These top recruits throughout the country have signed with the Gophers during the early signing period

Check back to startribune.com for updates on other Gophers signings.

Ben Johnson knows his Gophers men’s basketball program has to rely on evaluation to land talent.

Some teams still recruit the old-fashioned way. It’s still possible even in the social media era to get overlooked.

The Gophers found potential hidden gems in Kai Shinholster and Jacob Ross, who made their commitments official Wednesday to begin the early national signing period.

The 6-5, 175-pound Shinholster is a three-star combo guard from Philadelphia Penn Charter who became the first player in Johnson’s 2025 recruiting class. Ross, a four-star 6-6 wing from SoCal Academy, committed to the Gophers two weeks ago.

Shinholster committed after his official visit in late August because the Gophers made him a priority as the only power conference program recruiting him hard at the time. Ross was in a similar situation.

“Every kid wants to be the five-star or top-100 player,” Shinholster said. “But I kind of like the fact that we’re both underrated and not known. That just gives us so much more to prove. We’re still going to be playing at the same level of all these guys going to top schools. Gives us a little chip on our shoulder.”

Ranked outside of the top 250 seniors nationally by 247Sports and On3, Shinholster picked the Gophers over James Madison and Florida Gulf Coast.

“Kai has an elite skill level and can play both on and off the ball,” Johnson said in a statement. “He has the ability to create offense for himself as well as others. ... He’s got a great first step, great speed and offensively is in a position to develop and grow as a player. He’s won at every level he’s played at and can bring that winning mentality here.”

Ross doesn’t fit the mold physically of a power conference wing, but his versatility and 7-foot wingspan helped him get ranked as a four-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals.

Still, Ross’ recruiting was heating up when the Gophers offered him a scholarship last month before his visit. He was starting to get more high-major interest but picked Minnesota while having also visited Old Dominion.

“Jacob has great athleticism, size, length and versatility,” Johnson said. “Jacob has the ability to be one of the better defenders in our league. I love how he naturally competes and has always found ways to win. He brings a certain level of toughness out of high school and plays extremely hard. He fits in perfectly with our culture.”

Ross’ older brother, Jayden, was a top-100 recruit and currently plays for defending NCAA champion UConn, but he’s on a different path to college basketball. It was harder for college coaches to figure out what type of player the younger Ross could be at the Division I level until recently.

“I feel like my whole career I’ve been a versatile guy and able to do multiple things,” Ross said. “But as of recently, I’ve definitely been able to show more guard skills. I’ve been working on my shot a lot and getting confident with that. I’m trying to maximize my potential.”

The Gophers have nine seniors on the roster this season, so there are seven more scholarships available. Inglewood (Calif.) 6-10 center Parker Jefferson joined Ross on his visit this month. Jefferson is expected to announce his college decision on Nov. 20 between the Gophers and USC. The Trojans are hosting him for an official visit this weekend.

“That would be dope,” Ross said of Jefferson possibly signing with the Gophers. “Parker and I actually got cool on the visit. If he were to come here, too, I would be excited for sure if he decided that.”

MARCUS FULLER

As expected, the Gophers women’s basketball team got two signed letters of intent Wednesday, from Wisconsin guard Makena Christian and Arkansas post player Zoey Bershers.

Both had previously announced their intent to join the Gophers.

Christian, who plays for Hartford Union High School, averaged 25.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a junior, leading her team to the state semifinals. She was named her conference’s player of the year. Christian, who played in AAU with Gophers player Grace Grocholski, is ranked by ESPN as the No. 52 recruit in the class.

“”Makena is a very versatile player who shoots it from long range,” Plitzuweit said in a statement. “She sees the floor and she passes extremely well in addition to being comfortable playing with her back to the basket.”

Bershers, who has two sisters already playing Division I basketball, has helped her Farmington High School team to consecutive state Class 4A titles and has been an all-state selection three times starting with her freshman year. Bershers averaged 11 points and 2.8 blocks as a junior, shooting nearly 60%.

“Zoey is an incredible student with a 3.9 GPA and is someone who will excel here at the University of Minnesota as she pursues a career in Occupational Therapy,” Plitzuweit said. “ ... We saw her ability as a post player to play on the block and to influence the game by scoring and rebounding down low, but then when Zoey stepped out to the perimeter and was shooting it from the arc and handling it, we saw how well she fit into our versatile style of play. What is also impressive about Zoey is that her Farmington High School team has had success every season and has capped off the past two years with back to back state championships!”

KENT YOUNGBLOOD

This Gophers volleyball recruiting class is ranked in the top 10 nationally by multiple recruiting sites. The Gophers signed McKenna Garr (Rush City, Minn.), Carly Gilk (Champlin Park), Kelly Kinney (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Jordan Taylor (Houston, Texas).

The Gophers women’s golf team signed Lauryn Finley (from Lake Mary, Fla.) and Ha Ni Lee Jung (from Guatemala City).

The Gophers softball team signed four: Scarlett Kuhn (Southlake, Texas), Kylinn Stangl (Madison Lake, Minn.), Keali Cochran (Beaumont, Calif.) and Carter Raymond (Randolph, Minn.).

The Gophers men’s golf team signed Joe Honsa (Cretin-Derham Hall) and Torger Ohe (Edina).

The Gophers women’s soccer team signed nine: Tyra Chu (Sterling Heights, Mich.), Tenley Senden (Wayzata), Sawyer Danielson (St. Paul Academy), Mya Nugent (Long Grove, Ill.), Jacqueline Keller (River Forest, Ill.), Hannah Heinlein (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), Emily Filbrun (Saline, Mich.), Emily Buescher (Naperville, Ill.), and Brenna Schoenfelder (Castle Pines, Colo.).

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