For months, rumors have suggested that Royce White was preparing to transfer to another high school for the second time since the spring. White, who was kicked out of De La Salle earlier this year, said Friday afternoon, however, that there’s no way he’ll play for any other school but Hopkins during his senior year.

“There’s nothing possible that’s going to make me go anywhere else other than Hopkins,” he said. “I’m playing my senior year at Hopkins High School.”

Hopkins coach Ken Novak said White’s under a lot of pressure because of his talent, which fuels rumors about him. Novak said former Hopkins star Kris Humphries endured similar scrutiny when he was in high school.

But the current buzz surrounding White has nothing to do with his next move. During a Howard Pulley summer league game Wednesday, White was kicked out after an altercation with future teammate and Gophers forward Damian Johnson.

White said that Johnson is “my boy,” and he attributed the altercation and ejection, which was preceded by White trash talking and tossing a ball at Johnson when his back was turned, to his competitive spirit.

“Me and Damian were just in a good competition,” White said.

Tubby Smith was upset and befuddled when he learned about White’s verbal sparring session with his future teammate. During a conversation with a colleague, Smith questioned White’s immaturity. And who wouldn’t? White got into a public feud with Johnson, who might be his captain when he joins the team in 2009. That can’t be good for team chemistry.

-I had a chance to watch Osseo’s Sam Dower at the Twin Cities Summer Classic earlier this week. He reminds me of Roy Hibbert. I know he’s 6-9, not seven feet tall. But his mannerisms remind me of Hibbert. That’s a good and bad thing.

It’s a good thing because I think Dower, like Hibbert, will get better with the help of a collegiate strength training program and Division I coaching/competition. But I question his motor. I saw too many lost rebounds and unchallenged shots when he was in the game. But he also showed some impressive moves underneath the basket and used his length well when he wanted to.

I understand why Iowa and other Division I schools want him. But I also understand why coaches like Tubby Smith aren’t 100 percent sold on his game. He’s definitely a project. But I think he has a lot of potential.

-Jamal Abu-Shamala scored 11 points Friday and helped the Jordan national team win the William Jones Cup in China.

Next year’s roster features two guys with international experience (Devoe Joseph, Abu-Shamala), a two-time ESPY award nominee (Blake Hoffarber), the former national prep scoring champ (Lawrence Westbrook), the son of one of the greatest college basketball players ever (Ralph Sampson III), two NCAA champs (Tubby and Saul Smith) and a national juco player of the year (Devron Bostick). That’s some resume.

-Former Michigan State point guard Drew Neitzel is averaging 5.3 points per game for the T-Wolves summer league squad. Former Gophers forward Dan Coleman only played seven minutes in one appearance. He didn’t score, but he recorded one block.

-What else will go wrong with Indiana basketball?

-Rodney Williams Jr. has performed well at camps and AAU tournaments throughout the United States and has continued to solidify his standing as one of the top players in the country. I think Royce White is a more complete player at this juncture, but Williams’ ceiling is higher.

An obvious target of the Gophers, Williams has listed Minnesota among the schools he’s considering. And even though he’s received offers from schools around the country, I’ve been told by sources close to Williams’ recruiting process that his father would like his son to stay close to home, a sentiment reiterated by another source last week.

That doesn’t mean he’ll choose the Gophers. He has offers from Iowa, Bradley, Iowa State and Wisconsin, too.

But my sources suggest that his father doesn’t want him to play anywhere that forces him to drive a long distance to see him play. My sources also said that Williams did well academically last semester and they’re confident that he’ll do what he takes to qualify to play in 2009-10.

-Sam Dower, a 6-9 forward from Osseo, is picking up steam along the recruiting trail. He’s reportedly picked up offers from Iowa, Marquette and Colorado State. And the Gophers are also interested. But if he intends to play for Minnesota next year, he’s  not helping his cause, according to one insider.

Dower hasn’t heeded to the Gophers’ requests for him to attend various Minnesota team camps and workouts this summer. He has reportedly traveled a lot this summer, which is why he hasn’t accepted Minnesota’s invitations. But the insider said it feels like Dower isn’t giving Gophers officials the opportunity to complete a more thorough analysis of his game. And based on what they’ve seen so far, he has some work to do to convince them that he’s ready for Big Ten ball. But Minnesota, along with a number of other schools, will attend this weekend’s TC Summer Classic in the western suburbs, where Dower’s skills will be on display.

