Top Canadian recruit Tristan Beckford to visit Gophers men’s basketball this week

Gophers men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson centered his recruiting efforts in the backcourt recently toward Canada’s No. 1 senior Tristan Beckford.

The bouncy 6-6, 195-pound Beckford has an official visit to Minnesota scheduled for Monday. He has power conference scholarship offers from the Gophers, Iowa, Oregon, Mississippi State, Arizona State and Seton Hall.

An Ontario native, Beckford led the Canadian junior national team in scoring (13 points per game) and rebounding (7.3) at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Argentina this summer. He earned all-tournament team honors after leading Canada to the bronze medal.

Beckford, who is ranked as a four-star prospect by 247Sports, transferred from Hillcrest Prep in Arizona to finish his high school career back in his homeland with Fort Erie International Academy in Canada.

Known as a slasher and lockdown defender, Beckford’s elite athleticism was on display with one of the top highlights of the spring when he dunked on five-star forward A.J. Dybantsa, the top prospect regardless of class in high school hoops.

The Gophers have a chance to make a big splash with Beckford, but another scheduled official visit this week was cancelled by Cretin-Derham Hall’s 6-10 senior Tommy Ahneman. Ahneman, the No. 1 senior prospect in Minnesota by 247Sports, had a great visit to Notre Dame over the weekend and committed to the Irish today.

Johnson currently has a one-player 2025 recruiting class with three-star Philadelphia William Penn guard Kai Shinholster, who committed to the Gophers in early September.