Both Gach will continue his college career in his home state.
The 6-foot-6 University of Utah transfer announced Monday afternoon his commitment to the University of Minnesota. The Gophers, whose Minneapolis campus is roughly 100 miles from where Gach grew up in Austin, Minn., were among a group of five finalists that included Iowa State, Creighton, Auburn and Maryland.
Gach, who entered his name into the NBA draft underclassmen pool on April 6, more than a month before he announced his intention to transfer, plans to remove his name from draft consideration, one source told The Salt Lake Tribune. With the NBA ramping back up, the date to withdraw and maintain NCAA eligibility was recently moved to Aug. 3, with the NBA draft now scheduled for Oct. 15.
Normally, Gach would have to take a redshirt during the 2020-21 season, but a second source told The Tribune he intends to apply for an immediate-eligibility waiver from the NCAA.
While Minnesota was the presumed favorite for Gach, Maryland was thought to have made significant progress in recent weeks. The Terrapins roster includes 7-foot-2 South Sudanede sophomore Chol Marial. Gach and Marial spent time together at Phoenix-AZ Compass Prep before enrolling at Utah and Maryland, respectively.
As a sophomore, Gach averaged 10.7 points and 3.6 rebounds for the 16-15 Utes. He missed four games in the middle of the season with a knee injury, sandwiched inside some moments of brilliance. A late-season awakening included 28 points on 9-for-15 shooting in 42 minutes of an overtime win over Colorado to close the regular season.
