GopherHole was able to catch up with a few of the top athletes in Minnesota at the Howard Pulley Practice this evening. Royce White, is the most highly recruited basketball player in the state and holds over 20 division one offers. He recently transferred from De La Salle to basketball powerhouse, Hopkins High School. Seantrel Henderson is only a sophomore at Cretin-Derham, but is already 6’7 and 300 pounds, and already has offers from over a handful of top schools. Dyami Starks is a sophomore at Duluth East. You may not have heard much about him, but he is a very athletic guard who is already on the Gophers’ radar, as well as number of other schools.

Royce White, Junior, Hopkins High School

GH: So, did you start school at Hopkins this week?
RW: No, I have to wait until the fourth quarter starts, which is next Monday. My first day will be April 7th.

GH: What have you been doing the past few weeks?
RW: I’ve been working out at home, lifting weights, and shooting.

GW: You look bigger now, how tall are you?
RW: I’m 6’8 and about 225 pounds.

GH: How did you decide on Hopkins?
RW: I’ve always liked Hopkins, I’ve always gone over there and worked out. My Grandpa has a longtime relationship with those guys. I think they’re really good people over there. I saw that it was a good fit for me to achieve my goals academically, and for basketball. That was the most obvious choice for me.

GH: How has your recruiting been going, has your transferring had any affect on you, or schools cooling on you? Have you been getting the same amount of interest?
RW: Yes, there’s been the same amount of interest. I got some more calls from new teams. Everyone was really busy with their seasons, now that’s the season’s over, maybe more people will start calling…or maybe not.

GH: Which new schools have showed interest in you?
RW: I’ve been talking to Texas A&M that contacted me towards the end of the season.

GH: Have you actually spoken to Coach (Ken) Novak or your future teammates at Hopkins?
RW: I haven’t really talked to Coach Novak since I went up there to enroll. I have talked to my teammates; some of them are on my Howard Pulley team. We’re all good friends, and they’re happy that I’m coming over there, it should be exciting to see how we gel together next year.

GH: Are you ready to win a state championship?
RW: I’m always ready to win a state championship (smiling).

GH: Is Minnesota still at the top of your list?
RW: Minnesota is always going to be right up there at the top.

GH: Is there any downfall to Minnesota, anything you don’t like?
RW: There’s nothing I don’t like about Minnesota. I’m a homebred Minnesota lover!


Seantrel Henderson, Sophomore, Cretin-Derham High School

GH: Where do you currently have offers for football?
SH: Notre Dame, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida, and Boston College.

GH: Do you have any offers for basketball?
SH: No, ma’am.

GH: Have you thought about playing both sports in college?
SH: I would like to.

GH: Have you talk to Coach Tubby Smith about the possibility of walking on to the basketball team at Minnesota?
SH: No, not yet.

GH: At the signing day event, Coach Tim Brewster said he planned on spending a lot of time at Cretin this year, what kind of contact have you had with him?
SH: There have been a few times when I’ve gone over to the U of MN and have sat down and talked to Coach Brewster. He’s a cool guy.

GH: Do you have any favorite schools?
SH: No, I don’t, sorry.

GH: There were a number of rumors that you were going to transfer from Cretin this year, had you ever considered it?
SH: No, ma’am.

GH: They were just rumors?
SH: Yes, all rumors. I don’t know who put them out there.

GH: How big are you, and what position do you play?
SH: 6’7, 300 pounds and I’m an offensive tackle.

GH: What are you going to be working on this summer?
SH: Basketball, and just getting ready for football season.

GH: What areas of your game are you currently working on?
SH: I’m working on my strength and getting faster and bigger.


Dyami Starks, Sophomore, Duluth East

GH: Is Minnesota currently recruiting you?
DS: A little bit, yes.

GH: What interest have they shown in you?
DS: They sent my coach some information about how they’re doing, and asked about how I’m doing. They sent me a few letter, and I went to a camp with Tubby Smith.

GH: What coaches at the “U” have had the most contact with you?
DS: Coach Ron Jirsa, I’ve talked to him, and I talked to Tubby Smith a long time ago.

GH: Do you have a strong interest in Minnesota?
DS: Yes, I see it up and coming, and developing through the next few years. By the time I graduate, that could be a strong interest of mine.

GH: Do you have any offers as of right now?
DS: No, not yet.

GH: What other schools have showed interest in you?
DS: Cincinnati, Notre Dame, a couple Big East Schools, Wisconsin, Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State.

GH: What will you be working on developing in your off-season?
DS: I want to work on a lot of conditioning, speed and quickness, my defense.

GH: What position do you play?
DS: 1 or 2.

GH: What are schools primarily recruiting you as?
DS: Probably the 1.

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