Four-star big man makes K-State his pick

For the vast majority of Robert Upshaw's recruitment, his preferred destination was a mystery.

Then, over the weekend, word began to leak that the near 7-foot senior from Fresno (Calif.) San Joaquin Memorial was leaning toward Kansas State and Frank Martin.

Upshaw's mother, Ceylon Sherman, told Rivals.com national analyst Jerry Meyer last week that her son would make a Monday decision. And he did, proving the buzz to be true as he picked Kansas State.

Sherman confirmed the news with Robert Cassidy of Rivals affiliate gopowercat.com.

"It was a close run," Sherman said. "He had a lot of great schools, but when it came down to it, him and all of us family just all had Kansas State. For Robert, it was about how much he liked the guys out there. He had chemistry with them. For me, it was about academics. I like that academic coordinator and what she's done for the program."

Ranked No. 43 in the 2012 Rivals150, Upshaw is the second big man to pick the Wildcats after three-star Laimonas Chatkevicius gave them the nod last week.

A true back-to-the-basket center who can eat space and has strong hands, Upshaw is a big score for Martin's squad. He plays physically, rebounds well and is developing into a scoring option who can seal defenders and overpower them near the rim.