Gophers' prized recruit Dennis Evans changes his mind, asks for release

The Gophers men's basketball program's highest-ranked recruit in 20 years likely isn't coming to Minnesota after all.

Dennis Evans III, the five-star, 7-foot senior from California, informed the Gophers earlier this week he wanted to be released from his signed letter of intent, sources told the Star Tribune.

The official request was submitted Friday, and the Gophers are likely to grant it, according to sources. Gophers coach Ben Johnson declined to comment on Evans' request Friday.

"I'm going to always make decisions to put our program in a position to be successful," Johnson told the Star Tribune, speaking generally. "I'm going to consume myself with the players who are here in this locker room and give them everything I have."

Evans, a senior at Riverside Hillcrest, declined to comment about the decision to request a release. But he deleted two Gophers posts from his Instagram page, including his announcement video when he committed in October.

When Evans signed with Johnson in November, he became the first top-15 nationally ranked recruit landed by the U since former NBA forward Kris Humphries in 2003.

The Gophers (7-19, 1-15 Big Ten), who play Saturday at Nebraska, are on an 11-game losing streak after Wednesday's 88-70 loss at Maryland.

It's common in recruiting for players to commit to a school and then "decommit," landing somewhere else. It is rare for a player to sign a national letter of intent — as Evans did on Nov. 9 — and then seek his release.

That happens most often when there's a coaching change. Notre Dame, for example, granted a release for four-star guard Parker Friedrichsen after longtime Irish coach Mike Brey announced this is his last season. Friedrichsen committed Monday to Wake Forest.

Minnesota's current 11-game losing streak didn't appear to be the determining factor for Evans, who picked the Gophers last fall over Texas Christian. People close to Evans told the Star Tribune that he and his family had been thinking for a while that the Gophers might not be the right fit after watching this season.

Evans had a good relationship with Johnson, from all accounts, but the star center contacted the Gophers on Tuesday night to tell them he wanted to be released from his letter of intent.

Johnson and Gophers assistant Marcus Jenkins traveled to California to watch Evans play on Feb. 10. Johnson spoke to Evans and his family about the state of the Gophers program. Evans' senior season ended in Hillcrest's 77-75 playoff loss on Feb. 14.

The 7-1 Evans averaged nearly 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks this season. He was ranked as nation's No. 2 center and 11th player overall in the Class of 2023 by Rivals.com, and No. 18 by 247Sports.com. He's also been called arguably the top shot blocker in high school.

Evans, who also had an offer from Kansas, first got on the Gophers' radar because of assistant Jenkins' strong ties to California. U freshman guard Jaden Henley, who had 14 points Wednesday at Maryland, played with Evans on the same California Inland AAU program coached by Elvert "Kool-Aid" Perry.

The Gophers' 2023 class was highly touted once Evans committed in mid-October, joining four-star Rolling Meadows guard Cameron Christie, a candidate for Illinois Mr. Basketball. Johnson saw Christie play last month and they shared excitement about him joining the U program next season. Evans had a different feeling.

To get released, a player starts by submitting an online request on the National Letter of Intent (NLI) web site. Athletes under 21 need a parent or legal guardian to acknowledge the request, which is then sent to the institution. The school has a 30-day deadline to decide on the release.

But there's an appeal process through the NLI committee if the institution doesn't release the athlete from the letter of intent. Athletes who aren't released and decide to play for another NCAA school will lose a year of eligibility.

Without Evans, Johnson's program still should return talent in the frontcourt. The U's top two scorers, Dawson Garcia and Jamison Battle, have eligibility remaining. Junior forwards Parker Fox and Isaiah Ihnen are recovering from season-ending knee injuries.

Freshman forwards Pharrel Payne, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Kadyn Betts have high upside for the Gophers as well. Payne led the Gophers with 17 points in Wednesday's loss at Maryland. The 6-9 Cottage Grove native had a season-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists last weekend vs. Penn State.

But the loss of Evans in the Gophers' 2023 class is potentially the biggest recruiting blow since former Hopkins star Royce White left the program because of off-court issues in 2009. He never played for Tubby Smith before transferring to Iowa State.