Zylan Cheatham Commits to San Diego State

<p>Lorenzo Romar misses out on his biggest target of the 2014 class, Zylan Cheatham, as he commits to San Diego State.</p>

<p>This makes it two consecutive seasons where the "big fish" for Romar's recruiting classes decides to attend elsewhere, with 2013 forward Aaron Gordon playing in Arizona this upcoming season.</p>

<p>Cheatham is a 6-7 small forward who can leap out of the gym. Jerry Meyer of 247 sports has called him "arguably the best athlete" of the 2014 class. His skills would have lent themselves to the high post offense as well. He has the ability to be a true point forward with open court passing skills and the ability to handle, especially for his length.</p>

<p>He does struggle with his jump shot as it is, and could stand to develop it, but that was one of the few things keeping him from being among the elite of the elite in high school.</p>

<p>Four stars across the board for Cheatham, and the lowest he was rated across the country was 76th, by Rivals.</p>

<p>The decision was a difficult one for him, and before the commitment, admitted that the most difficult part of the process was <a href="http://www.abqjournal.com/288253/sports/lobo-recruit-enjoys-the-attention.html">letting the coaching staffs down</a>.</p>

Cheatham was also considering New Mexico, who many considered the the favorite.

<p>"These are guys you talk with on a consistent basis," Cheatham said of the coaching staffs of the three schools. "They've offered you a scholarship. They've invested time and flown out to see you play. You've talked with them so much. The kind of guy I am, I'm so strong-hearted and when I develop a relationship with someone, I feel like it means something. Right now it's tough. I love all three of these coaching staffs."</p>

<p>Despite getting the final meeting with him on Saturday before making his decision, Cheatham just didn't feel UW was the school for him.</p>

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<div class="sidebar"><a href="http://www.uwdawgpound.com/2013/10/15/4842006/washington-huskies-basketball-jernard-jarreau-desmond-simmons">

<h2>Washington Huskies High Post Preview</h2>

<!-- Optional Image, Remove if you'd like --> <img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/21215819/20121128_gav_sn8_395.0_standard_352.0.jpg" /><!-- End image --></a> <span>Washington still isn't bare at the high post, take a look at who will be manning the position for the next two years: Simmons and Jarreau</span></div>

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<p>The Class of 2014 still includes Donaven Dorsey and Tristian Etienne. Dorsey is out of Lacey, Wash. and is rated as a 4 star recruit by Scout while being a rated as a 3-star by both ESPN and Rivals. Dorsey is much more of a project at the small forward spot. He is a 6-7 athlete who is developing the rest of his game.</p>

<p>Etienne is a power forward out of Canada who I don't know much of anything about other than the fact that he is 6-10 and 215 pounds.</p>

<p>Still on Washington's radar is forward James Thompson, someone who I would guess will get more attention with Cheatham no longer an option. Thompson is a 4-star by ESPN and scout while a 3-star by Rivals. He is a bouncy 6-9 4 with the ability to hit the mid-range jumper. He will still score a lot of his points on putbacks on post-ups, with a nice dropstep in his game.</p>

<p>Losing Cheatham stings. Does this mean that Romar now really struggle to get big recruits? How much have the recent struggles affected how recruits view this team? Things were a toss-up from the start for Cheatham, and the class still isn't a lost cause, but regardless, Cheatham would have been a very nice addition to the recruiting class.</p>