history. "Playing at Minnesota has been even better than I expected. I've loved every minute of it."
Well, maybe not every minute. Few moments can match the euphoria of his spin-and-flip game-winner to beat Indiana in the Big Ten tournament three years ago, but the disappointment of losing eight times in the past nine games, shredding the promise of what was supposed to be a breakout senior season, has added a note of melancholy to Hoffarber's farewell.
The adjustment won't just be his, however. Hoffarber's parents have attended virtually every game, home and away, of their youngest son's career, making Gophers games a family outing two nights a week. Bruce Hoffarber's job as vice president of market development for an energy company requires plenty of travel, allowing him to build up frequent-flier privileges that the family cashes in for road games.
"People say, 'Oh my gosh, you've given up your life to do this,' and I say, 'Are you kidding?' It's so much fun that we all get to root for one thing," said Shauna Hoffarber, Blake's mother. "I would have been happy no matter where he went, but it's been such a blessing that he's been right here so we can do this."