FREE: Jarrey Foster commits to SMU

Three-star North Shore wing Jarrey Foster called Larry Brown Tuesday night and committed to SMU, choosing the Mustangs over offers from Rice and Louisiana-Lafayette.

Foster, who was originally pledged to Rice, took official visits to SMU and Lafayette before making his decision and becoming the second member of SMU's 2015 class, joining point guard Sedrick Barefield.

Foster spoke with PonyPride about his reasons for becoming a Mustang.

"I liked SMU because, first off, the academic side of it. I like how they have an academic adviser, everything is organized to help freshmen coming from high school transition to college easier. I saw that as a chance to move through college easier. And I'm telling you, coach Brown," Foster told PonyPride before trailing off. "That's legendary. How do you pass that up? This is the perfect chance to get me where I need to go as long as I produce."

"And I love the coaching staff. It's like a family. Once I got on campus, I felt like I was at home. I didn't even want to leave. (At the end of his visit) I was like, we're going home already? I just felt like I was at home. I guess it was Dallas, being in a bigger city, I'm so used to a big city. That said, everyone on campus is just so nice to each other. It's a perfect fit. It's not just the athletes that bond with each other, it's actually the whole school."

Foster is looking forward to making the drive up from Houston to take in games at Moody Coliseum this season. He also is looking forward to returning to two places he went to while on his official visit.

"I know I want to go back to the Bush Library. We walked around it a little bit. And I want to go back to Twisted Roots (Burgers). That place is unbelievable," Foster said.

Foster called Brown Tuesday night to break the good news and also spoke with SMU assistant Ulric Maligi, his primary recruiter.

"I got on the phone with (Brown) and he was excited. He said I made his day," Foster said with obvious joy in his voice. "So it was good to hear that. I talked to (Maligi) after I talked to coach Brown. I'm not gonna say he knew I was going to commit but he knew I was pulling towards SMU. He was excited also. We have a great relationship."

SMU wants to use Foster on the wing at the two or three spots. He says he is ready to start recruiting other players to join him on the Hilltop.

While Foster only held the three offers, he was receiving interest from Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Bowling Green. The reason none of those other schools offered is because they were weary of an ACL injury that Foster suffered at the beginning of July. While he expects to be back on the court in January, the injury certainly affected his recruitment.

"Foster is a kid that several coaches were hoping to see this summer before he got injured," Rivals' national basketball analyst Eric Bossi told PonyPride. "He has good wing size, is a very good athlete and he plays with intensity. His teammate at North Shore Kerwin Roach had a huge profile boosting when he got a chance to play on the perimeter after playing in the post for North Shore. Many Houston area observers felt that Foster would have seen his stock take a similar leap had he been healthy during the summer and able to show what he can do on the wing."

Jim Hicks of RCS Sports, an expert on Houston-area high school basketball, agreed with that assessment.

"When (Foster) got hurt, he was out-of-sight, out-of-mind. And he didn't play on the sneaker circuit (for AAU) but if he did he would have been a national name," Hicks said. "He's a good young kid with a good body. He can do a lot of stuff well on the court. He can lead a team, he can rebound it well, he can score on the interior, he can face back up. He's got versatility. And nowadays, versatility is in-style."

Hicks thinks Foster can play anywhere from the two to the four spot, depending on matchups. Hicks also thinks the 6-foot-5, 180-pound senior, who wants to study engineering in school, and his cerebral nature will be a perfect fit for SMU and its Hall of Fame coach.

"His teammates rally behind him because he doesn't need the ball to make an impact on the court. And most importantly, he's a sponge. I think it will be easy for him to grasp the teachings of Larry Brown," Hicks said.

It is Brown's ability to teach that Foster enjoyed about the SMU practice he watched.

"It's unbelievable. It's so competitive, it's pro-style. You don't really see them go up-and-down as much because they work on fundamentals. Little things like passing cuts but it's always (full-speed)," Foster said. "And every time (Brown) sees something wrong, he stops the whole practice to address it. As long as coach Brown teaches, the team will learn and I like that a lot because most coaches, they just yell. They don't really teach anything. But coach Brown, he actually takes time out to teach."

Foster was the most valuable player of the state championship game when North Shore won the 5A-level championship. In that game Foster scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

His AAU coach from this summer, Mike Jones of the M&E Elite, says Foster is "unaffected" by those big moments.

"Jarrey is one of those guys where it doesn't matter if it is a championship or just a regular game, once he laces his shoes up he's going to give you 110 percent," Jones said. "He's that type of kid."