A Gophers insider told me earlier this week that former Gophers point guard Lawrence McKenzie recently received an offer from a German professional team for $60,000 a year.

McKenzie, a 6-2 guard, has been working out six days a week at a local YMCA with his father, Larry, to stay in shape. Larry McKenzie said at least seven European teams are interested in McKenzie’s services, but some of the teams want him to play point guard, while the others want him on the wing.

Larry McKenzie said his son is currently weighing his options, but he thinks Lawrence will have to prove himself as a point guard overseas, if he hopes to make a transition back to an American team. If given the chance, Larry McKenzie said Lawrence would probably be torn between plying his trade in Europe and playing in the NBA’s D-League.

-This summer, Damian Johnson has played with a ferocity that Tubby Smith would admire, but he’s not allowed to attend Johnson’s Howard Pulley pro-am games. Johnson has added 15 pounds to his frame, and he now weighs 207, but he’d like to get up to 215 by the start of the season, he said.  Al Nolen has also gained five pounds since the end of the year.

-Blake Hoffarber must be excited about the upcoming ESPYs, his second trip in three years. Johnson said he witnessed Hoffarber dunk for the first time in a recent open gym.

-After watching Colton Iverson in Howard Pulley, it’s clear to me that that Gophers should go after his clone (based on style of play): Hopkins’ Mike Broghammer.

Hello all.

After a six-week absence, I’m back. My first child, Jasmine, was born May 27 at 7:28 p.m. I took some time off to bond with her and help my wife recover.

During my time off, however, I stayed close to the Gophers grapevine … when I wasn’t preparing baby bottles, washing the shirts my daughter spit up on, sleeping whenever possible and rocking her until she fell asleep only to wake up again 15 minutes later in some sort of infant Gotcha! bit. Here’s what I heard and learned:

-The Gophers like Columbia Heights guard Jacob Thomas. I was at Gophers team camp in Minneapolis, where Minnesota coaches paid close attention to Thomas, a 6-3 scorer in the 2010 class who has good basketball instincts. One Gophers insider admired Thomas’ ability to get the basket with ease. He already has an offer from Northern Iowa, but he wants to play for the Gophers.

Minnesota coaches also noted the playmaking ability of Thomas’ teammate, Markus Shaw, a 5-11 point guard in the 2010 class. Shaw has a lot of speed and during Minnesota team camp, he showed it off. He’s not on a lot of radars, so Minnesota’s perceived interest at a camp frequented by a number of college coaches could help Shaw earn a free ride somewhere.

-Rodney Williams will wait to sign with a school until the fall, according to Rene Pulley. That’s not news. But Pulley also said Williams really likes Tubby Smith and the Gophers and suggested that Williams’ decision to take official visits to other schools doesn’t necessarily mean he’s wide open. He said Williams, like any other teenager, likes the idea of being wined and dined (not literally) by other schools.

-Ralph Sampson has a lot to learn, according to one Gophers insider. That’s not to say that Sampson doesn’t have the basketball IQ and raw skills to become a great player for the Gophers, but when asked if Sampson could become a one-and-done or even a two-and-done player that goes to the pros after a few years, the Gophers insider said Sampson will probably need at least four years to get to that level, which is no guarantee.

I’m sure Ohio State had the same feelings about Kosta Koufos, who was drafted by the Jazz in the first round of the NBA Draft, proving that the combination of height and raw talent too often leads to NBA contracts.

-A long time ago, I wrote that Lawrence Westbrook was on his way out. As he progressed throughout the year, bloggers criticized that prediction. Believe me or not, a very good source told me that Westbrook wasn’t responding well to Tubby Smith’s system. But a year later, another good source told me that the starting shooting guard spot is Westbrook’s to lose, even though Devoe Joseph, Devron Bostick and Blake Hoffarber could all compete for minutes at that position.

-Blake Hoffarber is up for an ESPY, again. That’s fine. But I covered the game that was the scene of his second infamous shot. I was actually standing over Hoffarber and his teammates as they jumped on him in front of press row after he nailed the buzzer beater. All I’m saying is that I think my performance deserves some mention in his acceptance speech. I’d even appreciate being the guy in the crowd who shakes his hand before he walks toward the podium to accept his award. Assuming he wins. And barring any unforeseen ethical violations.

-Minnesota’s outdated facilities may have contributed to the loss of former recruits Krys Faber and Verdell Jones III, according to one Gophers insider. Williams Arena is one of the oldest venues in the country and every basketball program in the Big Ten seems to have some plan to build new facilities except the Gophers. Jones, a guard from Champaign, Ill., signed with Indiana, where a brand new practice facility is in the works, while Faber, a center from L.A., signed with DePaul, where the Blue Demons play in an arena that recently underwent a $20 million renovation.

