Grayson Grove had his teammates hollering every time he ran the floor and dunked the ball with authority during a drill at a recent D1 Minnesota AAU practice.
The 6-9 Grove provided an inside presence for Alexandria this season, but the growth of his all-around game caught the attention of the Gophers this spring. Coach Ben Johnson offered a scholarship to the Class of 2024 forward in April.
It was a special moment for Grove to receive his first high-major offer from the home state program.
"With that Gophers offer, it really meant a lot that the coaches believed in me," Grove said about the Gophers staff, including assistant Dave Thorson. "They've been recruiting me for a while, so it felt really good for them to offer me. I really appreciate them for the opportunity, and I'm excited about it."
With the spring AAU season underway, Grove has the opportunity to build on his list of Division I offers, which includes St. Thomas, North Dakota State, Colorado State and others.
Grove will play Friday through Sunday in the Prep Hoops Battle at the Lakes in the Twin Cities. Among his teammates are Gophers recruit and Cherry guard Isaac Asuma, who committed to the U in March.
Asuma loves Grove's game and hopes the rising big man joins him in maroon and gold. They both displayed their potential on the biggest stage playing in the high school state tournament this season.
"If we could play together in college that would be awesome," Asuma said on Grove. "He's a great shot blocker and post player. I know he can shoot the three. This AAU season he hasn't as much but I know he can from the state tournament and other games. He's a really good teammate. He's super positive and keeps everything light."
Grove's junior season ended with him combining for 40 points in losses to eventual state Class 3A champion Totino-Grace in the semifinals and Orono in the third-place game. On the season, he led Alexandria with 20 points, eight rebounds and nearly two blocks per game. He also shot 58% from the field and 39% from three-point range for a 25-6 squad.
"In the last year, I've worked on ballhandling skills and shooting skills," Grove said. "I used to be more of a post-up scorer and shot blocker, but now I'm developing a mid-range game, ball handling and shooting. I haven't handled the ball as much on the [Adidas] circuit, but I'm still working on it and getting better. A lot of college coaches say the game is position-less now."
Grove and 6-7 sophomore Chase Thompson return to form a talented tandem with hopes of a deeper run at state next year.
Thompson's the younger brother of former Gophers center Treyton Thompson, who transferred this spring to Stetson. Grove clearly is on his way to being the next high-level Division I recruit out of Alexandria.
