Gophers basketball recruit Isaac Asuma will play football and baseball as a senior, too

College basketball coaches including the Gophers' Ben Johnson flocked to Cherry, Minn., football games last year to recruit Isaac Asuma, a standout point guard with the athletic ability that helped him dominate in more than one sport.

The 6-3, 185-pound point guard committed in March to play basketball for the Gophers, but he was also a standout wide receiver and running back for the Tigers' 9-man football team on the Iron Range.

Asuma thought about saying goodbye to the gridiron this year. His future college hoops coach encouraged him, though, to keep playing multiple sports like he had in high school.

"I'll never play football again after this year," Asuma said on his decision to play again. "It's my last chance."

Johnson was a Division I prospect in basketball and football at DeLaSalle. Asuma will finish his senior year at Cherry as a three-sport star athlete: football, basketball and baseball.

"[Johnson] talked about how much he loved football in high school," Asuma said. "He was always encouraging me to play football since it was something different."

Cherry opens its football season Thursday. Last fall, Johnson and Gophers assistant Dave Thorson made the three-hour drive from the Twin Cities to watch some of Asuma's football games. A member of Iowa State's basketball staff also showed up in the home crowd.

"There were many Friday nights when we were talking to [basketball] coaches before games," Cherry football coach Jason Marsh said. "I can see why they were making the trip. He has the athletic ability, but it's those intangibles and personality traits that make him really that much more desirable as a top prospect."

Asuma jokingly said his decision to play football again last month came only after his father thought his son made up his mind, asking what type of cleats he wanted for the season.

"I was leaning towards playing at that point," Asuma said. "By the first week of football practice I was locked in and ready to go."

Thrilled to have his top playmaker back, Marsh saw growth in Asuma's toughness for the game after not playing football in the eighth and ninth grades. Asuma led the Tigers in receiving and all-purpose yards last season as a junior.

"It was fun to watch him become a stronger and more physical player on the football field," Marsh said. "Everyone knows basketball's Ike's No. 1 sport. If he hadn't communicated that I'm sure he'd be getting football looks and people recruiting him heavily. He could be an excellent college receiver. He runs great routes and has such great leaping ability."

Asuma made two touchdowns catches to help Cherry advance to the Section 7A title game, included a 63-yarder. But his favorite play last season was a one-handed 40-yard sideline grab on third down in front of a packed crowd at rival Mountain Iron-Buhl. Cherry's 8-2 record last year came with both losses to Iron-Buhl, the eventual state champions.

"The main goal this season is to get past them and get to state," said Asuma, who led Cherry to consecutive state appearances in hoops. "Not caring about individual accolades or anything. We just have to get to state as a team."

Asuma's younger brother, Noah, and cousin, Isaiah, are also on Cherry's varsity football and basketball teams. Noah's main sport is baseball where he's a highly touted shortstop in the 2026 class.

With no AAU basketball next spring, Asuma's prep career will end with him as a starting center fielder. Baseball, not basketball or football, was his first love growing up.

"It was the sport I thought I was going to play in college," he said. "That was my No. 1 [sport] until eighth grade when COVID hit, and then it switched to basketball."