Gophers Offer Scholarship to Cretin-Derham Hall Freshman Guard

Madeleine Hamiel is one of the top young hoopers in Minnesota, having burst onto the scene as a freshman at Cretin-Derham Hall.

Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit cheers on her team during the second half of the NCAA women's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus on Feb. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 87-84 in overtime. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Already loaded with a strong 2027 recruiting class led by Minnesota and Wisconsin high school stars, the Golden Gophers women's basketball team is planting seeds to land a high school freshman who could be one of the top recruits in the country by the time she's set to graduate in 2029.

Madeleine Hamiel, a standout at Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul, announced that she's received a scholarship offer from head coach Dawn Plitzuweit and the University of Minnesota.

The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 15.1 points this season, helping the Raiders reach the Class 3A state tournament finish in fourth place. In the state quarterfinals, Hamiel led Cretin-Derham Hall to a win over Hill-Murray with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and eight steals.

Minnesota has a very strong 2027 class after signing four recruits, including Crosby-Ironton's Tori Oehrlein and Wisconsin Miss Basketball winner Natalie Kussow. In the latest rankings from 247Sports, Kussow is the No. 28 player in the national class of 2027, while Oehrlein isn't far behind at No. 39.

Kussow is the top-ranked girls' basketball recruit in Wisconsin, while Oehrlein is the No. 2 recruit in Minnesota, trailing only Providence Academy guard Maddyn Greenway, who ranks 8th nationally and is committed to the University of Kentucky.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Hamiel has also received scholarship offers from South Dakota and South Dakota State. Meanwhile, the newspaper says the Gophers have also offered scholarships to Rosemount junior Amisha Ramlall, Duluth Marshall sophomore Chloe Johnson, Hill-Murray eighth-grader Ashlee Wilson and junior Mya Wilson, Minnetonka sophomore Ari Peterson, Lakeville North sophomore Sahara Wiilson, and Andever sophomore Logan Miller.

Johnson is considered one of the top sophomores in the country, while Peterson is the daughter of former Minnesota Vikings superstar running back Adrian Peterson.

Minnesota is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They are a No. 4 seed and host Green Bay at 5 p.m. CT on Friday at Williams Arena. If they win, they'll play the winner of the No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup between Ole Miss and Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon.

If the Gophers are still alive after this weekend, they will likely face No. 1 UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen on March 27 or 28.