Gophers have 'strong interest' in combo guard Chansey Willis Jr.

Willis Jr. was the 2022 Michigan Mr. Basketball and the state's Gatorade Player of the Year.

Dec 30, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Western Michigan Broncos guard Chansey Willis Jr. (2) gets trapped by Michigan State Spartans guard Jaden Akins (3) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

Another name for the Minnesota Gophers fans to monitor in the transfer portal is Western Michigan guard Chancey Willis Jr. According to Jeff Goodman, Minnesota is among a handful of teams in the mix for the 6-foot-2 guard.

Per Goodman, citing an agent, the 2022 Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year and Mr. Basketball winner is drawing "strong interest" from Minnesota, South Florida, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

This season, Willis averaged 16.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. In games against NCAA tourney-caliber opponents, Willis scored 13 points against St. Thomas, 22 points against North Dakota State, and 12 points against Michigan State.

Willis is among a number of players the Gophers were linked to in the transfer portal on Wednesday. Minnesota is also one of six finalists for Division II All-American guard Wes Enis, who averaged more than 20 points per game this season. They're also interested in Division II guard Jadin Booth, who averaged 21 points per game at Florida Southern College.

Others they've been linked to include Kansas State's Brendan Hausen and Texas A&M Corpus Christie forward Garry Clark.

Before spending this season at Western Michigan, Willis played the 2023-24 season at Division II Henry Ford College, which is part of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. In 2022-23, he played at Division II Saginaw Valley State. Because he's only had one year of Division I experience, new NCAA rules could mean he has three years of DI eligibility remaining.

All of this comes on the heels of Minnesota getting a commitment from San Jose State transfer Robert Vaihola, who is a solid rebounder who can bring a 6-foot-8 frame to the Big Ten next season. Vaihola joins Bobby Durkin, B.J. Omot and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson as Gophers commits in the transfer portal.