Okogie narrows field
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Snellville (Ga.) Shiloh small forward Josh Okogie isn't necessarily a household name in basketball recruiting circles despite playing on a high-profile travel team with Team CP3 and being very productive throughout the travel season. But just because he's not highly ranked or talked about much nationally doesn't mean he's lacking for options when it comes to picking a school to play for at the next level.
Offers rolled in from around the country for the three-star prospect, and he recently trimmed his list to five schools: Florida, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Tennessee and Tulsa.
Florida is the most recent school to join that list and Mike White's staff is very familiar with him from their time recruiting him at Louisiana Tech.
"Florida came in about two weeks ago," Okogie said. "They are new there and I'd like to be a part of that. They were recruiting me when they were at Louisiana Tech and they are going to bring that same style of play. That's the way I like to play."
Conference affiliation could help Georgia Tech keep the local product in-state.
"I feel like I can make an impact really early if I go there, and possibly start there. I like the idea of playing in the ACC. If it was up to me, I'd like to get away, but you can't go wrong playing in the ACC."
Kansas State has spent a lot of time recruiting in Georgia the past few years, but have yet to breakthrough with a commitment. Could Okogie be their first?
"They want me to come in and make an impact as a freshman. I'm really cool with the coaches over there. Bruce Weber has been there four years and been to the tournament a few times."
Tennessee wasted no time making Okogie a priority following the April recruiting periods.
"I really like their program. Rick Barnes is coming in there and he's a great coach with a great reputation, so I wouldn't mind playing for him."
Okogie sees Tulsa as a place he can make his mark early and he's very familiar with assistant coach Dennis Felton from his time as head coach at Georgia, but there is a concern with Tulsa.
"They will have like four guards graduating when I'm coming in. They like to run a lot of pick-and-roll in their offense. They've told me that the ball will be in my hands and I can make a lot of decisions with the ball, which would be really good. The only question there is the competition. The AAC is good, but it's not as good as the ACC or SEC."
At the moment, Okogie has two visits set. He'll see Tennessee on the weekend of Sept. 12 and he'll follow that up with a trip to Kansas State the next weekend. He also has an in-home visit planned with Georgia Tech when the contact period begins.
If Okogie sees and hears what he needs to with those schools, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger.
"I'm not going to be able to see all those schools on official visits. That would be way too much. I'll probably check out my top three. If I don't find a school after that, then I'll check out the other schools. By the time I see my top two or three, I'll probably know where I'm going to go."
Okogie remains open to all five schools and says he doesn't have a top three just yet. He's planning an early October decision.
"My role on the team will be important. I don't want to go somewhere I'll have to sit. I want somewhere I can help out. I don't have to start, but I want to play."