The summer before his sophomore year, East Ridge's Cedric Tomes was the first player in the state's 2026 class to receive a scholarship offer from the Gophers.

It was also the first Division I offer for one of the best shooters in Minnesota high school basketball, but Tomes has expanded his game since then to rank among the top scorers as well.

The 2026 class is stacked at the top with major D-I prospects, including Wayzata's Christian Wiggins, Hopkins' Jayden Moore and Totino-Grace's Dothan Ijadimbola.

None of them started this season better than Tomes. He's averaging 29.8 points through 12 games, including a 40-point performance in a 71-62 win last month against Totino-Grace.

"I knew going into the year that roles were going to change and I was going to have to step up," Tomes said. "I was going to have to do more of everything, help guys grow and see what I can do to help the team win."

Ayrton Breckenridge, The Minnesota Star Tribune
Cedric Tomes, shown during an October game, is also quarterback for East Ridge's football team.

A varsity player since eighth grade, Tomes went from a 5-7, 140-pound point guard who wasn't comfortable scoring at the basket to a nearly 6-1, 175-pound combo guard able to play through contact and consistently get into the lane.

"The last two years at the varsity level, I wasn't necessarily able to get into the paint consistently," Tomes said. "But after a long summer with my trainer and getting stronger, that's what I did to take it to the next level."

Strength has made a big difference in his development. Tomes has never been afraid to launch shots from NBA range or even shoot logo three-pointers like Steph Curry or Caitlin Clark. He always has had deep range, but he's harder to defend when he's able to score at all three levels.

"I keep putting on muscle, but also staying agile and explosive is what I like to work on," he said.

As a quarterback on East Ridge's varsity, Tomes accounted for more than 1,700 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing and passing last year. He never thought about giving up his cleats to focus solely on hoops.

"I've been playing since I was 6 years old," he said. "I feel like I wanted to continue it through high school. I love playing both. Growing up I did see [former Minnehaha Academy star Jalen Suggs] do that stuff. Obviously, he was a quarterback, too. It was cool having guys at my position doing that and learning from them."

Tomes looked up to Suggs but especially admires former Apple Valley and Duke point guard Tyus Jones. He played for Jones' Team Tyus AAU program for a few years before switching to D1 Minnesota.

Next up as one of Minnesota's most highly recruited guards, Tomes has offers now from Iowa State, Oklahoma, St. Thomas, Drake and Northern Iowa. Notre Dame has shown interest, too.

"It's been a cool process, but I'm just taking it day by day," Tomes said.

The Gophers have been struggling in coach Ben Johnson's fourth season, but Tomes still attends home games at Williams Arena. He was grateful to get that first offer from the home-state Big Ten program.

"I have been to a few games," Tomes said. "I love the staff over there. They're very welcoming, and I'm grateful for all the things they've been doing [in recruiting]. It's just a fun process. I'm embracing it and watching all the teams to see how they're doing."