The school that made waves in recent years by landing two of the top boys' basketball players from the state got a commitment from a girls' hoops standout.

By Ron Haggstrom

October 4, 2022 at 11:26PM

Ella Hopkins, shown enjoying a moment during the 2022 state tournament, is headed to Gonzaga for college, she said. (Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Gonzaga is now making its presence felt on the Minnesota girls' basketball scene.

Rochester Lourdes 6-3 senior forward/center Ella Hopkins recently gave a verbal commitment to the Bulldogs.

"Thank you to the Gonzaga women's basketball coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a childhood dream," Hopkins said on her Twitter account.

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Hopkins averaged 14 points and seven rebounds per game for the Eagles, who went 21-9 last season and reached the Class 2A tournament. They lost both of their games at the state tournament, where Hopkins averaged 18 points.

Both of her parents, Matt and Kari, graduated from Gonzaga, and her older brother, Jaxon, is currently attending the school.

Gonzaga previously scored big in men's basketball by recruiting Minnesotans. Minnehaha Academy guard Jalen Suggs was ranked in the national top five when he committed to Gonzaga, where he played one season before heading to the NBA's Orlando Magic. A year later, Minnehaha Academy big man Chet Holmgren also chose the Bulldogs. He played there one year before being drafted by Oklahoma City. Holmgren was considered the top recruit in the nation in 2021.

Elsewhere in girls' basketball recruiting for Class of 2023 players:

Tessa Johnson, the highest-ranked Minnesotan among players who will be seniors this season, remains uncommitted. Johnson, a 5-10 guard from St. Michael-Albertville, is ranked 27^th by ESPN. She averaged 21.5 points a game last season after missing her sophomore season because of a broken femur in her left leg.

Three other Minnesotans from ESPN's top 100 in the Class of 2023 have revealed college plans. Nunu Agara of Hopkins, a 5-11 guard ranked 40th, said in October she will attend Stanford. Taylor Woodson, a 6-foot guard from Hopkins ranked 53^rd, plans to attend Michigan. Kennedy Sanders, a 5-8 point guard from Chaska ranked 70th, chose Colorado.

A year further out:

Olivia Olson, a 6-1 Benilde-St. Margaret's guard ranked third by ESPN in the Class of 2024, said in early September that she will attend Michigan. She remains the only player in ESPN's top 40 for that class to have made a commitment.