5-star Dennis Evans wants out of commitment to Minnesota Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball program took a huge blow Friday when 7-footer Dennis Evans reportedly backed out of his commitment to play for head coach Ben Johnson and the Gophers next fall.
Evans, who is rated among the best high school seniors in the country, asked to be released from his signed letter of intent to the University of Minnesota, according to the Star Tribune's Marcus Fuller.
"People close to Evans told the Star Tribune that he and his family had been thinking for a while that the Gophers might not be the right fit after watching this season," Fuller wrote, noting that Gophers are expected to grant Evans' request and release him from the letter of intent to become a Gopher that he signed in November.
Fuller's report has been corroborated by others.
The Gophers have lost 11 games in a row and are 7-19 overall and 1-14 in the Big Ten.
Evans is a 7-foot-1 center from Riverside, California who is ranked 11th in the country by Rivals and 18th by 247 Sports. He was the highest-rated recruit to commit to Minnesota since Kris Humphries, who was Rivals' No. 13 player in the Class of 2003.
Evans originally chose the Gophers over Texas Christian University.
In an interview last fall with the Daily Bulletin, Evans explained that Minnesota's winters are part of the reason he decided to choose the Gophers.
“I like how the program is about getting down to work because there’s not too much to do outside during the winter,” Evans told the publication. “That’s what I worked for and that’s what I wanted.”
