West Virginia picked up two key commitments Monday, landing pledges from Aurora, Illinois point guard Ryan Boatright and Brunswick, Ohio big man Pat Forsythe.
Boatright initially committed to then-Southern Cal coach Tim Floyd as an 8th-grader, but has now landed on the opposite side of the country.
The 5-foot-10 Boatright announced Monday that he will attend West Virginia, choosing the Mountaineers over Providence and Miami. He visited Providence and West Virginia in the last two weeks.
“I’m taking my talents elsewhere, to West Virginia,” Boatright said at East Aurora High School, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The No. 11-ranked point guard according to Rivals, Boatright averaged 26.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.3 steals last season.
“I think Ryan will bring back the old [Bob] Huggins style of play when he was putting up more than 85 points a game at Cincinnati,” said Reggie Rose, his AAU coach. “I think Huggins just got his right-handed Nick Van Exel. But he’s more athletic than Nick.”
The Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported the commitment of the 6-10, 240-pound Forsythe to West Virginia.
“Pat went from a virtual unknown to one of the top big-man recruits in the country,” Brunswick coach Joe Mackey told the newspaper.
“He is not listed in any of the magazines or the recruiting lists. But, he was noticed during a tournament in Las Vegas at the end of July and things snowballed from there.”
Forsythe, who has reportedly put on 25 pounds since last year, made the decision after visiting West Virginia last weekend.
“It went pretty fast but I’m relieved,” Forsythe told the Plain-Dealer. “I really like coach Huggins and the school. I think he is the kind of coach who will get the best out of me and make me a better player. The whole operation is first-class.”
Mackey told the paper that Ohio State rescinded its offer after getting a commitment from 6-9 Trey McDonald of Battle Creek, Mich., on Sunday.
MICHAEL CHANDLER UPDATE
Reggie Rose, who also coaches 6-11, 240-pound center Michael Chandler, said Chandler will visit Indiana this coming weekend and will “probably take one more visit” after that.
Rose said they haven’t decided which school will get that visit.
Chandler, who previously committed to Louisville, has already visited Providence and West Virginia.
Rose said Xavier has also become involved recently but that Kentucky had stepped back.
Chandler is the No. 4 center in the Class of 2011.
(Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune)
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Confident CatFan / October 18, 2010
The only reason UK stepped back is because Chandler will have to go through JUCO for a year to get eligible to play D-1 College Hoops. Thats too bad.
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JonHuskyMS / October 18, 2010
Is Hinds the next commit to West Va
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