As we transition into the fall months and start to put the 2022 grassroots season behind us, there’s been a lot of great storylines, commitments, and more that come to mind when reviewing the festivities of the spring and summer.
Many players made commitment decisions that will change their lives, and at the collegiate level, “fit” trumps all other factors. Today, we take a look at a few commitments that make a lot of sense for both the player and program for different reasons.
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GEHRIG NORMAND, MICHIGAN STATE
When it comes to Tom Izzo, he expects a certain level of competitive drive and mental toughness from players in his program. Normand completely fits the mold of that type of player, as he always plays with grit and with a chip on his shoulder. He’s a tough kid that’s not afraid to stick his nose in there and make hustle plays for his team.
The four-star guard also slides perfectly into what the Spartans are wanting to build in this class. Izzo now has a floor general in Jeremy Fears, who is also a competitive player and will help the program win a ton of games during his time there. The Spartans also secured a recent commitment from the top-ranked player in the class in Xavier Booker, who has the highest ceiling of any prospect in the class. With Booker in the post, Fears running the show and Gehrig on the perimeter, Izzo is off to a very hot start in the 2023 class.
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JOSEPH TUGLER, HOUSTON
It’s no secret that Kelvin Sampson and the Houston Cougars play a very fun brand of basketball. They get up and down and make plays not only on offense, but on defense as well. They play an aggressive, attacking style of defense, and they fill up the box score with steals and blocks. Tugler was built in a lab to play in the Houston system. He’s 6-foot-8 with a reported wingspan in the 7-foot-5 range. In EYBL play, the four-star forward averaged 2.5 blocks per game and altered a ton more shots. He also averaged around a steal per contest. Tugler is long, mobile, and strong enough to guard pretty much every position on the floor and is never considered a defensive mismatch candidate on the floor. The Houston pledge was one of the most impactful players on the circuit.
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GARWEY DUAL, PROVIDENCE
Dual is a very interesting prospect that will be worth tracking as he hits the college game. The Indiana product chose to attend Providence and I believe that’s a great fit for him. He’s a tall guard that can play both on and off of the ball and excels at getting downhill and making plays and achieving paint touches.
During the recruiting process, Dual was very interested in going to a program that would let him play through mistakes, and that was a huge selling point for Providence from Ed Cooley. Dual's outside offensive game is a work in progress, but he’s developing at a quick rate. At Providence, he’ll be able to play through the tough spells and get a lot of meaningful game reps early in his career, which will be great for his continued progression.
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BRANDON GARDNER, ST. JOHN'S
Gardner chose to attend St. John’s over a number of high-major programs. Instead of fitting in among a number of countless high-level athletes at a Power Five school, Gardner wanted to pave his own path and go play for the Red Storm. Upon committing, the four-star forward told Rivals, “I’m a game-changer in the Big East. The Big East doesn’t have a lot of players like me that can block shots, dunk on people and shoot the three sometimes, things like that.”
Gardner is already getting acclimated to the city of New York, as he transferred to Christ The King High School for his final year of high school. His athleticism and ability to make highlight reel plays at any moment should have St. John’s fans excited.
