Rivalshoops.com caught up with 6-6, 185 pound small forward Andre Iguodala of Lanphier H.S. in Springfield, Ill., on Monday night, and he shared with us his thoughts on his decision to attend Arkansas.

Iguodala picked Arkansas over Kansas, Boston College and Arizona.

Here is a Q&A with Iguodala conducted by Russ Blake:

IR: What were the factors that led you to pick Arkansas?

AI: Me and the coaches got along pretty well. Asst. Coach Mike Anderson and I had dinner a couple of times together. When I went there on the visit, I got a good feel for the players. I knew that the style of play was just right for me. The atmosphere, the facilities. The arena holds around 20,000 and it's always sold out. The style of play was real important, how they get up and down. I think that fits my game real well.

IR: Are the visits what really separated the four schools, or did Arkansas have such a lead from the beginning that it was hard for anyone to beat them?

AI: They had a lead in the beginning, but when the visits came, it kind of clouded everything up. Kansas, I had a real great there, and I thought it was a place that I could be at. I liked them a lot after the visit, but once I came back from Arkansas, I felt more comfortable.

IR: And you also visited Boston College and Arizona. Can you handicap the four schools, in terms of where they finished one through four in the recruiting race. Obviously number one would be Arkansas.

AI: Two would probably be Kansas and Boston College. Coach Cooley and Coach Skinner were real cool people. We got along pretty well. So Kansas, then B.C. and Arizona. After Arkansas, those three schools were pretty close. There was not a big gap between them.

IR: But if you had to say someone finished second to Arkansas, who would it be?

AI: I would have to say Kansas. B.C. and Arizona were pretty even.

IR: If you had to look at some factors that maybe kept you from picking one of the other schools, what would some of those have been?

AI: With Boston College, I did not get a chance to see a practice. I got a chance to see them work out, but they would not permit anyone on the court, so it was from a distance. It was the same with Arizona. I liked them all, but Arkansas was the better fit. I tried to pick a school which did not have any negatives, and Arkansas came out with the least negatives. The reason why I did not pick Kansas, I don't know. They did a lot of things well. I was just more comfortable at Arkansas.

IR: Did Arkansas identify you early as a target? How long had they been recruiting you for?

AI: They were like the first major D-I school to recruit me. That was before the Nike camp. And then after the Nike Camp, everyone came in pretty much. B.C. was recruiting me since Boo Williams too, before the Nike camp. Around the same time that Arkansas started.

IR: What was the toughest thing about the recruiting process for you?

AI: Handling all of the phone calls. Trying to get some rest during the summer after all of the AAU Tournaments. We would come back from those trips and you would just get bothered constantly by phone calls. Getting through that and the official visits, because they were tiring.

IR: What was worse: the calls from the college coaches or the recruiting services?

AI: Everybody all together. If it just would have been recruiting services, it would not have been that bad. Coaches, just them, was not that bad. But all together, it was terrible.

IR: When did you actually make up your mind that you were going to Arkansas?

AI: A day or two after I came back from the visit to Arkansas [the weekend of Oct. 27].

IR: So have you pretty much held it in since that time?

AI: Not really. I liked all of the schools pretty much. It just came down to Arkansas when I got back because it was such a good visit.

IR: So then you pretty much knew then about a week ago that you were going to Arkansas.

AI: I knew, I just did not want to say really.

IR: How did you manage to keep that information quiet for almost a week?

AI: People would ask me what school am I going to, and I would tell them I did not know. That's all. I've been saying 'I don't know' for so long. Or they would ask, 'did you like this school?' and I would say 'I liked them a whole lot.' Or they would ask 'how did you like Arkansas?' and I said 'it was all right.' So that got them a little bit too.

IR: Was there anything that really separated Kansas and Arkansas for you?

AI: Arkansas is more up tempo than Kansas is. Kansas is up and down, but they force feed their big men. It's hard for me to work out on the wing, and if I would go to the hole, I would run right into them. Arkansas was more spread out.

IR: Did you look at Kenny Gregory's career at Kansas? Like you, he was considered one of the top athletes coming out of high school as a senior, but he did not have the career that many thought he might at KU.

AI: A little bit. But I figured that I was a different kind of player than he is. He was more a go straight to the hole slasher, and I am like more of a complete player. I can shoot outside a little better than he could, plus I am still in high school, so I can still improve on my shot also.

IR: When it all came down to it, did distance play a very big factor in your decision?

AI: Yes, distance was. With Arkansas or Kansas, I could come back here for a little bit and leave back out. But if was at Arizona, I would have to come back for a while, and then go back and not come back for a long time.

IR: How far do you live from Arkansas?

AI: Around six hours. Kansas is about the same.

IR: Where does Arkansas see you fitting in, position wise?

AI: The one, two and three.

IR: What do you think you bring to the table?

AI: Versatility. I can play any position. I can rebound, I can dribble the ball. Shoot it all right. That's going to get better. I handle the ball pretty well and defend. Most important is defense. That's what gets me going.

IR: How did you announce your commitment to Arkansas?

AI: It was very small. The local newspaper from Springfield was there to do an article. I told them then. It was around 10:30 to 10:45 a.m. After that, it got out a little bit. But I will have a press conference on Nov. 14, that's when I will sign. That will be held here at the high school.