First off, I have to have Jordan Railey, some props for following through on his commitment to Iowa State, and sending in his LOI. With all of the turmoil going on, it was a good thing to get him. As far as size goes, we were the biggest school to offer, as his other offers were Utah State and Portland, but something I've learned over the past couple of years is to take NOTHING for granted in the world of Iowa State Athletics.
Continuing on Railey, I think people are going to assume that he automatically will step in and be the Center. First off, I hate the thinking that you NEED a Center. You don't. This isn't 1990. Shaq and 'Zo are long gone from the college game. This game is about guards, and about athletes. You need some good rebounding, yes. You need some shot blocking skills, without a doubt. But you don't NEED a classic center. You see schools do alright with 4-5 guards. You just have to fit what you're doing to match the players you have.
I wish Railey the best, and hope he sticks around for a while, but to expect him to come out of the gates and be a major factor right away isn't fair to the kid. He was a guy recruited to be behind Justin Hamilton for 2 years, and then be "the center". It isn't his fault, Hamilton bolted. Be fair to him when he comes.
I wish Chris Colvin and the ISU Coaching Staff would just get this thing over with if it's a done deal he's leaving, as it is being report on Fox Sports. If he doesn't want to be at ISU, just come out and say it. I don't see any positives from dragging this on. Someone could argue that it is to not disrupt the recruiting process, but this period lasts for like a month, and there have been reports online about this for over a week now. It isn't that hard to find. Plus, if you were a recruit and a reason was to play with Colvin, and you were never told he was leaving until after you signed, wouldn't you be kind of pissed anyway? Better to be upfront and honest.
If Colvin does indeed leave, that leaves 3 scholarships open for 2010. So who the eff are we going to get?
Well, I told you about Bo Barnes coming on campus a couple of weeks ago. Apparently ISU offered, and his choices are between Hawaii and us. When an unrated prospect may entertain the idea of going to Hawaii as opposed to signing with you, I think that pretty much sums up the (lack of) success we've had over the years.
The John Wilkins Saga continues as well. Wilkins had originally committed to Iowa State verbally, but then there was that drama with his dad pimp slapping ISU all over the Peoria Journal Star. According to rivals, Wilkins has visited and is considering Illinois State, Indiana, ISU, and Providence. We'll see what happens there. Apparently this guy has the potential to be a game changer, and all kidding aside, sounds like a good person to pick up at this stage.
I heard Chris Williams of Cyclonefanatic on the radio say that Andre Clark, visited ISU, liked the visit more than he had expected, but is also considering TCU. Clark was being recruited by "D-Rob" Daniyal Robinson, so that's going to be a tough one to sign, but we really need some front court help some guys.
Apparently there is this Oto Osenieks, a PF out of Carbondale Illinois, that is considering ISU, Florida, Green Bay, Minnesota, and Providence. A very interesting assortment of schools to say the least.
Darrell Haley, a C out of Palmdale, CA is a name that has been out there for a while. He was recruited by Otzelberger, so hopefully the Robinson move isn't affected there. Haley is apparently deciding between Wyoming and Iowa State.
Will Clyburn, the friend of signee DeMarcus Phillips hasn't signed yet either. ISU seemed like it would be the front runner, but apparently he visteed Utah last weekend, and was offered by them as well.
Other than that, I don't know. It's hard to have high hopes, and I'm sure there are some guys under the radar I'm not aware of. That's what not being an "insider" gets you at times, I suppose. I remember when Oliver was signed last year, that seemed out of the blue.
As we continue to hear rumors, remember one thing: if a guy has been offered by another Big 12 School, he probably isn't coming to ISU. McDermott and his staff have gone o-fer when a recruit has been offered by another Big 12 school... At least to my knowledge (if anyone knows otherwise, let me know if the comments).
The good news is that Railey signed. We'll just wait and see what happens with the rest.