Peterson says he sees a good set-up going on at Minnesota

When we spoke with Drew Peterson briefly Monday night one noticeable thing he said was that the Minnesota staff started recruiting him immediately. He also said they have high hopes for him, and even through out an Amir Coffey type of role.

Tuesday morning, he spoke to The Gopher Report more in-depth after the dust had settled. A lot of ground was covered about the 6-foot-8 sophomore and his past, present, and future relationship with the program.

Q: You said last night that when you decided to transfer Minnesota got involved pretty quickly.

Peterson: "Yeah, I don't remember the exact timeline, but they were one of the first schools on me. That's why I have a great appreciation of (Richard) Pitino and his staff getting involved so early, and we built a great relationship early on in the process."

Q: What was their recruiting pitch to you right off the bat?

Peterson: "They said they really liked my versatility, and my ability to impact the game from a lot of aspects on the court. They have that Amir Coffey comparison. I was able to take a tour and see the campus and the facilities, how they play, and how I can be infiltrated into the offense. So I. was really impressed."

Q: How did it pick up with Minnesota from the initial interactions, and how quickly did it progress?

Peterson: "We went on a virtual tour pretty quickly after they reached out. I was talking to Coach Pitino and Coach (Ed) Conroy basically daily. We delved through the relationship over the past three weeks or so."

Q: What are your feelings about the coaching staff after you have been building that relationship?

Peterson: "I think they're awesome. I think they have a really good vision for this program, and they brought in a couple of other good guys. So I think they've definitely recruited their butt off to make this team good and to make some noise next year."

Q: You have been through the recruiting process before when you signed with Rice. How did COVID-19 change it this time around?

Peterson: "It's definitely crazy, because you're dealing with all this stuff. You're stuck in your house. You've got school going on, and then you add amid all of the chaos the whole recruiting process where you're on the phone basically all day every day with different coaches. Honestly, I think the virtual tours ended out working pretty well, because even though you can't go on campus you're basically able to see everything you could do on a regular visit, and it was all condensed. So it's not like a three-day process. It was more like over the span of a couple of hours. So I was impressed with the ability of schools to adjust to the new times."

Q: Usually you would have to sit out a year, but the vote granting a one-time automatic transfer is coming soon. Have you been watching that and do you think there's a chance you could play next year?

Peterson: "Yeah, I'm hoping that rule can pass and Coach Pitino wants me to play right away if I can, and I'm ready to go. But obviously we need the decision to pass so I can be able to play. But if I can't it's a scenario to sit out a year for a year's development. So I think both of those cases kind of work out."

Q: What are your basketball strengths?

Peterson: "I would say my versatility and my ability to kind of impact the game in multiple different ways. I'm a really good facilitator, and I create for others. Also, I think I'm a three-level scorer. I can score from virtually anywhere on the court. I think those kind of aspects allow me to impact the game in multiple different ways."

Q: You're from Illinois. Was it a goal to play in the Big Ten, and did that make a difference when Minnesota came calling?

Peterson: "It wasn't necessarily my specific goal, but obviously there is some Big Ten bias with growing up, and being in the environment, and watching it my whole life. Obviously it is really cool to be able to play in the area where a lot of your family and friends are. So I think it is just an added bonus that I get to play in the Big Ten country."

Q: Did you have any ties to the Minnesota school or program beforehand?

Peterson: "Yeah, I have a few friends that go to Minnesota. But other than that I don't have any family that go there. Obviously I have seen them play, but didn't know anybody specifically on the past teams that I had a personal relationship with."

Q: Do you see yourself as a three, or a four, or a stretch four at Minnesota?

Peterson: "I see myself anywhere from a one to a three. I see myself as a big guard. I think I can play virtually anywhere from a one to a three, because I can handle the ball, and I think I can really see the court well, and be able to play in the open floor. From the two spot shooting guard to the three spot small forward, I think I can play at any role Coach wants me from those three positions."

Q: I'm sure you've watched a lot of Minnesota game film. What do you think Coach Pitino's system does to parlay well with what you do?

Peterson: "How he was able to use Amir Coffey. We're both 6-8, and lanky guys. He showed me how I could facilitate and come off ball-screens, and stuff like that. How I could see my role in the offense I think he showed me really well during my virtual tour and kind of as we talked throughout the whole process. He just kind of explained how he could see me fitting into the offense."

Q: How did you see that he used Amir?

Peterson: "I think he used him in a lot of ways, because Amir is a really versatile player. He's able to do a little bit of everything kind of how I see myself that he was able to score from all three levels, but he was also able to facilitate for his teammates. I think he was really deadly coming off those pick and rolls, and stuff like that, and flashing. It's a dream to become that impactful of a player."

Q: What do you see from Minnesota's roster?

Peterson: "Obviously, I'm hoping Marcus (Carr) comes back, and they brought in those other two transfers (Liam Robbins and Brandon Johnson). They've got a really good squad, a deep team that can make some noise going into next season. Obviously, we're hoping we can be playing given all of this quarantine stuff, but I think he's (Pitino) making all of the right moves to set us up for a good year."

Q: Coach Pitino is making Minnesota a place that is transfer friendly. They had two starters last season who were transfers, and your'e the third new one this spring. Is that something you took notice of?

Peterson: "I think they brought in the right guys, and I was really impressed with looking at the outlook for next year. I thought given my relationship with the staff, and kind of seeing the school environment that the situation with them bringing in a few other guys, I think they've got a really good set up going on."