Kansas City wing backs off Mizzou pledge
It was just about six weeks ago when Ishmail Wainright committed to Missouri. Late Thursday night, the rising junior backed off his verbal pledge to the Tigers.
A 6-foot-5 small forward from Raytown (Mo.) South, it wasn't easy for Wainright to open things back up.
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"It was tough, it was crazy," said Wainright of contacting Missouri. "I've thought about it for a minute and I just really want to open it back up and go through the process.
"I've talked to people like my mom and they tell me to be sure because it's a once-in-a-lifetime decision."
An athletic wing who has strength and the capability to play bigger than his size, Wainright felt it was important to let the Missouri staff know he was having second thoughts.
"I don't want to go around thinking about other schools and being committed so I had to tell them," Wainright told Rivals.com. "I'm still very interested in them and they tell me that they are going to still recruit me as hard as they can."
In addition to Mizzou, Wainright mentioned UCLA, Kentucky, West Virginia, St. John's, Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor and others as having shown interest.
For now, Wainright is using what he's gone through as a learning experience. In July, he'll be looking to prove some things on the floor.
"I just want to show everybody that I can be a consistent shooter," said Wainright who ranks No. 40 in the 2013 Rivals150. "That's the biggest question about my game is being a consistent shooter. I've been working on it so hopefully it will show.
"It is a learning experience"