The former DeLaSalle High School and George Washington University standout committed to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Monday, March 29, becoming the first pledge to new men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson.
“It’s hard to pass up playing at home,” Battle said in an interview with the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Tuesday.
Battle, a 6-foot-7 forward from Robbinsdale, Minn., built himself into a quality scorer at the Atlantic 10 Conference school in Washington D.C. and that production made him a coveted prospect for high-major programs while in the portal.
Here are excerpts from the interview with Battle:
What was your recruiting picture coming out of high school?
It was more about a lot of mid-majors recruiting me. I had set up to (George Washington), Northern Kentucky, San Diego and I wanna say my last in the top four was Richmond. … My first official visit was at GW, and I just knew right away that I wanted to go there.
I played on (AAU team) D1 Minnesota, so I got a lot of looks playing with guys like (Denver Nuggets forward) Zeke Nnaji, (Dallas Mavericks guard) Tyrell Terry, (Duke forward) Matt Hurt, (Iowa forward) Pat McCaffery, (Wisconsin forward) Tyler Wahl. Guys like them really paved the way for me with coaches coming to the games.
Did you receive any interest out of high school from the Gophers?
No, not really.
How did you develop as a player at George Washington?
Year 1 was basically me (being) just a catch-and-shoot guy. … I made all-rookie (A10) team, but it was basically me shooting threes every game. That’s what I did.
Coming home from school with quarantine (in spring 2020), I changed a lot. I worked on my body. I worked on different things to help me be a better scorer and just help me be a better player.
Year 2, I come out. It was basically a complete transition in my game. Yeah, I could still shoot threes. But this past year, I really showed how I could score in all three levels.
At George Washington, Battle averaged 11.8 points as a freshman and 17.3 as a sophomore. He shot 2.0 2-point field goals per game as freshman and 6.8 per game as a sophomore. His shooting percentage from that range went from 52 percent to 59. From 3-point range, Battle shot 37 percent as a freshman (7.6 attempts per game) and 35 percent as a sophomore (6.4 shots per game).
How did you improve your body?
I lost about 20 pounds coming home. I got back to GW at 215 (pounds). It was just losing all that weight (to) help me to be quicker and just be faster with my first step. It just improved my game overall.
You entered the transfer portal on March 8 and Ben Johnson wasn’t hired at Minnesota until March 22. What was your recruiting like in those two weeks before his hiring?
The first day was kind of hectic. I didn’t really take any calls until like a week after I was in the portal just because I wanted to get back home and settle down. There were a lot of programs and Miami was probably my second option behind the U. Miami, Arizona, Tennessee hit me up. Cincinnati had talked to me. Just a lot of good schools where I had an opportunity to play and grow my game.
When did you hear from Coach Johnson, and what was his message?
I first heard from Ben at Xavier, (where he was an assistant coach for the previous three seasons). … I was at home and he was the first call that I took for recruiting in the portal. Then things fell into place and he got the (Gophers) job. When he had the press conference (March 23), he hit me up right after.
What was his recruiting pitch to you?
It was about me starting something here with in-state recruits. That is one part. Then to just bring back a winning culture. Yes, they’ve won in the past, but it’s just to build a culture and build something new at Minnesota.
What does it mean to play at home?
It means the world. My family can come see me play. I know it was hard to get everyone out here in (Washington) D.C. But now they can come watch me play and just being home. It’s hard to pass up opportunities to play in front of your family. I’ve played in The Barn before, in the state tournament my junior and senior year (at DeLaSalle). Playing in there is pretty cool.
What did Coach Johnson say about the program’s plans?
Offensively, he loves shooting. I think that helps me because I’m a shooter. He just wants to build it up and get in-state guys and build something special.
I can see it being a lot like DeLaSalle. Ben is a DeLaSalle guy. He knows how to grind and knows how to work, and he is the perfect guy for this job.
What is it like to reestablish a DeLaSalle connection with Gopher guard Gabe Kalscheur?
I talked to him (Monday). I was like, ‘I might come to the U.’ … I had thought about it for another hour or two, and I was like I’m for sure coming now. We connected. I know we are both excited to be back.
What changed from leaning to committing?
This past week since Ben got the job, it was between Miami and Minnesota. Each day it could have been Miami, and the other day it could have been Minnesota. It was the past two to three days, it had been all Minnesota in my head. (On Monday,) I called Ben and was ready to get this rolling.
What was the deciding factor?
It was seeing it, thinking about it, seeing my family and how excited they would have been. They can now see me play at home.
How would you describe yourself as a player overall?
I’m a shoot-first guy, but my jump shot opens up a lot for me. Whether that’s creating for myself or driving to the lane with two or three dribbles or creating for a teammate. I think I’m a very high IQ player. I know how to make the right plays.
It’s another thing going to DeLaSalle for two years. I just learned how to work hard. I think that was the biggest thing for me, waking up at 6 a.m. every day, going to practice and just grinding.
What do you think the transition from Atlantic 10 to the Big Ten is going be?
It’s going to be a tough transition. Obviously, the A10 is a very competitive conference, but it’s not like the Big Ten, where its roughneck and you just pound the rock. I think defensively that is going to be the biggest change for me.
The Link LonkMarch 31, 2021 at 03:45AM
https://www.pinejournal.com/sports/basketball/6961080-Jamison-Battle-picked-Gophers-over-Miami-because-%E2%80%98it%E2%80%99s-hard-to-pass-up-playing-at-home%E2%80%99
Jamison Battle picked Gophers over Miami because 'it's hard to pass up playing at home' - Pine Journal
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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