After leading his AAU team to a national runner-up finish in early July, Wayzata’s Nolen Anderson picked up the scholarship offer he had been waiting for from the Gophers.

It didn’t take long for Anderson to show how excited he was about the opportunity to stay home to play college basketball.

On Thursday, the 6-7 senior wing announced his commitment to new Gophers coach Niko Medved.

“When I told Niko he was pretty pumped and so was the rest of the staff,” Anderson told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “I’m excited. I can’t wait to get down there next year.”

Medved and assistant coach Dave Thorson watched Anderson’s breakout performance during D1 Minnesota 17U’s run to the Adidas 3SSB championship game in South Carolina. Anderson visited the U unofficially and started to build a relationship with the new coaching staff that has already established a strong local presence since Ben Johnson was fired in late March.

“The biggest thing is how invested they were in me and showing their interest in me,” Anderson said. “They were at every single one of my games [during the live recruiting period]. They were nonstop communicating with me and being honest and transparent with everything.”

Anderson, who also had offers from Virginia Tech, Drake, Illinois-Chicago, Montana, Northern Iowa, Ohio and Toledo, expanded his game this summer after being labeled as mostly a three-point shooter during his high school career. His ability to shoot, slash and score from all three levels was a tough matchup for opponents.

“My body and athleticism are probably the biggest things I improved,” Anderson said. “I’ve always shot it pretty well ... wanted to keep getting better with that. And just tried to get more efficient with shot selection.”

Anderson, who transferred from Eden Prairie to Wayzata before his junior year, ranked second on the team in scoring during the 2024-25 season with 17.5 points per game. He helped the Trojans win the Class 4A state title with a team-best 24 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in the championship game against Cretin-Derham Hall at Williams Arena.

Fellow Wayzata senior Christian Wiggins, an Iowa State recruit, was recently ranked as the No. 1 player in Prep Hoops’ updated Class of 2026 rankings. Anderson was No. 2 and Gophers recruit and East Ridge guard Cedric Tomes was No. 3.

Tomes received an offer in May and became Medved’s first in-state high school commitment with the Gophers. Tomes, Wiggins and Anderson helped D1 Minnesota become one of the best AAU teams in the country this summer.

“Having Christian and Cedric with me since eighth grade has been huge in my development,” Anderson said. “It helps having guys around you with similar goals and aspirations. I love those guys. Can’t wait to play with Cedric more [in college] and Christian in high school.”

Growing up a Gophers fan, Anderson has family ties to the U basketball program with his late grandfather, Marlo Miller, who played for coaches Ozzie Cowles and John Kundla from 1957 to ’60.

“He was the basketball side of my family and showing up to games,” Anderson said of Miller, who died in 2021. “We have missed him. His influence on me was great. Being able to play on the same court as him one day is going to be surreal.”

Anderson is eager to wear maroon and gold, but first wants to create more memories at the Barn with another state title before his college career.

“I want to repeat everything I did last year,” Anderson said. “Then, it will be fun playing on the court I will be playing many more games on.”