Recruiting Report: Tyus Arends (2018)
Sioux Center guard Tyus Arends became the latest Iowa 2018 to commit last week when he announced Dakota Wesleyan as his school of choice.
The 6-foot-1 guard was seeing some Division II interest come in, but it was the NAIA programs that were coming after him most aggressive. In the end, like it is in almost every commitment situation, it came down to the relationship with the coaches.
“I had a little bit of D2 attention, but not a lot. It came down to Briar Cliff, Northwestern, Dakota Wesleyan and Mount Marty,” said Arends, Iowa’s 74th-ranked 2018.
“I just felt like Dakota Wesleyan was the best fit for me with the guys there. And I really liked their coaching staff.”
He added: “I visited in early summer and I played with their guys and sat with their coaching staff. It was just a cool environment; you could really tell that basketball was king at their school. And that was something that I wanted to be apart of.”
In almost every commitment situation we encounter, it’s the coaching staffs and the relationship they can forge with the players which plays the most pivotal role in them acquiring their targets.
Arends’ case is a prime example of that.
“As far as the coaching staff goes, the two guys that I talked to specifically were Coach (Matt) Wilber and Coach (Jacob) Brandl,” said Arends. “They’re both guys that will get after you and push you at practice. But off the court, they’re super chill and are just down to earth guys that you can have a decent conversation with and will joke around with you.”
The commitment is a relatively early one for Arends, who becomes just the 10th guy in Iowa’s 2018 to announce his decision. Part of the reason, he says, is he wants to help recruit.
“I want to help build something and I don’t want to be the last guy to come in,” said Arends. “I want to talk to guys and get guys coming there with me, instead of being the last guy to come in.”
Also, he didn’t want to play his last season of high school ball pressing, and under the pressure of having to impress college coaches.
“I just don’t want to be the guy that under-performs, or tries to do too much because there’s college coaches around. It definitely feels great to be done with it and have it over with,” said Arends.
“I definitely took my time with it, but it just feels great to have it over with. And it feels great to just know what my plans are after high school.”