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Nolen Anderson commits to Gophers: Q&A with Wayzata standout
Wayzata senior Nolen Anderson gave his verbal commitment to Niko Medved and the Gophers for the 2026 class in late July. He's the second Minnesota native to sign with the Gophers, joining close friend Cedric Tomes. FOX 9's Jeff Wald caught up with Anderson to talk about what led to his decision to stay home and play for Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - One of the top high school basketball players in Minnesota’s class of 2026 is staying home to play for Niko Medved and the Gophers.
Nolen Anderson, a consensus four-star recruit at Wayzata, gave his verbal commitment to Medved and the Gophers in late July on a FaceTime call with his parents. The 6-7 forward averaged about 18 points per game to help lead the Trojans to a Class 4A state championship. He had interest from Northern Iowa, Drake, Illinois State, Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan.
FOX 9’s Jeff Wald caught up with Anderson to talk about his pledge to Minnesota. He took his official visit to campus on the weekend the Gophers’ football team rallied to beat Rutgers.
Q&A with Nolen Anderson
What was your recruitment process like?
"It was great. It was great to experience it, my recruiting process was a little bit later than some others. Going to a place that wanted me as much as I wanted them was a big thing for me. They constantly showed interest, it was a huge plus to have that school be the one that’s in my home state. They’re the school I want to be at, somewhere I could really fit and see myself excelling in. I didn’t want to have to wait any longer, so I gave coach Medved a call and told him I was ready to be a Gopher."
You’re the second Minnesota 2026 commit to stay home, along with Cedric Tomes. Are you two close?
"I’m really close with Cedric Tomes. I’ve been playing with him since eighth grade in AAU, I’ve gotten to know him really well. I love Cedric, he’s a good friend of mine and I love playing with him. Can’t wait to do some more in college."
Was playing for the Gophers more realistic with Niko Medved?
"I had some thoughts like that. I didn’t want to get too high over my head, make sure I could earn it first. It was sweet to see he was coming here, I think he’s a great guy to help turn the program around, and I was pretty pumped."
What was your official visit like?
"It was sweet, it was fun to be around the guys, get know them better, the guys I’ll be playing with next year. Just knowing them better as people and players, it was great. Cedric came down the same weekend. Just a good environment for me to be in. Got to watch football game with them, got to watch practice, got to go to dinner with them. It was a great overall experience."
How excited are you to wear the Gophers jersey and play at Williams Arena as a Minnesota native?
"Looking forward to it, it makes you eager to get out there, play and work hard, keep getting better just so you can put yourself in a position to play next year. Play in front of my family and people I’ve known."
How much was NIL a factor in committing to the Gophers?
"It’s a factor, obviously the money is a huge thing in college sports now. But for me, I didn’t want the money to be the reason I went somewhere or didn’t go somewhere. I want it for me to be about fit and where I’m going fit best and succeed the best and have the best opportunity to perform and get on the court. The money was a factor, but it wasn’t a do-or-die type of situation."
What’s the outlook for Wayzata after winning the state title last year?
"It's up to us, the only thing that’s going to stop us is ourselves. We have super high expectations and we just have to continue to work and not expect to just earn stuff because of what we did last year, write our own story this year."
What's next:
Anderson will make his commitment to the Gophers official on Nov. 12, when the early-signing period opens for high school seniors.