By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher
The Iowa State men’s basketball recruiting class of 2011 headlined Sunday afternoon’s Elite Camp at the Sukup Practice Facility.
Cyclone commitments Anthony Odunsi and Elgin Cook were both in attendance, along with Cedar Rapids Jefferson target Jarrod Uthoff, among others.
The camp marked the first time that future Cyclones Odunsi and Cook saw the floor together. They actually played against each other during afternoon session competition.
“I think that we are going to get along well. He is a little quiet but I think once we start getting closer to each other, he’ll open up,” Odunsi told CycloneFanatic.com. “He’s a really good athlete. He rolled up on somebody and tried to dunk on them. I really think that he can help our team a lot in 2011.”
Cook echoed Odunsi’s kind words about his future teammate.
“I liked his game a lot, Cook told said. “He’s good at penetrating, getting into gaps, making shots, all of that.”
Odunsi – PG of the future?
Travis High School (Tex.) combo-guard Anthony Odunsi has been told by the Iowa State coaching staff that they’d like him to be a point guard at the next level. Odunsi is cool with that.
“I feel more comfortable with the ball in my hands. At Travis, I play the two but in AAU, I play the one. I’m really looking forward to it,” Odunsi said.
Odunsi isn’t the strongest shooter in the world. Getting to the basketball is one of his major strengths. Don’t worry about Odunsi’s body. He’s put on nearly five pounds since committing to Iowa State and is up to nearly 195-pounds.
Knowing about his future, Odunsi is focused on molding himself to be a true point guard in the Big 12 Conference.
“I’m making sure to work on my floater because I’ve been getting blocked a lot by 6-foot-10 dudes. That’s something I need to work on this summer,” Odunsi said. “All of the dribbling, I have to cut that out of my game. Guys up here are a lot stronger and a lot faster. All of that unnecessary dribbling keeps you from getting to the basket.”
Don’t worry about Odunsi dropping his Iowa State commitment either.
“I’m very happy. I don’t think that will ever change,” Odunsi said. “I feel like I actually got something done. Coming to the camp made me better. It was a great workout.”
Hoiberg/NBA impacts Cook
Elgin Cook committed to Iowa State way before Fred Hoiberg was even a thought, as head coach that is. Still, after Greg McDermott left for Creighton, Cook had a choice to make. He could have reopened his commitment. But Cook stayed loyal to his primary recruiter T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State and ultimately, Fred Hoiberg.
Why? That whole NBA thing helps.
“Hoiberg seems like he is going to be a good coach,” Cook said. “We have a lot of good conversations. He is a good person. He played in the league. Everything that he tells me is going to help me a lot.”
Uthoff in attendance, no change to timeline
Cedar Rapids Jefferson forward Jarrod Uthoff also made the trip to Ames on Sunday.
“Probably by the end of the summer,” Uthoff said about his timeline in making a college decision.
While Uthoff hasn’t gotten any recent offers, other high-major schools have begun showing interest. Those schools include California, Stanford and Auburn.
“I’m probably going to go to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Purdue and a couple other ones, just unofficial visits this June,” Uthoff said.
Expect a mid to late July decision from Uthoff.
