Theo John and Jericho Sims, two of the state of Minnesota's top senior post players and Gophers targets, will be out of town this week on their official visits.
John, a 6-foot-9, 230-pound center/forward at Champlin Park, will travel Friday to visit California-Berkeley. Sims, a 6-9, 225-pound forward from Cristo Rey Jesuit School, is visiting Texas this weekend.
Both players have said they would like to make a decision before the high school season begins this fall.
The Gophers have Sims and John as their top 2017 frontcourt targets. Minnesota coach Richard Pitino only has two scholarships currently available for the class, but he'd surely find a way to bring both into the program.
Sims and John could be effective in the same frontcourt at the next level. Sims is a power forward right now. But his expanding perimeter game will allow him to be a stretch 4-man and play some wing in college. John's length (7-5 wingspan) and powerfully built frame make him potentially an imposing physical presence as an undersized center. He could also play power forward as his outside shot improves.
John also has scheduled official visits with Marquette (Sept. 2) and Minnesota (Sept. 9). He said recently that academics and location are factors in Cal's favor.
"I know they were one of the later offers, but I got to know them really well," John said about the Golden Bears. "I'm looking forward to going on that visit and learning more about the program."
A late scholarship offer from Kansas came for Sims last week. He saw his national ranking make one of the biggest jumps of any player in the 2017 class. Sims, who has no other visit dates scheduled yet, went from being unranked to No. 48 in the country in Scout.com's latest top 100.
