Signing Day 2021: Lindsay Whalen reviews her star-studded Gophers class

Gophers women’s basketball coach Lindsay Whalen reviewed her star-studded 2022 Recruiting Class, ranked as one the best nationally, and the best in program history.

It includes Wayzata’s Mara Braun, Hopkins’ Amaya Battle, Eden Prairie’s Nia Holloway, and Chaska’s Mallory Heyer.

***Click the video box above to watch Whalen’s news conference***

“I am thrilled to announce this incoming recruiting class that includes four young women who exemplify what it means to be a Gopher,” Whalen said. “As the highest ranked class in school history, we are not only proud of the basketball players that these young women are, but how they carry themselves in the community and in the state of Minnesota. They are going to make an impact that will last for years to come.”

ESPN had Minnesota as the No. 7 ranked class in the country.

Braun, a four-star recruit for Wayzata high school, is the 28th-ranked player overall in the class and the No. 8 point guard, per ESPN. The 6’0 Braun averaged 18.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.5 steals per game in high school while shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from three.

Battle is also a four-star recruit and is ranked No. 39 overall, and the No. 11 point guard in the nation, according to ESPN. The 5-foot-11 Battle is the younger sister of Gopher men’s basketball player Jamison Battle. During her junior year, she averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Playing for Chaska high school, Heyer too is a four-star recruit and is ranked as the 55th-best player in the 2022 class and the No. 11 forward, according to ESPN. The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 57 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three.

Holloway, a star at Eden Prairie high school, is the 90th-ranked player overall in the country and the No. 5 player in the state of Minnesota, according to the Jr. All-Star Rankings. During her junior year, she averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game while shooting 58.4 percent from the floor and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.