Iowa State in good shape with Okoro

By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher

Iowa State doesn’t currently have any known verbal commitments for its basketball recruiting class of 2012. That could change sometime soon.

Nkereuwem Okoro, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound shooting guard out of St. Raymond High in New York City told CycloneFanatic.com on Friday afternoon that as of right now, the Cyclones are in the lead.

“They are at the top of my list,” Okoro said.

Okoro also said that he is considering Arizona, Pittsburgh and Seton Hall. Of those three schools, Arizona is the only one to have made an official scholarship offer.

Okoro said that Iowa State associate head coach T.J. Otzelberger was in town to watch him play on Thursday night.

“I got a chance to chat with him a little bit,” Okoro said. “They play in one of the best conferences in the nation. It is a good program overall and I think that Coach (Fred) Hoiberg is doing a good job so far.”

Hoiberg is currently working as Okoro’s primary recruiter for Iowa State.

This is just another sign of Iowa State’s new found commitment to recruit New York City. It all began when Tavon Sledge, a point guard out of Half Hallow Hills West, signed with Iowa State last fall.

“He’s really good,” Okoro said of his longtime friend Sledge. “We have been playing against each other since we were in fifth grade. They are doing a great job of recruiting.”

Iowa State is also recruiting New York prospects Kamari Murphy and Daniel Dingle (Okoro’s teammate) in the class of 2012.

As far as a commitment goes, Okoro said that he will likely make one sometime before the start of his senior season.