Northern Iowa recruit Renegs- and recommits to DePaul

[tornado]

Mike Bizoukas, Class of 2007 point guard who had verbally comitted to UNI and was planning to sign his LOI next week, now has renegged on his verbal and will reopen his recruitment.

Bizoukas was just coming off an outstanding summer of play and word was that he was getting calls from the "bigs".


Here is one comment I just read about Bizoukas
"Bizoukas is the best pure point guard in the state of Indiana, and feels that he is a bona fide high-major player."

Here is a quote by Dave Telep claiming Mike Bizoukas could be a very fine point guard in the BIG TEN...in fact
"capable of starting in the Big Ten."

http://story.scout.com/a.z?s=45&p=2&c=535798

But I thought Kelvin Sampson was rectricted from making cel phone calls!!

[Roll with the Funches]

Kelvin Sampson would never recruit a player already verballed to another school.

[tornado]

Northern Iowa has a lot of guards, and is actually losing some (Mason Stewart last season and now Bizoukas) because they are recruiting so many kids at the same position that the kids get unhappy and realize they may never play.

[PTTB]

Northern Iowa has a lot of guards, and is actually losing some (Mason Stewart last season and now Bizoukas) because they are recruiting so many kids at the same position that the kids get unhappy and realize they may never play.

Bizoukas' father is quoted in a report that Mike wants to play in a big time conference. And he doesn't want to quite give up on that dream yet. Bizoukas is good enough that he doesn't have to worry about not getting playing time. UNI loses starting PG Brooks McKowen, and that leaves only one other true point guard in the system...Brian Haak (walk-on). Kwadzo Ahlegbe and Stephen Jones can both play the point, but can also play the 2. If Bizoukas would come to UNI, he would probably push for starting time his freshman year. Lineup would look like:

C- Coleman (Eglseder off the bench)
PF-Koch (Barz/O'Rear off the bench)
SF-Travis Brown (Viet and Dunham off the bench)
SG-Josten (Jones and Reed off the bench)
PG- Ahlegbe/Bizoukas

[flipper]

the valley isn't good enough for him?

[tornado]

"Less than a day after Munster's Mike Bizoukas decommitted from Northern Iowa, Eric Cole, his AAU coach at Caps Basketball, received phone calls from Nevada, DePaul, St. Louis, SMU, Ball State and Bowling Green"

http://www.post-trib.com/sports/121080,bkh.article

Bizoukas is one of the top 2007 uncommited point guards, nationally.

[BU1999]

But is a jump from Northern Iowa to Ball State or Bowling Green really a move up?

[Fetz86]

The only one on that list that could possibly be considered an improvement is Depaul.

[hoops guru]

It seems there has been contact with Mike Bizoukas from some school(s) while he was committed to Northern Iowa, causing him to decommit. Rumor is that it wasn't Kelvin Sampson this time, but a another coach that may have convinced Bizoukas to back off the committment to UNI and wait to see if a scholarship would be available for the kid at a major school. He definitely thinks he can play at a "higher level".
Here is a link to an article in the kid's local paper. It mentions a few schools who have been in contact with him.

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/11/03/sports/indiana_prep_sports/5361b6ac6210e9ea8625721b0018a91d.txt

[Biff]

Seems like a lot of fuss over a kid that only averaged 8.9 points and 5.9 assists as a junior.

[Da Coach]

hoops guru, again you are right on target--
I know who you meant with your reference to another certain coach convincing this Mike Bizoukas kid to decommit.

Here is the proof-- he claimed he wanted to wait to commit and see what other offers might be coming. But, lo and behold, today (just 6 days after he renegged on his UNI committment) he suddenly commits to DePaul! That doesn't sound like he wanted to wait and see, he obviously knew where he wanted to go. Has Jerry Wainright learned his recruiting tricks from Kelvin Sampson?

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/bizoukasdepaul.html

[BradleyBrave]

hoops guru, again you are right on target--
I know who you meant with your reference to another certain coach convincing this Mike Bizoukas kid to decommit.

Here is the proof-- he claimed he wanted to wait to commit and see what other offers might be coming. But, lo and behold, today (just 6 days after he renegged on his UNI committment) he suddenly commits to DePaul! That doesn't sound like he wanted to wait and see, he obviously knew where he wanted to go. Has Jerry Wainright learned his recruiting tricks from Kelvin Sampson?

http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles...kasdepaul.html

I am not condoning this, but its not like Tom Davis or Chris Lowery started calling this kid after he committed to UNI. It's nothing new for BCS coaches to go after kids after they've committed to the MVC.

[chitownBUB]

It is rumored that DePaul badly wanted Bizoukas as part of a two for one deal.
Bizoukas' summer AAU teammate and friend, Angel Garcia (6-11 PF/C), may now
be leaning towards DePaul as a result of Bizoukas going there.

[tornado]

Here is another article that has more about the committment change--

http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/11/08/sports/top_sports/12fa214ab1fc04b686257220001579f6.txt