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Women’s basketball: Gophers land another top local prospect via portal

john shipley, pioneer press
·2 min read

Lindsay Whalen has nabbed another top-ranked Minnesota prospect, only this one took a detour to North Carolina.

Sophie Hart, a 6-foot-5 center who led Farmington to the 2020 state semifinals before the tournament was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic. She will join the team immediately but be limited to practicing until next fall and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

“I am excited to announce our signing of Sophie Hart today,” Whalen said in a statement. “Sophie is a proud Minnesotan and we are excited to welcome her back home and help her continue to grow on and off the court. Sophie adds incredible size and strength to our front court.”

Hart’s playing time with the Wolfpack was limited. She averaged 4.5 minutes in 20 games as a freshman, averaging 1.2 points and 1.0 rebound, and had played in only five games this season. As a senior at Farmington, she averaged 17 points a game. In her final high school game, she had 22 points and 16 rebounds in a state tournament quarterfinal.

She joins a team that has gotten a big boost from a highly ranked freshman class comprising four Minnesotans, three of whom — Mara Braun (17.1), Mallory Heyer (11.4) and Maya Battle (10.1) — are among the team’s top five scorers. The others, Rose Micheaux (13.3) and Katie Borowicz (10.1), are sophomores.

That nucleus had No. 3 and unbeaten Ohio State on the ropes for three quarters Thursday night before hitting a wall in the fourth and falling 83-71 at Williams Arena.

Niamaya Holloway, a member of a recruiting class ranked 10th nationally by ESPN before signing, is out this season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee but is expected to make a full recovery.

ESPN ranked Hart the fifth-best high school post in the country after her senior season, and the 64th best prospect overall. Collegiate Girls Basketball Report ranked Hart, a four-time all-state player, the 40th-best prospect in the country.

She joins a 2023-24 recruiting class that includes Kennedy Klick of Maple Grove; McKynnlie Dalan of Montesano, Wash.; Ajok Madol of Regina, Saskatchewa; Dominika Paurová of the Czech Republic, and Brynn Senden of Wayzata.

“Sophie is a great student who will represent our program and the University of Minnesota with our Gold Standard,” Whalen said.

The Gophers (8-7 overall, 1-3 Big Ten) play Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon in Madison.

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