By JACOB POLACHECK
Desmond Claude, the No. 88-ranked prospect in the class of 2022, has announced his commitment to Xavier, he tells ZAGSBLOG.
“I feel like it’s the best basketball situation for me,” he said. “One, they win. Two, they’ve got other good freshmen guards coming in with me. Three, They will have good experienced bigs for at least another year. Four, If it takes me 2-3 years to ‘pop’, I trust that Travis Steele will give me that time to develop into a pro…without recruiting over me every year. Five, I feel really comfortable and trust that they would allow me to keep developing as a point guard.”
Claude, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard from Putnam Science (CT) Academy and the Expressions Elite AAU Program, chose the Musketeers over offers from Louisville, South Carolina, Rutgers, Kansas and Memphis, among others.
“This is another stepping stone toward a bright future for Desmond,” Expressions Elite coach Ken Jackson said.
He took his official visit to Xavier from October 12-14.
“I enjoyed it a lot,” Claude told ZAGSBLOG following the visit. “(What stood out was) their plan and how they run things over there. Their academics, basketball and facilities were nice.”
Ranked as the No. 16 point guard in the nation, Claude joins a pair of four-star recruits – small forward Tyrell Ward and shooting guard Kam Craft – in Xavier’s 2022 recruiting class.
“I feel we all can contribute together and we’re all similar in which we can create for each other and ourselves,” Claude said.
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