Two Future Gophers Make Top 10 for Minnesota Mr. Basketball

The Gophers will be adding two of the top high school basketball players from Minnesota to their roster next season.

Niko Medved with East Ridge guard Cedric Tomes (left) and Wayzata forward Nolen Anderson (right). | Picture via: @coachNikoMedved (X)

The top 10 candidates for this year's Minnesota Mr. Basketball award were officially announced on Monday. The list featured two players who are signed with the University of Minnesota.

Top Ten List for Minnesota Mr. Basketball (future college)

Nolen Anderson (UMN)
Dothan Ijadimbola (Drake)
Kale Misegades (SMSU)
JoJo Mitchell (UST)
Jayden Moore (UND)
Pierce Petersohn (Va Tech, FB)
Derron Russell (NDSU, FB)
Cedric Tomes (UMN)
Christian Wiggins (ISU)
Hamze Yusuf… pic.twitter.com/ABueWTBaZ9

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 2, 2026

Nolen Anderson, Wayzata

Anderson verbally committed to the Gophers last summer on July 31, over notable top offers from Virginia Tech, Toledo and Drake. He has quickly risen up recruiting boards as the No. 1 player in the state, according to 247Sports, and the 101st-ranked player in the country as a four-star prospect.

Listed at 6-foot-8, he's averaging 23.5 points in 25 games this season, and Wayzata is viewed as the favorite to win another State Championship in Class AAAA. His teammate Christian Wiggins might be the favorite to win Mr. Basketball.

Cedric Tomes, East Ridge

Tomes was the first high school prospect to commit to Niko Medved after he became head coach of the Gophers. He chose Minnesota over top offers from Oklahoma, Iowa State and St. Louis, among others. He has had a tremendous senior season at East Ridge, averaging 31.0 points per game, which ranks third in the entire state, according to MN Basketball Hub.

East Ridge is the two-seed in Section 4 in Class AAAA, and they will have a great chance to make a run to the state tournament this March. He notably had a 50-point performance in January against Totino-Grace.

Other notes

Wigginis is likely the perceived favorite to take home this year's award, and he's on his way to play college basketball at Iowa State next season. Since Hopkins standout Joe Coleman signed with the Gophers in 2011, Amir Coffey and Braeden Carrington are the only two Minnesota Mr. Basketball winners to play college basketball in Minnesota.

Nine players in the top 10 list are currently signed with a college program, which includes Dothan Ijadimbola heading to Drake, Kale Misegades going to Southwest Minnesota State, JoJo Mitchell joining St. Thomas, Jayden Moore heading to North Dakota, Pierce Petersohn will play football at Virginia Tech, Derron Russell will play football at North Dakota State and Eden Prairie's Hamze Yusuf is the lone unsigned player.

The top five finalists for the award are typically announced later in March, and the winner is usually announced after the State Tournament at the end of the month. Some historically great players have won Minnesota Mr. Basketball in the last decade, and the award will add another player to the list later this month.