Lockett gives ISU high marks on visit

Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com PublisherFollow Chris on Twitter @ChrisMWilliams  

A lot has changed since the last time Trent Lockett stepped foot on Iowa State’s campus five years ago.

Lockett committed to Arizona State in October of 2007. During his recruitment out of high school, Iowa State was always in the mix. Associate head coach T.J. Otzelberger headed up Lockett’s recruitment at that time and he’s doing the same in round two.

With faint memories of that initial visit in mind, Lockett was impressed with what he saw in Ames during an official visit earlier this week.

“It’s more developed,” Lockett told CycloneFanatic.com. “The practice facility is obviously a big thing for me. I like to be in the gym and that type of thing. It’s four or five years down the road and you can definitely tell it has changed a lot.”

Lockett, who led Arizona State in scoring last season at 13 points per game last season, is approaching the second recruiting process of his career a little bit differently than he did the first. He’s transferring away from the Sun Devil program for the final season of his collegiate career. Lockett already has his college degree so he’ll be eligible to play immediately next season.

“After completing my degree, this is more of a basketball decision than anything,” said Lockett. “I’ve had a very close relationship with Coach T.J. (Otzelberger) so that’s obviously going to be a big factor in my decision.”

Facility upgrades aren’t the only difference in Iowa State five years ago compared to the present day. There’s that Fred Hoiberg guy…

“He seems like a really genuine guy,” said Lockett. “If he tells me something, you know that he really means it. I think that he allows his players a lot of freedom. I like the way that he coaches.”

It appears that this recruitment will likely come down to two schools, Iowa State and Marquette, where Lockett visited last week.

“For me, one of the biggest things for both Marquette and Iowa State is that they are close to home,” said Lockett. “They are both accessible to my mom.”

While Lockett couldn’t guarantee that he won’t take anymore visits, he did say “I think this is it,” when asked about the chances of that happening.

Gonzaga appears to still be in the picture and after losing Quincy Miller to the NBA Draft earlier this week, Baylor could potentially be a player as well.

Lockett doesn’t have a specific date in mind as to when he’ll make his decision but the time is nearing.

“For me, I don’t know if it would be a smart thing to have a definite date because I to come to the best decision, it might not be clear by that point,” said Lockett. “I’m really looking forward to making my decision in the next week or two.”

Lockett said that from here, he’ll consult with his mother and former AAU coach Marquise Watts in making a decision.