Iowa State grabbed its second Minnesota player in the 2022 class with a commitment Monday from three-star Totino-Grace senior forward Demarion Watson.
Totino-Grace's Demarion Watson becomes second Minnesota hoops senior to pick Iowa State
Watson was pursued earlier by the Gophers and made an unofficial visit this summer
July 27, 2021 at 5:29PM
The 6-8 Watson, who had a scholarship offer from the Gophers, is ranked as the No. 6 player in the state by 247Sports.com. He also considered Vanderbilt after taking an official visit earlier this month.
The Cyclones also received a commitment in the spring from Caledonia four-star guard Eli King, who is the No. 5 player in Minnesota's senior class.
First-year Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger already has two Minnesota natives on his roster with former Gophers guard Gabe Kalscheur and former Denver center Robert Jones from Prior Lake.
Iowa State went 0-18 in the Big 12 last and had a 2-22 overall record.
New Gophers coach Ben Johnson had Watson on campus for an unofficial visit this summer. Minnesota's staff made a strong first impression but eventually focused more of its recruiting efforts elsewhere in July.
The four Minnesota seniors currently with Gophers offers are Cretin-Derham Hall's Tre Holloman, Byron's Ahjany Lee, Park Center's Braeden Carrington and Park of Cottage Grove's Pharrel Payne.
The Big Ten’s leading returning scorer is expected to resume activities in September after suffering a left foot injury in practice this month.
