George Conditt had to follow his heart.
The 6-foot-10, 200-pound power forward from Chicago felt at home during his official visit to Iowa State the first weekend in September. The Corliss High School product had a similar feeling during an official visit to New Mexico, but it was not quite the same as what he had felt in Ames.
That’s why when it came time to announce his college decision Monday afternoon, the No. 129 prospect in the country, according to 247, decided to make his pledge to Steve Prohm‘s program.
“It came down to where I felt at home at. I felt at home at New Mexico as well, but it was really between New Mexico and Iowa State towards the end,” Conditt told Cyclone Fanatic in a phone interview shortly after his announcement. “I enjoyed my visit at Illinois. It was a great place, great coaching staff, but I just didn’t see myself playing there. When it came down to Iowa State and New Mexico, I just had to go with my heart and my gut feeling.”
Conditt, whose father played football at Iowa State in the early 1990s, joins a class that already includes another of the top prospects from the state of Illinois in four-star wing Zion Griffin. The two Illinois natives, along with three-star Wisconsin point guard Tyrese Haliburton, come together to form the nation’s No. 28 class, per 247‘s team rankings.
The three high school seniors have already started the process of building a bond that could pay dividends when they step foot on campus in Ames next summer. They have also set their eyes on the next piece they would like to add the puzzle that is Iowa State’s 2018 recruiting class.
“I’ve known Zion for a minute now. He’s a good friend of mine,” Conditt said. “Tyrese, I knew him when he committed. The night before he committed I talked to him. They’re great characters. They’re great characters. I’m glad I’m going to be able to play with them next year. Hopefully, we can get Talen Horton-Tucker on board. That would make us unstoppable.”
Conditt, who has grown from 6-foot-7 to 6-foot-10 in the past year, brings a unique ability to play both inside and on the perimeter to Prohm’s program. He has the talent to step outside and knock down shots from behind the arc while also patrolling the lane as a shot blocker.
“I’m able to bring the ball outside the perimeter,” Conditt said when describing himself as a player. “I’m able to take people to the wing and I still have that grit and grind in me where I don’t care if you’re bigger than me. I’m still going to go down there and try to put you in the basket regardless.”
With the recruiting process over, Conditt can now focus on improving his skills for the next level. He will take an unofficial visit, along with the other two Iowa State commits and Horton-Tucker (who will be on an official visit), for Hilton Madness later this month.
Despite their arrival on campus being months away, the goals are already coming into focus for Conditt and the rest of this Iowa State class.
“They can expect us working hard every day. Each one of us wants to get better,” Conditt said. “We want to continue what they’ve already started and just improve on it. They made it to the Sweet 16. Hopefully, this year they make it to the national championship, but I know for sure when we get down there our goal is a national championship and a Big 12 championship.”
