Trey Lyles: 2014 Forward to Enjoy Recruitment, Yet Indiana Remains Top Option
A few days have passed since 6-foot-9 forward Trey Lyles made the decision to re-open his recruitment from Indiana.
Lyles, who is a national top-10 recruit by many, decommitted from the Hoosiers after holding a verbal commitment for nearly two, full years.
The Indianapolis-native pledged to Indiana and head coach Tom Crean in September of 2010, as a high school freshman and prior to ever playing in a varsity game. Now, with other schools showing continued interest, Lyles has taken the time to step back, hoping now to enjoy the recruitment process.
As expected, there has been some backlash to Lyles’ decision, but IU fans should not worry just yet. The 2014 forward has continuously said since backing away from his verbal commitment that the Hoosiers remain No. 1 on his list.
In fact, Lyles’ high school coach, Jason Delaney, made that point clear when he first tweeted out his star player’s recent decision, saying that the budding prospect would like something to compare Indiana to.
Given the fact that Lyles had been committed to the Hoosiers since his freshman year of high school, the recent step back shouldn’t come as any surprise. The recruitment process can be stressful for all, but fun at the same time, and all Lyles wants to do is enjoy this time. After all, his ability and talents is what is driving the interest of so many.
Last season as a sophomore, Lyles averaged 21.0 points and 14.2 rebounds per game, earning the city’s Player of the Year award. Top-shelf recruits are wanted by many, and in fact, even recently many have made the switches from one school to another. Others, and as Indiana fans can hope, will rescind their commitments, only to once again pledge their support down the line.
ESPN ranks Lyles as the No. 7 prospect nationally among his class of 2014 classmates, and with still two years remaining before he will step onto a collegiate campus, there is no rush for a new decision.
While other schools and programs will certainly surface for Lyles as time goes on, Indiana for the time being is still the team to beat, even despite the recent setback.
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