In this edition of the Recruiting Roundup, Rivals.com’s Travis Graf enters a FutureCast for 2024 four-star guard Dwayne Pierce and discusses potential pro options for 2024 five-star Dink Pate.
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 80
Transfer Portal: Latest news
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FutureCast: Dwayne Pierce to Iowa State
Sources have told Rivals that Iowa State is trending for 2024 four-star guard Dwayne Pierce, who is coming off of an official visit to Ames. With a decision looming (most likely Sunday) the Cyclones look like the team to beat.
Pierce spoke with CycloneReport.com’s Bill Seals following his visit and had this to say about his time in Ames: “Everybody cares about Iowa State out there and that’s what I loved about it,” he said. “Honestly, it felt like I fit in 100 percent. It felt like home for me. It felt like I could go in as a man and come out as a better man, on and off the court, at Iowa State.”
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Dink Pate has pro options on the table
Five-star Dink Pate currently holds 33 offers to play college basketball, but college coaches aren’t the only ones calling consistently. The G League Ignite program has been in heavy pursuit of the 6-foot-7 guard, and it’s an appealing route to the junior from Texas. If he was to accept an offer from the Ignite program, he’d be the youngest player to suit up for them, as a reclass would be on the table as a possibility.
Although the G League has targeted Pate as one of the premier prospects in 2024, college isn’t necessarily out of the question. As he begins to break down his extensive list of offers, he has also received high interest from the likes of top programs such as Michigan State, Louisville and Kentucky who have yet to offer but plan to attend a game before the season’s end.
This spring will be very vital to Pate’s future as he could be nearing a decision as early as the summer, and sources tell Rivals that his decision will be based on which program gives him the best opportunity to be a top draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, which is his first official year of draft eligibility.
Pate is set to release a list of his top eight options on March 24.