Golden Gopher Basketball Signs Three

University of Minnesota men’s basketball head coach Richard Pitino introduces the 2014-15 recruiting class and has announced the signing of three athletes to National Letters of Intent. Josh Martin, Nate Mason and Carlos Morris will join the team for the 2014-15 season.

Martin is a 6-foot, 8-inch forward from Bothell, Wash. He averaged 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior at Bothell High School. He made 50 percent of his field goal attempts during the season. Martin, who can play both in the paint and on the perimeter, participated in the Reebok Classic Breakout over the summer. He received three-star ratings from Rivals.com and Scout.com. Martin spent two years at Seattle Prep before moving to Bothell. Earning all-state recognition, Martin has also received multiple inspirational awards at the high school and state level. He chose Minnesota over Pittsburgh and Florida State.

Mason, a 6-1 guard from Decatur, Ga., currently attends Arlington Country Day High School (Jacksonville, Fla.). As a junior at Shiloh High School (Snellville, Ga.), Mason led the team to a 23-8 record. His AAU team, the CP3 All-Stars, finished second at the 2013 Nike Peach Jam, where Mason averaged 14.3 points per game in seven games. ESPN, Rivals.com and Scout.com tabbed him as a three-star recruit. Mason chose the Gophers over Kansas State and Virginia.

Morris, a 6-5 guard, will join the Gophers as a junior transfer from Chipola College (Fla.). The Apalachicola, Fla., native averaged a team-best 13.3 points along with 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a freshman in 2012-13. He scored 21 points in Chipola’s season opener this year. Morris attended Arlington Country Day High School, where he earned all-state and All-Panhandle Conference honors. He played AAU ball for the Dwight Howard Warriors. Out of high school, Morris was a listed as a four-star recruit by Scout.com and listed in Rivals.com’s 2012 top 150 class. Out of high school, he originally committed to South Carolina.