Recruiting Notes
Brother Rice's ‘X' marks his spot in Wyoming
Running back Valladay commits to Cowboys
X did follow the W, in the case of Brother Rice's Xazavian Valladay.
The senior running back verbally committed Wednesday to Wyoming, joining a growing pipeline of players from the Chicago area who have committed to the Cowboys.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Valladay chose Wyoming over an offer from Western Illinois.
“I thought Wyoming had so much to offer and I didn't want anything to fly over my head over the weekend,” Valladay said. “Me and my parents thought it was the right fit in all phases: socially, mentally, physically, academically and athletically. I didn't want to take this opportunity for granted.”
Valladay has been a key reason behind Brother Rice's strong season. The Crusaders (8-0, 3-0) host Loyola (8-0, 3-0) in Friday's Catholic League Blue showdown.
Valladay acknowledged it was a surprise he committed so quickly after an official visit the previous weekend to the Laramie campus.
“The mountains really caught my eye, and there were a lot of nice people out there,” he said. “There's a lot of open land and Laramie is really nice. It's a really nice view with the mountains and a great environment.
“I thought I was going to see a lot of scary things out there, but I had a great time and only a few animals freaked me out a bit.”
She already has visited Miami, West Virginia and Cincinnati and plans to select her college after visiting Syracuse on Thursday.
Harden confirmed she will commit to a school before Nov. 1.
“I picked those four because Miami has recruited me for three years and I really like that program,” Harden said. “I really also like the West Virginia program, and the pace of the game at all four programs.
“I'm a fast-paced-type player and like to get up and down the court and play man-to-man defense. That's why I limited it to those four.”
The 6-foot Harden, a four-star recruit and consensus Top 100 player in the class of 2017, is capable of playing many positions, with each of her final four school targeting three possible positions for her to play in college.
Harden helped the Mustangs finish fourth in Class 3A last season, but she was hampered in the final few weeks because of a deep bone bruise in her right knee.
“I'm pretty well and still getting better,” Harden said. “I didn't have surgery, but I had to do therapy for about six weeks. I'm playing high school ball and not sitting out anymore.”
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