Hopkins grad Taylor Woodson transfers to Gophers

A former Minnesota high school basketball star is coming home to play for the Gophers.

The University of Minnesota women’s basketball team officially announced the addition of Taylor Woodson to the roster on Thursday.

Woodson, a Minnetonka native and Hopkins High School graduate, spent last season at Michigan, averaging 1.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 8.9 minutes per game. She’ll have three years of eligibility left.

“Taylor is a great addition to our program,” Gophers Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “She is an athletic perimeter player who has the ability to impact the game in many ways. She pushes the ball up the floor, she gets to the rim and creates shots either for herself or for her teammates. She moves well without the ball, and she defends and rebounds at a high level. Taylor was a two-time state champion at Hopkins and she is someone whom our community knows well. We are really excited about having Taylor come home and play for the Gophers, and we look forward to her continuing to grow and develop her game.”

“I cannot wait to be at the University of Minnesota for the next three years and play for my home team,” Woodson added. “I am thankful for the opportunity to play in front of friends and family, and I am excited for what’s to come. It is going to be something special.”

On the Gophers, Woodson will reunite with her high school teammate Amaya Battle, a current Minnesota guard. Battle and Woodson, a former four-star recruit, helped lead Hopkins to two state titles and earned all-state and all-conference honors her senior year.

She also has a family tie to the university, as her father, Johnny, was a wide receiver for the Gophers back in the ’90s.