Craig Smith has wasted little time since he was named the head coach of the Runnin’ Utes. First, he convinced Riley Battin to withdraw from the NCAA Transfer Portal. Then, on Friday he got his first commitment In Cincinnati transfer Gabe Madsen.
Madsen made his intentions known on Twitter:
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The 6-foot-5 and 195 guard opted out of the 2020-21 after playing in two games and averaging 1.5 points and one rebounds—an extremely small sample size.
This is what he had to say at the time of his opt out:
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Madsen was the no. 45 rated shooting guard by Rivals out of Mayo HS in Rochester, Minnesota. His twin brother Mason is also in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Out of high school, Madsen had scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Marquette. Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota and more.
With the addition of Madsen, Smith and his assistants need to fill 5-6 more spots, as 2020 signee Norbert Thelissen put his name in the portal after never arriving on campus. They’ll also continue to rerecruit forward Timmy Allen, but with each passing day that seems less likely. Along with Allen and Thelissen, Alfonso Plummer, Lahat Thioune, and Jordan Kellier all entered their name in the portal.
