Good Q&A in the Athletic here.
Relevant portions:
Once you entered the portal, you narrowed down your finalist schools quickly. Some players want to go in and be courted and recruited by everyone, but you didn’t seem too interested in that.
First and foremost, there’s a respect level. I wasn’t trying to string along any of these coaches if I didn’t feel like I was going to attend their school. I didn’t want them to miss out on an opportunity to land some other kid who was seriously considering them. But in terms of cutting my list, those first few days, I knew what I was looking for, and those four schools (Cincinnati, Marquette, Missouri and Iowa State) had it. Then it was tough because that next week was spent thinking about the best fit for me. I wrote down a little numbering system of what was important to me in my decision, and Cincinnati had the highest number.
What were some of the things on that list?
Relationship with the coaching staff. Spiritual level, where I could be myself. That one was a big reason why I chose Cincinnati because Coach Jayson Gee is big in his faith. He mentored Coach Juan Rickman, my high school coach, so he was someone I felt like I could lean on spiritually. Being close to home wasn’t worth as much as the other points, but it was worth something, and then being in a good environment. Cincinnati has a good fanbase that supports them, and it felt like somewhere I could call home and really connect with the community.
Relevant portions:
Once you entered the portal, you narrowed down your finalist schools quickly. Some players want to go in and be courted and recruited by everyone, but you didn’t seem too interested in that.
First and foremost, there’s a respect level. I wasn’t trying to string along any of these coaches if I didn’t feel like I was going to attend their school. I didn’t want them to miss out on an opportunity to land some other kid who was seriously considering them. But in terms of cutting my list, those first few days, I knew what I was looking for, and those four schools (Cincinnati, Marquette, Missouri and Iowa State) had it. Then it was tough because that next week was spent thinking about the best fit for me. I wrote down a little numbering system of what was important to me in my decision, and Cincinnati had the highest number.
What were some of the things on that list?
Relationship with the coaching staff. Spiritual level, where I could be myself. That one was a big reason why I chose Cincinnati because Coach Jayson Gee is big in his faith. He mentored Coach Juan Rickman, my high school coach, so he was someone I felt like I could lean on spiritually. Being close to home wasn’t worth as much as the other points, but it was worth something, and then being in a good environment. Cincinnati has a good fanbase that supports them, and it felt like somewhere I could call home and really connect with the community.
