Highly touted Wisconsin recruit Amari Allen has official visit with Gophers on Thursday

Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson will kick off the first big recruiting week of the fall by hosting four-star Wisconsin guard Amari Allen and others starting Thursday.

Allen, a 6-7, 195-pound senior at Ashwaubenon High School near Green Bay, narrowed his list to six schools, including rival Wisconsin. The Gophers have been as persistent as any program recruiting Allen since he played at IMG Academy in Florida as a sophomore.

Joining Allen to watch Thursday’s Gophers football opener against North Carolina will be 6-11 Cretin-Derham Hall senior Tommy Ahneman, who will be on an unofficial visit.

“I’m just excited to be able to get on campus in Minnesota,” Allen told the Star Tribune. “It’s kind of close to home, so it’s not that hard to travel. Being able to see the atmosphere at the football game vs. North Carolina should be good.”

The Gophers coaching staff followed Allen closely this summer playing for the Wisconsin-based Power Five AAU program on the Adidas circuit. They haven’t missed one of Allen’s games during the live period.

“That definitely means a lot,” Allen said. “There was more than one coach at every single game [in the July recruiting period]. They’ve made it known I’m a priority for them and have put in the effort to see me play.”

In the Class of 2025, Allen is ranked No. 52 nationally by Rivals, No. 53 by Prep Hoops and No. 98 by 247Sports’ composite ranking. His other official visits scheduled are Alabama (Aug. 31), Nevada (Sept. 2), Mississippi State (Sept. 7), Wisconsin (Sept. 14) and Central Florida (Sept. 28).

Allen plans to announce his college decision at least a month before the early signing period in November.

“That latest I’d make it is probably early October,” he said. “I will definitely be committed before then. I get to go to six different schools who have been recruiting me the hardest out of all my offers. Just being able to see what they can all provide and what it’s like on campus.”

In June, Allen made an unofficial visit to watch Minnesota’s summer practice and tour facilities. He’s a combo guard with the size, athleticism and playmaking ability to make an immediate impact in college.

The Gophers compared his potential to recent 6-6 freshman guard Cam Christie, who was selected in this summer’s NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

“They brought up the Cam situation a lot,” Allen said earlier. “We’re both bigger guards. They let him play as a true freshman. He played around 30 minutes a game, so they let him play through mistakes. They’re saying I would be able to learn by being thrown into the fire. Just being able to develop in games.”