Minnesota native Daniel Oturu set to end Gophers draft drought

On November 11th, Daniel Oturu is set to become the Gophers first NBA Draft pick since 2004. The last one was a Minnesota native, and the next one is going to be as well.

In a state that clamors for it's hometown talent to stay home and wear the maroon and gold, it's fitting that a kid that grew up a Gopher fan and turned down a Blue Blood was the one to do it.

Let's look back at Daniel's high school, AAU, and college career to see what got him to this moment.

As a junior in high school it was clear that Daniel Oturu was going to be a special player. He averaged 19.6 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 6.5 blocks a game while shooting 68.7% from the field.

His game was loud in Minnesota high school basketball, but before he was going to get offers from all the big schools, he was going to have to show he deserved it against the best the country had to offer.

That AAU season for Oturu opened every door imaginable for him. In the EYBL for the Howard Pulley Panthers, Oturu averaged 11.8 points and 10.1 rebounds per game against the best competition in the country while still managing to shoot over 60%.

From there, the floodgates opened when Daniel Oturu's first high-major offer came from his hometown Gophers in July of 2016. Not long after, he was received offers from Baylor, Creighton, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Kansas, Memphis, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and several more.

Daniel's senior season in high school was legendary. Oturu averaged 18.5 points and 11.6 rebounds to go along with 6.0 blocks per game and 69.3% shooting. He helped lead his team to a 24-2 record, and a state championship where he sent the winning bucket through the net on an alley-oop against Tre Jones' Apple Valley Eagles.

The Blue Blood Kansas Jayhawks and Bill Self tried to pry Oturu out of Minnesota, but the allure of playing for his home town team trumped that. On January 19th, 2017 Daniel Oturu pledged his commitment to play for his hometown Minnesota Golden Gophers.

"The Gophers have always been one of my favorite teams to watch, no matter if they win or lose. I would say that I’ve been a Gopher fan for a long time," he told The Gopher Report in January of 2017.

After his commitment, Oturu was glowing with pride for his hometown. Stating how important it is to have this opportunity, and what it means for his family to be able to watch him play every home game.

"I feel like it is the place I am most comfortable at and where I can strive to become the best player I can be...Just having the opportunity to play for my home state and having the pride of having the name of Minnesota across my chest. Minnesota is my home state, my home state school. I felt really loved by the coaches there, the community. Just having the opportunity to play in front of the people that watched me growing up, my family, and my friends, means the world to me."

It didn't take too long for Daniel Oturu to make a name for himself at Minnesota. In his debut against Nebraska-Omaha, the true freshman starter put up 14 points, eight rebounds, and a blocked shot his first time on the floor at Williams Arena.

His freshman year he ended with good numbers. 10.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while being the third to established Gophers like Jordan Murphy and Amir Coffey. In the NCAA Tournament, Oturu chipped in 13 points and helped the Gophers beat the Louisville Cardinals for Minnesota's first tournament win since 2013.

After the early departure of Amir Coffey to the NBA and the graduation of All-Time Gopher great Jordan Murphy, it was time for a new leader to step up. Oturu exploded onto the scene. He was the only player in high-major college basketball to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Oturu averaged 20.1 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks a game for the Gophers. His season highlighted by multiple 30 and 10 games, a three-point shot that improved to 36.5%, and rim protection that was among the best in the conference.

For the first time since 2004, the Minnesota Gophers are set to have a player drafted in the NBA Draft. It's been 16 years since Hopkins High School's Kris Humphries was taken with the 14th pick in the Draft by the Washington Wizards, and tonight Daniel Oturu is expected to get his name called.

"Daniel really chose Minnesota for the reasons that we constantly try to sell but might not always be as simple as maybe they should be," Gopher coach Richard Pitino told media before the draft. "He valued playing for the name on the front of the jersey, he valued his family being at the game. He valued that network, whether it was his high school or AAU coaches. He cared about that. He was one where we would play a rivalry game against Wisconsin or Iowa, and I would be giving a talk in the locker room and he would be sitting there and you could tell he was more excited about this game than a Purdue or Indiana because he grew up with it. He just has a great level of pride for Minnesota. That's why it's so important that we respect all that he's been able to do whether it's helping us go to an NCAA Tournament his freshman year, becoming an All-American his sophomore year. He's proud to be a Minnesotan. The more we embrace those guys, the more guys are going to want to do that. It's a great story, I'm excited for him."

NBA Draft scout Matt Babcock projects that Oturu is going to be chosen with the fourth pick in the second round, and several other experts have him in the late first to early second round range.

"His physical tools certainly translate, and I think his skillset is at a good level for being a young big guy," Babcock told TGR. "Oturu is a work in progress, but keep in mind that most big guys at his age are still in a developmental part of their careers, too."

As for the type of role he plays, the former player agent and current draft analyst believes that Oturu's could become an NBA starter one day.

"He certainly has the raw potential to develop into a starter in the NBA. As I mentioned before, the biggest part of his development needs to be increasing his focus and consistently playing hard. When do you see him ultimately getting his name called come draft night? I expect Oturu’s name to be called somewhere in the last first round or early second round."