The Daily OrangeChangeup: Detroit native Riley spurns rival Georgetown, commits to Syracuse
By John Sutton
Posted: 4/8/09, 1:45 AM EST Section: Sports
DaShonte Riley and those who watch him play have always expected big things from him. He has stood out from the rest of the players on the basketball court since sixth grade, when he stood at 6-foot-6.
He always wanted to end up playing basketball at a major program, ever since he became the center of attention at his youth games. Riley now has that chance, even though it might be at a different place than he originally thought.
Riley recently committed to play for Syracuse after de-committing from Georgetown in November. The 6-foot-11, 220-pound center, from Detroit Country Day School finally settled on the Orange in early March after re-opening his college search.
Riley seemed destined to be a Hoya after verbally committing during his junior season of high school. The idea of heading to Georgetown seemed to be the best thing for Riley until it finally started to become a reality.
"I kind of rushed into the situation because it was Georgetown, and I had wanted to go there since I was younger," Riley said. "It was really a lack of communication in terms of my plans and their plans, as to where I would be when I got there. I took my official visit, and we got to talk about really in-depth conversations about what the plans were, and I just didn't see myself fitting in there."
Riley's mother, Colette Anderson, was with her son for every step of his long college search. When the college search opened back up for her and her son, she was relieved to see interest coming in from colleges around the nation.
Riley was so focused on Georgetown that he did not get a chance to realize what other schools had to offer. Interest came from schools like California, Marquette, Virginia and Louisiana State. Ultimately, Syracuse became the easy favorite for Riley.
"Actually, it was more of a comfort than an uncertainty," Anderson said of the decision to de-commit from Georgetown. "It let us know that we hadn't taken the time that we should have to look into some of these other schools. Before, it was just routine. We were going through the motions, but we basically had our minds set on Georgetown."
He always wanted to end up playing basketball at a major program, ever since he became the center of attention at his youth games. Riley now has that chance, even though it might be at a different place than he originally thought.
Riley recently committed to play for Syracuse after de-committing from Georgetown in November. The 6-foot-11, 220-pound center, from Detroit Country Day School finally settled on the Orange in early March after re-opening his college search.
Riley seemed destined to be a Hoya after verbally committing during his junior season of high school. The idea of heading to Georgetown seemed to be the best thing for Riley until it finally started to become a reality.
"I kind of rushed into the situation because it was Georgetown, and I had wanted to go there since I was younger," Riley said. "It was really a lack of communication in terms of my plans and their plans, as to where I would be when I got there. I took my official visit, and we got to talk about really in-depth conversations about what the plans were, and I just didn't see myself fitting in there."
Riley's mother, Colette Anderson, was with her son for every step of his long college search. When the college search opened back up for her and her son, she was relieved to see interest coming in from colleges around the nation.
Riley was so focused on Georgetown that he did not get a chance to realize what other schools had to offer. Interest came from schools like California, Marquette, Virginia and Louisiana State. Ultimately, Syracuse became the easy favorite for Riley.
"Actually, it was more of a comfort than an uncertainty," Anderson said of the decision to de-commit from Georgetown. "It let us know that we hadn't taken the time that we should have to look into some of these other schools. Before, it was just routine. We were going through the motions, but we basically had our minds set on Georgetown."
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Rell
posted 4/08/09 @ 8:58 AM EST
Great, just what Cuse needed, a soft big man.
Domink East
posted 4/08/09 @ 12:43 PM EST
Great Article....cant wait to see this guy in orange
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