Missouri now interested in Xavier Foster; Iowa, Iowa State and Creighton recruiting him hardest

OSKALOOSA, Ia. — The 10 minutes after basketball games at Oskaloosa are almost as busy as the game, itself, for blue-chip 2020 prospect Xavier Foster.

Last Friday, after logging eight points, eight boards and three blocks against Pella Christian, Foster took photos with fans — often classmates — who no doubt excitedly tweeted those photos seconds later. One brave little boy strode up to him and asked, "Are you Xavier?"

"Yes I am," Foster replied, before crouching down and shaking the boy’s hand. "And what’s your name?"

Eventually, things calmed down, and Foster had some time for an interview. He smiled. The 6-foot-11 15-year-old who's already met Bill Self still isn’t used to the celebrity treatment.

"Knowing that people know you — it’s just crazy," he laughed. "Like, you’ll be at a restaurant and it’s, like, 'That’s the kid that got an offer from Iowa.' It’s just fun."

It's a good thing he thinks well of it, because Foster’s presence in the recruiting world — and in Iowa restaurants — will only grow. The 247Sports Composite assigns him five stars and a nearly absurd 0.9920 rating. That's why Duke and Kansas are calling the consensus top-25 prospect. That's why one 247Sports "Crystal Ball" prediction already has him going to Kentucky.

We know about his offers: Texas A&M, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State and Creighton. Baylor came to some of his games last year. Nebraska also reached out early in the process, and Minnesota and Wisconsin have shown interest recently.

Now, Missouri has jumped into the mix, Foster’s dad and Oskaloosa assistant coach DaJuan Foster told the Register. There's been no offer yet, but the Tigers are reaching out and keeping track of his talented son.

In terms of visits, DaJuan Foster said they would like to get over to Champaign at some point this season to check out Illinois. But they have no visits planned at the moment.

"Right now, it’s about going to catch good basketball games," he said. "So when Kentucky’s down in Mizzou, if we’re free, we’re going to go see it."

Iowa and Iowa State are recruiting Foster the hardest currently, and Xavier Foster said he's visited those schools "too many times to count." Those schools have made it quite clear he's a top priority; DaJuan Foster said he’ll get texts from Iowa assistant coach Sherman Dillard and Iowa State assistant coach Daniyal Robinson before every game.

Creighton is also heavily in the playing field right now, Oskaloosa head coach Ryan Parker said. Greg McDermott was the third head coach to offer Foster, after Fran McCaffery and Steve Prohm.

"Iowa, they’re high on my ball-handling and getting to the rim," Foster said. "Creighton, they’re a shooting team, so they’re more playing outside. And then Iowa State, they’re just kind of all around — whatever gets you points."

All recruiting goes through Foster’s dad, as the sophomore wants to focus on his basketball season with Oskaloosa. Through Oskaloosa’s 3-0 start, Foster is averaging 15.3 points on 61.5 percent shooting, six rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

Scouting report

The Register watched Foster play last Friday in a 64-46 win over Pella Christian. Here are some thoughtsfrom what we saw…

Obviously, his length is dominant. But...

His hands are also surprisingly quick — not something you'd expect from a 15-year-old still growing into his tree of a body. In the first clip, Foster tracks a guard attacking from the perimeter and rises for the stuff off the glass. (The ref called goaltending, but from the video, it looks like a clean block.) In the second clip, Foster allows his man to get the ball in good position, but he doesn't give up on the play and quickly swipes the ball away. In the final clip, Foster pokes his arm in front of his man to steal a pass inside before dribbling the ball all the way to the rim and drawing a foul — probably his most impressive play of the night.

An effortless jump shot

The best shooters make it look simple — like they're barely putting in any effort: a quick, easy, swish. Ray Allen comes to mind. For a more modern example, think of Kevin Durant. We're not saying that Foster's jumper is like Allen's or Durant's. But for a kid his size at this stage in his development, his jumper is way ahead of the curve. It's a simple high-release wrist-snap, much like Durant's.

You'll see a midrange example in the third clip. He didn't take any 3-pointers during the game (he's 2-for-4 this season), but he shot them almost exclusively during warm-ups. And like the midrange, it's got the same effortless feel. The arc of his long-range shot is inconsistent right now, but it's never too flat. That issue will work itself out with more reps.

Now to the other clips. In the first, Foster uses his height to see right over his defender and find fellow big Cole Henry cutting to the basket. In the second, Foster shakes the rim on a fast-break dunk. In the fourth, he soars in for an offensive rebound and draws a foul on the put-back.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.