Former Mankato East star BJ Omot heard from new Gophers coach Niko Medved immediately after entering the transfer portal last month following his season with Cal.

Omot drew interest from other power conference programs, but he appreciated the Gophers making him a top priority. He felt excited about possibly returning to his home state, he said Wednesday.

"Coach Medved reached out to me in the portal really fast," Omot said. "I took my visit on Monday. I really like the coaching staff. I've known them since high school. Coming home felt like the right thing to do."

Medved picked up a potential starting wing after Omot signed his letter of intent Wednesday. The 6-8 junior can't wait to showcase how much he has improved since high school and his first two college basketball seasons at North Dakota.

"I feel like I can really excel in Coach Medved's offense because there's a lot of ball movement and freedom," Omot said. "And a lot of people also don't know that I'm an elite perimeter defender."

A season-ending wrist injury limited Omot to four games with the Golden Bears in 2024-25. He averaged 10.8 points, including 15 points, six rebounds and two steals vs. Vanderbilt.

"We're thrilled to add BJ to our Gopher program," Medved said in a statement. "BJ is athletic with size, length and skill. Along with his offensive talent as a wing, he is a great perimeter defender. I look forward to having him represent his home state and the Maroon and Gold."

Three years ago, Omot led Mankato East to the Class 3A semifinals before falling to eventual state champion Totino-Grace. After playing for D1 Minnesota's AAU program, he nearly committed to play in the Big East at Providence, but he decided to go to North Dakota to play right away as a freshman.

In two seasons with UND, Omot started 65 games and earned All-Summit League first-team honors while averaging a team-high 16.7 points in 2023-24, which included five straight 20-point performances. His highlight was a 30-point game vs. Missouri Kansas City.

"Coming out of high school, I was being recruited by a lot of high majors, including Minnesota," Omot said. "But I just decided to go to North Dakota and grind from there. That was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I felt like I grew as a player and a person as well."

At Cal, Omot looked forward to making an impact on a roster that included former Gophers forward Joshua Ola-Joseph, but the Golden Bears finished 14-19 in their first season playing in the ACC.

"It was kind of a down year, but I felt like I showed a little glimpse of what I could do," Omot said. "I just felt like I needed a new place and a fresh start."

Omot is one of eight children of parents who came from South Sudan and raised their family in Minnesota. Being able to play in front of them was another big reason to pick the Gophers.

"It's going to be really cool to have my people there supporting me," Omot said. "That's going to make me strive to be better, too."

The Gophers received commitments on back-to-back days. Colorado State transfer Jaylen Crocker-Johnson decided Tuesday to follow Medved to Minnesota after entering the transfer portal.

Gophers 2025 recruit Kai Shinholster from Philadelphia Penn Charter said Wednesday he remains committed under Medved.