Talen Horton-Tucker wants to find a college program that really wants him. The versatile, 6-foot-5 forward has garnered interest from a handful of quality Division I schools, but Iowa State has put itself near the top of his list.
Steve Prohm and his staff have being recruiting Horton-Tucker for more than a year. That process of making the Chicago native feel like he is wanted continued during an unofficial visit to Ames last week.
“I say a more family oriented program, you know,” Horton-Tucker told Cyclone Fanatic on Wednesday when asked what he wants to find in a school. “Somewhere I can come in right away and play. A place that’s into winning. A place that’s just going to be there for me, help me grow as a player and as a person.”
Horton-Tucker also holds offers from Northwestern, DePaul, Missouri and Purdue. He added an Ohio State offer to the list on Friday and more major programs have started to show interest, including Xavier and in-state school Illinois.
It has been Prohm and his staff’s ability to make Horton-Tucker feel wanted that has the Cyclones sticking out.
“They talk to me so much,” Horton-Tucker said. “They’re the school that’s calling me the most. They really communicate with me the most. That’s something that I’m interested in. They’re actually recruiting me really hard.”
The Simeon product is rated as the No. 214 prospect in the country by 247. He’s the No. 54 small forward and No. 6 player in the state of Illinois.
On film, he shows an ability to get to the rim and finish strong once he gets there. He describes himself as someone who can play the two or three at the next level.
“I can do pretty much anything on the court handling, rebound, pass, defend, score,” Horton-Tucker said. “I feel like I’m multi-dimensional. Being able to do a lot of things on the court helps you out a lot and being able to defend with long arms, that helps.”
Horton-Tucker said that he will make his college decision sometime in September or October after he is able to take official visits. Iowa State is included in those plans for official visits, but he has not set a date.
He plans to sign during the early period in November and, at this point, Prohm has done a lot to put his program squarely in the middle of Horton-Tucker’s decision.
“He was the first one from Iowa State to reach out to me,” Horton-Tucker said. “Our relationship is kind of strong. We’ve been talking for pretty much a year now. He’s just been telling me how I need to be a Cyclone. How I can come in right away and help them win because they lose so many seniors. Showing his players that he just put in the Draft, really, that he helped progress even though there was a coaching change.”
