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A recent, on-the-record chat with Gophers basketball recruit Isaac Asuma, a 6-foot-3 Cherry Tigers combo guard and likely 2024 Mr. Basketball in Minnesota – "I had a really great summer with D1 Minnesota, when a lot of us got tons better. It was good to play against elite competition – just learning how to play at that next level while getting a better feel for the game, and learning how to handle pressure and how to score when I need to score.
I'm athletic, but the my primary development goal is to continue to learn how to better defend and jump with the elites. Obviously, I'm not as big as the seven-footers so I just need to use my athleticism to my advantage and gain an even better feel for the game – to know when to shoot, when to pull up, when to shoot a floater, that stuff.
I can rebound, defend, shoot, pass and finish inside, just whatever. I read what the defense gives me, and I'll take whatever I can.
I think I'm a winner, so I'm going to help bring a winning culture to the Gophers. I'll feed my teammates the ball, help them to get open shots. I'm excited to get down there.
I picked the Gophers because of Coach (Ben) Johnson. We have a really good relationship, which we've built, and I trust him with how he's building the program for the future. This past season (in 2022-23) they dealt with a lot of young guys and injuries, so they had a down year. But I think this year, with everyone healthy and a year older, they're going to surprise a lot of people.
I keep God number one. Away from the game, I mostly hang out with my friends, play a lot of video games, and just chill out like any teenager, I guess."
