University of Minnesota Athletics
Johnson Inks Three in First Recruiting Class
11/10/2021 1:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota men's basketball head coach Ben Johnson announces his first-ever recruiting class as he welcomes three individuals to the Golden Gopher family. Braeden Carrington, Joshua Ola-Joseph and Pharrel Payne have signed National Letters of Intent and are set to join the program in 2022.
"I think we hit a home run in this first recruiting class," Johnson said. "These are three young men that we targeted early and felt they fit every need within our program. We're ecstatic to land these three kids and are everything our program stands for athletically, academically and socially. They are a talented group that will help us be competitive in the Big Ten."
Carrington, a 6-4, 170-pound guard, hails from Brooklyn Park, Minn. Playing for former Gopher assistant James Ware at Park Center High School, Carrington averaged 18.1 points as a junior last season. Despite missing games due to injury, Carrington still maintained four 30-point performances. He also scored in double figures 15 of 19 times as the Pirates went 16-5 last year. For his efforts, Carrington was also named to the Star Tribune All-Metro Second Team. This past summer with Grassroots Sizzle, Carrington guided the team to a successful season. Carrington is ranked as the 140th recruit nationally in the 2022 class.
"We're so excited to have Braeden as a Gopher," Johnson said. "He was the first to commit to our program and really bought into what we're trying to do here. He's an unbelievable kid and competes at a high level and loves to win. Coming from a great high school program, he's really skilled, can shoot the ball and has a knack for scoring. He understands and loves the game. Being close to home is special to him and excited to get him on campus."
Ola-Joseph, a 6-6, 200-pound forward, hails from Osseo, Minn. Last year with Osseo High School with coach Tim Theisen, Ola-Joseph averaged 16.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 blocks. He also shot 56 percent from the field and scored double-digit points in 18 of 20 games last season. Ola-Joseph produced 20-plus points in five games and a 30-point game last season. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.5 points per game and held a 36-point game that season. He also played with D1 Minnesota's AAU program and is listed as the 166th recruit nationally.
"Joshua has a blue-collar, warrior mindset," Johnson said. "He's athletic, tough, hard nosed and versatile. His best basketball is ahead of him and competes every day. High energy and passion for the game, he's driven to get better and win. He's looking at this opportunity to be able to build this program to where we want it to be and has a lot of state pride."
Payne, a 6-9, 230-pound forward, hails from Cottage Grove, Minn. Playing for Mike Weah at Park High School Cottage Grove, Payne averaged 15 points per game and 10 rebounds last season. Payne had a breakout AAU season this past summer with Minnesota Select under the direction of former Gopher Mitch Ohnstad. Last season with the Wolfpack, he scored double-digits in 16 of 20 games as he helped the team to an 11-10 record. Payne is listed as the 83rd recruit nationally.
"Pharrel is extremely underrated and undervalued in my opinion," Johnson said. "He stuck out immediately when we saw him and has tremendous upside. He's physically going to be ready to play as a true freshman. He can play inside, out and has an unbelievable motor. The sky's the limit for Pharrel."
"I think we hit a home run in this first recruiting class," Johnson said. "These are three young men that we targeted early and felt they fit every need within our program. We're ecstatic to land these three kids and are everything our program stands for athletically, academically and socially. They are a talented group that will help us be competitive in the Big Ten."
Carrington, a 6-4, 170-pound guard, hails from Brooklyn Park, Minn. Playing for former Gopher assistant James Ware at Park Center High School, Carrington averaged 18.1 points as a junior last season. Despite missing games due to injury, Carrington still maintained four 30-point performances. He also scored in double figures 15 of 19 times as the Pirates went 16-5 last year. For his efforts, Carrington was also named to the Star Tribune All-Metro Second Team. This past summer with Grassroots Sizzle, Carrington guided the team to a successful season. Carrington is ranked as the 140th recruit nationally in the 2022 class.
"We're so excited to have Braeden as a Gopher," Johnson said. "He was the first to commit to our program and really bought into what we're trying to do here. He's an unbelievable kid and competes at a high level and loves to win. Coming from a great high school program, he's really skilled, can shoot the ball and has a knack for scoring. He understands and loves the game. Being close to home is special to him and excited to get him on campus."
Ola-Joseph, a 6-6, 200-pound forward, hails from Osseo, Minn. Last year with Osseo High School with coach Tim Theisen, Ola-Joseph averaged 16.7 points per game, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 blocks. He also shot 56 percent from the field and scored double-digit points in 18 of 20 games last season. Ola-Joseph produced 20-plus points in five games and a 30-point game last season. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.5 points per game and held a 36-point game that season. He also played with D1 Minnesota's AAU program and is listed as the 166th recruit nationally.
"Joshua has a blue-collar, warrior mindset," Johnson said. "He's athletic, tough, hard nosed and versatile. His best basketball is ahead of him and competes every day. High energy and passion for the game, he's driven to get better and win. He's looking at this opportunity to be able to build this program to where we want it to be and has a lot of state pride."
Payne, a 6-9, 230-pound forward, hails from Cottage Grove, Minn. Playing for Mike Weah at Park High School Cottage Grove, Payne averaged 15 points per game and 10 rebounds last season. Payne had a breakout AAU season this past summer with Minnesota Select under the direction of former Gopher Mitch Ohnstad. Last season with the Wolfpack, he scored double-digits in 16 of 20 games as he helped the team to an 11-10 record. Payne is listed as the 83rd recruit nationally.
"Pharrel is extremely underrated and undervalued in my opinion," Johnson said. "He stuck out immediately when we saw him and has tremendous upside. He's physically going to be ready to play as a true freshman. He can play inside, out and has an unbelievable motor. The sky's the limit for Pharrel."
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