It is easy to understand why Steve Prohm and his staff have made Oskaloosa forward Xavier Foster one of their top priorities in the 2020 recruiting cycle. In-state, high-level big men are not exactly a dime a dozen in Iowa and there is little doubt Foster fits the mold.
The 6-foot-9, 200-pound four-star prospect was in Ames over the weekend for an official visit and Prohm reiterated his interest to the state’s top junior.
“They told us they have a lot of interest,” Foster told Cyclone Fanatic on Wednesday. “He showed me how he’d use me as a four or five getting up and down the court, coming down the court, spotting up and coming down the court, getting to the rim.”
Foster was hosted on his visit by Iowa State freshman Talen Horton-Tucker, a former four-star recruit in his own right, and the weekend gave the two an opportunity to build a bond.
“It was fun,” Foster said. “He’s a great guy. He’s easy to talk to and he was a great host.”
It also gave Foster and members of the Iowa State roster a chance to be right in the middle of Saturday night’s field rush following the football team’s upset win over No. 6 West Virginia.
“That was really fun. Me and Talen talked about it in the middle of the first half, he said, ‘If we win, we’re going to storm the field.’ I said, ‘Alright, deal,’” Foster said. “I texted my Dad and asked him if I had to go to dinner and he said no, so we stormed the field.”
Looks like 5 star recruit Xavier Foster and @george_conditt had fun tonight pic.twitter.com/4BZi6rr6wb
— Fake Fred Hoiberg (@fauxHoiberg) October 14, 2018
Foster, who is considered the No. 29 player in the 2020 class by 247Composite, has now made three trips to Ames since picking up an offer from the Cyclones in October 2016.
He said he hears weekly from Iowa State coaches and assistant Daniyal Robinson has made frequent trips to Oskaloosa to check-in. Naturally, the Cyclones are not the only staff keeping an eye on Foster.
He has garnered offers from a handful of other major programs including UCLA, Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Creighton and Baylor. Duke and Wisconsin have reportedly shown interest as well.
He said, as of now, the only other plans for visits are to hopefully have something set to make it out to UCLA before his junior season with the Indians starts this winter.
“I’m trying to work on just being comfortable with the ball,” Foster said when asked about his junior season. “If I get a rebound I’ll push it by myself and not need to outlet.”
There is still a lot of time before Foster will have to make any decisions about his college future, including a junior season in which he hopes to help the Indians return to the Class 3A state championship game for the second year in a row.
But, Iowa State has certainly done enough to put itself in position to battle to be the home of Foster’s collegiate experience.
“I love the fanbase and the play style,” Foster said. “The fan base and the play style are my two favorite things right now and Ames just has a really homey feel to it.”
