Gopher talk from the Hawkeye State

Amid rumors of moves to Auburn and most recently Oregon, Minnesota Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith hasn’t stopped recruiting.

With two scholarships left, Smith is working on filling the void left by Gopher dropout Royce White while also signing a blue chip prospect capable of helping the Gophers contend for a Big Ten title next season.

His top target is Cory Joseph, a five-star Canadian point-guard prospect who just finished his career at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. Joseph recently won this year’s McDonald’s All-American three-point shooting contest and has been on Smith’s radar all season, first visiting the U on August 10, 2009.

If Cory Joseph’s name sounds familiar, that’s because his brother, Devoe, started for the Gophers during the latter half of this past season after Al Nolen became academically ineligible. The opportunity to play with his older brother could be a major factor in Cory’s college decision, but Devoe certainly isn’t the only player hoping to play with the standout point guard next season.

The Gophers are also recruiting Maurice Walker, a 6-10, 270-pound center from Toronto. Along with Devoe, Walker played with Cory on Grassroots Canada AAU and is a close family friend. Walker plans to visit the U on April 9.

On March 30, the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Myron P. Medcalf reported that Walker told scout.com that the Gophers are his top choice right now.

“I’m more leaning toward Minnesota right now,” Walker told scout.com. “I like Tubby Smith as a coach. I like that I have family out there. It’s an up-and-coming program. It’s possible I could commit during the visit.

“The other schools have a chance. But if I go to Minnesota and like what they offer, then I’ll commit.”

If the idea of Walker in a maroon and gold jersey next winter isn’t exciting enough, his ability, coupled with that of Devoe’s, to convince Cory to play for Minnesota next season could make a Minnesota sports fan’s summer; regardless of Target Field’s opening day, April 12.

Standing in the Gophers way are Cory Joseph’s other potential suitors: Connecticut, UNLV, Villanova and most notably Texas.

Texas, like Minnesota, has a secret recruiting weapon of their own: power forward Tristan Thompson.

Thompson, another Canadian prospect, played with Joseph at Fridlay Prep and recently in the McDonald’s All-American game. The thought of staying in the South and playing with a familiar high school teammate may be even more enticing for Joseph than playing with his brother and former AAU teammate.

During last week’s All-American game, Joseph stripped the ball from an opposing guard and fed Thompson for a dunk on the other end, procuring thoughts of that tandem executing the pick and roll at Texas like clockwork next season.

With National Signing Day on April 15 fast approaching, we’ll soon know where both Walker and Joseph will end up. Any of Joseph’s top-five choices will be a good fit, but if he chooses either Minnesota or Texas, he’ll know he’s in good hands as both Coach Smith and Texas’s Rick Barnes have developed NBA talent in point guards Rajon Rondo and T.J. Ford, respectively. Let’s hope, though, that blood is thicker than water.