The Oregon State Beavers already have intriguing power forward Ben Kone in the fold for the class of 2016, but missed on Rivals three-star point guard Jordan Ford on Monday, as the 6-foot-0, 155-pound floor general announced his commitment to St. Mary's via Twitter:
I am more than blessed to say I have officially committed to Saint Mary's #Gaels π
β Jordan Ford (@jordan_ford_) September 7, 2015
Ford, who plays point guard for nationally-renowned A
He had Oregon State in his top three in early August, and the Beavers appeared to be in excellent shape to land the pure point guard earlier this summer.
"I like Oregon State, because it's in a tough conference," he told The Oregonian. "I know they are rebuilding over there, and it seems like a great fit for me. My visit went really well. I bonded with all of the coaches. They are really nice and seem like great people, Coach Gottlieb and Coach Tinkle in particular."
However, one of the key factors in Ford's decision was St. Mary's recent success putting point guard in the NBA.
"They kind of have a point guard style. Point guards have thrived in that system like, Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova," he said in August. "I just took an unofficial visit there and that went really well, too."
Oregon State signed its top recruiting class in school history last season and is hoping to build on that this year.
Landing Kone was an impressive start, especially given the Beavers' need for a pure power forward, but Ford's decision represents the first minor setback in the class of 2016.
-- Andrew Nemec
anemec@oregonian.com
@AndrewNemec