-Former Iowa State guard Wesley Johnson, who recently decided to transfer, wants to know if the Gophers are interested in his services. Johnson was a member of the Big 12 All-Rookie squad that featured Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin. But injuries hurt the talented sophomore last season. It’s an intriguing idea for the Gophers to grab a player like Johnson. Prior to last season’s Iowa State contest, Tubby Smith spent some time talking to reporters about Johnson’s talent. But Smith doesn’t like to bring in transfers. Johnson wouldn’t be allowed to play until the 2009-10 season. And that’s the year that Royce White arrives to play the 2/3 spot that Johnson would want to play.

I just talked to Indiana Jones, a.k.a. Verdell Jones III, about his choice. He said Indiana will give him a chance to play close to home, and he likes the way that Tom Crean develops his guards.

He also said that he’s not worried about Indiana’s pending sanctions. Indiana officials have told him that they don’t believe the university will face major sanctions for Kelvin Sampson’s recruiting violations. Jones said he thinks the school will only lose a few scholarships.

Also, he’s very excited about playing right away. The Hoosiers aren’t bringing anyone of value (outside of Jordan Crawford) back next season. He also made it sound like he was really wavering between Kentucky and Indiana at the end of the day. He praised Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie.

“They expect me to come in and make a big contribution,” he said. “

According to a Gophers official who confirmed that Jones called Gophers coaches recently to tell them that he’d chosen Indiana over Minnesota.

A day after Verdell Jones III canceled a trip to Arizona late last night, his father assured me that although he wants to play in the Midwest, he includes Indiana, Minnesota and Kentucky as schools in that region.

Through a text-message dialogue, he assured me that Kentucky was definitely in the mix for Jones’ services. But I think he’ll definitely play for the Gophers next season, based on my discussions with him this week.

But, I also thought that Krys Faber would be playing next to Ralph Sampson III next season.

I just talked to Verdell Jones Jr., father of Minnesota recruit Verdell Jones III. The Champaign, Ill., point guard will announce his college choice during a press conference at 5 p.m. Monday, according to his father.

Jones has received scholarship offers from Kentucky, Indiana and Minnesota. He’s scheduled to visit Arizona Friday.  He is one of the top unsigned players in the country.

Jones’ dad said he’s not sure where his son wants to play college basketball. But he’s asked members of the Twin Cities media to attend the press conference. My theory is that Jones is going to Arizona to tell school officials that they have one final opportunity to officially offer him a scholarship.

If the Wildcats make the offer during Jones’ weekend trip, he will play for Arizona next season. If they don’t, he’ll be a Gopher.

-I just talked to Verdell Jones Jr., the father of Minnesota recruit Verdell Jones III, a point guard from Champaign, Ill. He’s scheduled to take a trip to Minneapolis Wednesday morning to talk to the Gophers about potentially playing here next season. He’ll talk to coaches and watch player workouts.

If he likes what he sees, again, Jones may commit on the spot, his father said. But Indiana coaches were at the family’s home Monday, and Jones has already scheduled visits to Arizona and Virginia. Translation: Wednesday’s meeting is Minnesota’s last chance to woo Jones.

-Gophers insiders said Tuesday that the Gophers expect former De La Salle/Hopkins prep Royce White to commit to Minnesota soon. That’s peculiar based on what I gathered recently from sources who suggested that White’s academic issues at De La Salle severely hurt his chances of ever playing for the Gophers.

-I talked to Lawrence Westbrook last week. He said he’s not transferring. But he is out for the next four months, after undergoing a surgical procedure to fix his right hand, which was heavily taped throughout the season. He said he tore a ligament in the hand during the season.

-I saw Dan Coleman at a Chinese restaurant last week. Man, he’s tall. He said he’s not sweating his future. He said European basketball teams will welcome his services because there’s a shortage of big men over there. “There are a lot of little guys,” he said.

-About Krys Faber. The 6-11 prep from L.A. chose DePaul over Minnesota. His high school coach William Middlebrooks said Faber liked Chicago. But no one really knows what attracted him to the basketball program. DePaul struggled in the Big East, and so far, they don’t have a great recruiting class. Minnesota, with five tough recruits, might evolve into one of the Big Ten’s top teams in a few years. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.