Gophers 2024 basketball recruit Isaac Asuma closes AAU career with a bang

Isaac Asuma's days of playing AAU basketball are over, but the star from Cherry, Minn., finished this chapter of his career leaving no doubt he could make an impact with the Gophers a year from now.

Coach Ben Johnson's top recruit in the 2024 class saved his best for the end of his stint with D1 Minnesota, including last weekend in Memphis.

"It just hit me that this will be my last time ever doing this," Asuma said. "Playing with these teammates in these kinds of environments."

The 6-3 senior was proud of what his team overcame this summer, including the ankle injury suffered by fellow Gophers commit Grayson Grove, from Alexandria. Asuma and others gained respect in the July evaluation period.

"I think my teammates stepped up and played well in certain games and at certain times — and it's really helped their recruiting," Asuma said. "We didn't finish how we wanted to, but we got better."

The buzz surrounding Asuma's game was palpable at the Adidas championships in Rock Hill, S.C. Most notably, he picked up accolades from his 21-point performance in a two-point loss against the highly touted Compton Magic, who were led by five-star 2025 prospect Koa Peat.

ESPN national recruiting director Paul Biancardi listed Asuma as one of his top 16 performers, regardless of class.

"I played really well in that game," Asuma said. "It was a shocker for some people, and I really put myself out there with that performance. I heard a little bit more on the buzz about me, but I don't really focus on that."

Asuma started off 4-for-4 from the field while showing off his three-point range and ability to attack the rim. Blowing by his defender and soaring high for a dunk against Compton on one play was a highlight that received thousands of views on social media.

"It was super competitive and back and forth the entire time," Asuma said. "I was hitting shots, but I surprised myself a little bit with that [dunk]. I can dunk pretty good, but I never dunk in games."

Gophers fans will love to see a lot more of that one day soon at Williams Arena. Asuma committed to the U before leading Cherry to a second straight Minnesota Class A state tournament appearance in March.

"My mentality has been to be more aggressive right away," Asuma said this summer. "If I'm going in a game, I'm just going to keep getting buckets."

Former Gophers player and current D1 Minnesota 2024 coach Jonathan Williams said Asuma welcomes constructive criticism.

"I've never had a guy after a weekend when we went 4-0 reach out and ask me, 'What can I do to get better?' " Williams said. "Wanting the constructive criticism and trying to apply the things we talk about has been tremendous. And I've seen growth in his game. He's what Ben needs. He understands what it means to play for Minnesota coming from Minnesota. Culture-wise he's a great fit."

In Johnson's 2024 recruiting class, Asuma was joined in May by Grove, a 6-8 forward who has been sidelined with the ankle surgery since June. Forwards Jonathan Mekonnen and rising star Isaiah Johnson-Arigu had to play more in the frontcourt.

"I know it was definitely hard news to hear for [Grove] and for us losing one of our guys," Asuma said. "He was our big and did a lot of the dirty work inside, so everyone collectively had to work together to replace him."

Next up, Asuma's playing American Legion baseball this summer. He will likely be preparing for football in the fall, but there's a possibility he might give up his senior year on the gridiron to focus solely on hoops at Cherry.

"I'm deciding on that right now, but I think I probably will play football," he said.