Cherry guard Isaac Asuma praises Gophers with college choice coming Thursday

Hailing from a town of fewer than 900 people three hours outside of the Twin Cities, Isaac Asuma wasn't that comfortable touring big college campuses.

Still, the talented junior guard from Cherry, Minn., didn't feel the University of Minnesota was too big for him at all on his official visit with the Gophers basketball team earlier in February.

"It was a fun time down there," the state's No. 2 player in the Class of 2024 told the Star Tribune. "It was just a blast."

Asuma's announcement on where he'll play college basketball will come Thursday after Cherry plays Rock Ridge. The Gophers are joined by Butler, Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska and Xavier as high-major teams that offered him a scholarship.

Gophers second-year coach Ben Johnson has seen his program experience major struggles, but that hasn't turned away one of the state's top prospects. Asuma could see himself playing for the home state, especially after being around Johnson's team up close recently.

"I'm seeing where I fit in best at," Asuma said, referring to his college decision. "But I have a great relationship with the staff and Coach Johnson. I believe that they fully trust me and my abilities if I went there."

Asuma and his family sat behind the bench at the Feb. 18 game against Penn State at Williams Arena. It was a six-point loss for the Gophers to the improved Nittany Lions, but Asuma enjoyed watching freshmen getting an opportunity to make an impact. The Barn atmosphere was the best it had been all season with an announced crowd of 11,693.

"I know this season hasn't had a lot of highs with the wins," Asuma said. "But I still know they're playing a bunch of young guys. Some injuries happened they weren't expecting. They can't control the injuries, which are a big part of that. I think the direction they're heading with the young guys getting more experience is a good way to go about it."

As a sophomore last season, the 6-2, 185-pound Asuma averaged 27 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while leading the Tigers to their first state tournament since 1997. Cherry's one of the top 10 teams in Minnesota's Class 1A again this year behind Asuma's 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals through 22 games.

The Gophers told Asuma he would likely be mostly a point guard in college, but they would also use him off the ball in a scoring role. He envisions helping the program as a freshman.

"I could totally see myself earning enough minutes and leading the offense with the talent that would be there," he said. "I've been working on being a better shooter. Catching with a faster shot release to play off guard. Not just being able to set up my teammates but also working on scoring more."

Asuma took unofficial visits to Nebraska and Iowa State last summer. He was considering official visits to Xavier and Butler, but the Gophers appear to be among his favorites after the recent trip.

Some non-basketball highlights of Asuma's visit with the Gophers included touring the U's health building and hospital. He met the head orthopedic surgeon and physical therapist. Asuma's considering physical therapy as a major. He also spent time with players at Johnson's house in Minnetonka during the two-day visit.

"It was just a fun time hanging out with them," Asuma said. "We have a good relationship. They trust me and I trust them. Moving forward, we'll see how it goes."

The Gophers don't have any players committed in the 2024 class, but Asuma is currently their No. 1 target.