Sam Dower, the 6-9 Osseo PF/C who recently received an offer from the Gophers, will take an unofficial visit to Minnesota Wednesday, according to his AAU coach, Marquise Watts. He’ll meet with Tubby Smith.

Watts said Dower narrowed his list down to five schools (Gonzaga, George Mason, Cal, Minnesota and Marquette) last week, after receiving nearly 25 Division I offers, some of which came after Dower’s strong performances at AAU tourneys in Phoenix and Las Vegas. Minnesota seemed hesitant after watching his performances in various tournaments this summer, but now, they’re interested.

But Watts said Dower wants to make sure that the Gophers really want him. Watts said coaches from George Mason and Gonzaga attended all of Dower’s games in Phoenix and Las Vegas. He also said Dower doesn’t feel obligated to play closer to home.

A few weeks ago, Gophers sources told me that they weren’t sure about Dower. They were worried about his rebounding skills and his sporadic aggressiveness.

We’ll see how this all plays out. I think Dower is a project. The Gophers already have two projects in the post already in Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson.

Dower reminds me of former Georgetown C Roy Hibbert. When he’s into the game and playing with a lot of heart, he’s dangerous. But there are times when you watch him play and wonder if he truly has a passion for basketball. But he’s young, and he may turn out to be a great player. He definitely has a ton of raw talent.

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