Sooners top Elliott's list

http://oklahoma.247sports.com/Article/Sooners-top-Elliotts-list-90056

DOMINIQUE ELLIOTT, F, 6’8, 220, TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TEXAS:

The Oklahoma Men’s Basketball continues to look around the country for talented big men and this past weekend the Sooners brought in forward Dominique Elliott of Trinity Valley Community College, Texas.

“I had a blast at OU this past weekend,” said Elliott. “I really had a nice time and had fun every day that I was at OU. When I got there on Friday I had a lot of meetings with the academic people and they went over my academic situation and told me where I would meet academically and how they would assist me.

“Then I got a campus tour on Saturday and I got a chance to play with the guys,” said Elliott. “I had a great time and got a chance to really get to know the guys on the team and the history of the program at OU."

“They guys on the team are pretty good guys. When you are trying to pick a school to sign with those guys are really going to be the reason why you go to school there, because you are going to be with them all the time. If you get a good bond with the players then it can be a good fit. I got a good bond with the players at OU I got to know guys like Amath M’Baye and Je’lon Hornbeak from Grace Prep last year. Then my host was Andrew Fitzgerald and he was a pretty good guy too.”

Elliott has dropped around 40-pounds to get down to about 220 and he says his game is getting better all the time after averaging nine points and eight rebounds a game last season.

“My game is facing up in the post and I get most of my points facing up,” said Elliott. “I just attack the bigger defender and take him off the dribble and that is really how I get most of my points. I can shoot well from 15-feet and I am a 76-percent free throw shooter.”

Another positive to come out of the weekend for Elliott is that he got to know the Sooner coaching staff.

“I love the coaching staff at OU,” said Elliott. “Coach (Chris) Cruthfield is the main recruiter recruiting me and he is a great guy. Coach (Lon) Kruger keeps it real all the time, and he keeps it real for me and always keeps it honest. He is the type of guy that is going to push you and get you to that next level and he is going to push you to get your degree and that is where you really need really.”

Now that Elliott has visited OU he has a tough decision to make.

“It is looking good for Oklahoma right now,” said Elliott. “It is looking very good for Oklahoma right now. However, I told the person that is helping me with my recruiting that I was going to take all my visits before I make my decision, but Oklahoma is at the top of my list tight now. I am visiting Southern Miss this weekend, and then Oklahoma State and I am going to try to get Mississippi State in October sometime.

“I went on an unofficial to Auburn before all this started. My mom and my grandmother like Auburn a lot because it is close to home as I grew up in Georgia. I know that Auburn is losing their ‘4’ man so playing time looks good over there. So I have a lot to think about and it all just comes down to my decision.

“Southern Miss has been recruiting me from day one and they were recruiting me even before JUCO. They have been loyal to me and I wanted to be loyal back to them. I am going to give them a shot. Ole Miss is an SEC school that I dreamed of playing at when I was little. I have always like Ole Miss a lot.”

So the plan is to take the remaining visits, but Elliott says at any time along the way he could stop the trips and make a decision.

“I could be on my trip to South Miss and just decide that I want to go to OU,” said Elliott. “I just might wake up on the 28th when I go to Oklahoma State and I might make my decision then. I really don’t know because I just talked to Coach (Travis) Ford today because he came to watch me practice. OSU really needs a JUCO to come in and fill that role. They have wonderful facilities and I want to go there and meet the guys. I really want to stay in this part of the country because I am playing in Texas now and really like this part of the country.”

Elliott says he is on pace to graduate on time.