Texas Tech Gets Commitment from Dora
When certain schools get involved early on with a recruit, it just about seals
the deal. This was the case with Darryl Dora, a versatile 6-9, 230 pound
Advertisement
forward from Gonzales (TX) HS. He verbally committed to Texas Tech this past
Tuesday.
After a tour with a high-profile Houston Select AAU squad last spring/summer,
Dora was hearing from schools such as South Alabama, South Florida, Southwest
Texas, and Stephen F. Austin. But once "The General" was notified of Dora's
abilities from Gonzales head coach David Peavy and the Texas Tech staff got in
touch with the talented forward, things were set in motion.
"Tech got involved the first couple of weeks in school," said Peavy. "Once
they were there, it was all over."
This past season, Dora averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds as Gonzales' top
player. But numbers alone don't tell the story of Dora. What's different
about Dora as a player is that despite his power forward size, his future may
reside outside of the paint. Prior to this season, Dora had been used almost
exclusively down low, with his high school team and with Houston Select. But
once Peavy, in his first year at Gonzales, saw what Dora was capable of in
pre-season pick-up games, he decided it was time to shake things up.
"We changed what they were doing before," said Peavy. "Before, he was playing
under the basket. He's a good perimeter player so I moved him outside. He was
our second best three-point shooter and ball-handler."
"He's a matchup problem for every team outside," he said. "He's got deceptive
quickness and ball-handling ability. He goes right by big guys when they guard
him, and if guards try to take him, he can go by them too or just shoot right
over them."
According to Peavy, Texas Tech views Dora in the same way and envisions him as
a small forward at the college level. He will need to continue to build
strength and tune up his perimeter skills to prepare for collegiate basketball.
While Dora has signed a letter-of-intent, the actual paper is still on the desk
of Peavy's office, as Dora's availability for the 2003-04 season is still in
question. Because of various circumstances, Dora's GPA is such that he will
need a high score on the SAT he recently took in order to be qualified on the
sliding scale. To that end, Dora has also signed another letter-of-intent to
Seward County (KS) CC in Liberal, Kansas. Peavy will submit the appropriate
letter when Dora's SAT score comes back in the mail.
Regardless, Tech fans shouldn't worry - Dora will be suiting up for the Red
Raiders whether it's this fall, next, or two years from now. If he heads to
Seward County, it will simply be a pit stop for him on his way to Lubbock.
"He's been fired up about Tech all year long," said Peavy. "He wants to play
for Bobby Knight."
Jed Tai is a senior writer for Hoopville.com.