According to OU Insider, Mount Vernon senior Isaiah Cousins has committed to Oklahoma. Coach Bob Cimmino confirmed that Cousins committed this morning.
The 6-foot-4 senior went on an official visit on Monday and was still in Norman, Okla., on his visit when he committed. He is scheduled to fly home this afternoon.
Cousins was named Section 1’s “Mr. Basketball.” He led the Knights to a 23-3 record, including a record seventh straight Section 1 championship and second straight state championship.
Cousins was named the MVP of the Section 1 tournament and was all-tournament in both the state and Federation tournaments.
UConn, Dayton, Xavier and Virginia Tech were the other finalists for Cousins, although he did not visit any of the four schools. Oklahoma was his first official visit.
Head coach Lon Kruger and assistant Lew Hill attended the Class AA championship game at the County Center. They were also at practice last week leading up to Mount Vernon’s appearance in the Federation championship game.
Hill is a Mount Vernon native. He graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1983 and Wichita State in 1988.
11 Comments
Josh,
Over the past few months all we have heard is about Isaiah’s stock rising. Do you know anything of Randy Stephens, and Jarell Marshall i seem to remember you reported that they had D1 offers. What is the latest?
BOTTOM LINE:
NOW ISAIAH COUSINS AND JABARIE HINDS WILL PLAY AGAINST EACH OTHER WITH WEST VIRGINA JOINING THE BIG 12 ,WOW,AND WILL GUARD EACH OTHER
Great fit
joe… Not much has changed. St. Peter’s, Marist and Iona for Marshall. He also received interest from San Jose St., but that has cooled. San Jose St. has grown interested in Stephens now. His previous offer came from Northeastern.
Wow! Congrats to Isaiah and the MV family. Josh, thanks for the info on the other kids. I hope they do not go near San Jose State. Horrible program and they will be home in a year. The other schools are better fits and they will play right away. I hope they both go to Iona.
I think this will be a great fit for him. Thought he would be enticed by the UConn name to head up to Storrs and didn’t think that would be the right fit. UConn is guard heavy, and brings in some guards next season. Plus there is the NCAA sanctions looming over next season and the possibility that Calhoun could be retiring. All along I thought Oklahoma and Xavier would have been the best fits for him, and even Rhode Island could have offered a good fit with Danny Hurley taking over. Oklahoma will be a place Isaiah can contribute right away and has some strong guidance from a former Knight in Lew Hill. Look forward to seeing Isaiah contribute for four years in the Big 12 and becoming a big time star similar to the path of Kevin Jones.
As for Marshall and Stephens, I would love to see them both stay local and not head out to SJSU. Stephens could fit in well at Iona with Garee Bryant and Tim Cluess and the uptempo system they run. Marshall I could see maybe taking a Prep year to add some size to his frame and see where that take him.
Congrats to all 3 kids, and Good Luck in the future, I look forward to watching 3 more Knights take over the NCAA’s!
I like this decision by Cousins. Looking forward to seeing him the next few years. Here is some chatter on the Oklahoma Hoops blog with some insight on what OU supporter think of the commitment from Cousins:
http://ouhoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25665
bballfan –
The uptempo system at Iona will allow for their guards to put up big numbers – see Scott Machado and Momo Jones. That system is likely going to get Machado drafted.
Given his ability to rebound and play defense, Stephens would be a perfect fit for either the 2 or 3 in Cluess system.
Iona has been on Marshall for a while; he can always take a red-shirt year in New Ro to bulk up and work on his handle. Programs can always use a 6’6” athlete.
Iona are great fits. Marshall doesn’t need prep. Has the frame and the body to put on the weight quickly. A summer of lifting, running and Monstermilk will make him brocky.
iona college plays zero defense, hence why they havent been able to win a maac championship with superior talent.
[...] The 6-foot-4, 181-pound senior picked the Sooners last Wednesday when he was in Norman on an official visit. Coach Bob Cimmino said his point guard fell in love with the school in a story that ran in last Thursday’s Journal News and here on LoHud.com. [...]