How the official recruiting visit went for Quincy Ballard at Wichita State basketball
A weekend in Wichita was a pleasant surprise for Quincy Ballard, a Shocker basketball recruiting target, and his parents.
The Ballard family, which lives in Syracuse, N.Y., had never been to Kansas before, but they were left impressed by the coaches, the program, the players, the fans and even the weather on Quincy Ballard’s official visit to Wichita State this past Saturday.
And for a player who wants to wrap up his recruitment as soon as possible, Wichita State making the first impression on the 7-foot sophomore center just days after entering the NCAA transfer portal from Florida State could be important. Syracuse and Maryland are also in pursuit of Ballard.
“He does have other visits lined up, but he was definitely very impressed with his visit, so things may be changing,” Regina Ballard, Quincy’s mother, told The Eagle. “That’s a good thing. He doesn’t want to waste anyone’s time. He’s definitely thinking through this, but the sooner the better.”
Wichita State head coach Isaac Brown and his staff have a busy month of April ahead with at least five scholarships to potentially fill for their 2022 recruiting class. WSU has been busy making offers and reaching out to those in the transfer portal, but Ballard, with assistant Tyson Waterman as lead recruiter, is the first prospect the staff has decided to bring in for an official visit.
Finding a mobile, 7-foot shot-blocker has been on WSU’s wish list since joining the American Athletic Conference. The program has had just one true 7-footer (Asbjorn Midtgaard) in the last 10 seasons and Ballard, who measured this weekend with a 7-foot-7½-inch wingspan, fits the mold of what WSU is looking for.
“He’s a really good rim defender and I think that’s something that Wichita State needs and clearly the coaches feel the same way too,” Regina Ballard said.
It’s tough to know how ready Ballard might be to contributing immediately because of how sparingly he played the last two seasons at Florida State. He appeared in 36 games with averages of 1.1 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 4.1 minutes per game. He did produce a 15.8% block rate in a small sample size this past season, which suggests his shot-blocking skills could translate right away.
The Syracuse native was a late riser in the spring of 2020 recruiting class following a post-graduate season at Quality Education Academy in North Carolina, where he averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks. He went from an unknown prospect to choosing between Florida State, Syracuse, Cincinnati, North Carolina State and Maryland.
Wichita State had a promising pairing at center last season with starter Morris Udeze (10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds) and rookie Kenny Pohto (5.4 points, 2.7 rebounds). But the Shockers have excelled in the past with a three-player rotation at center, which could happen again if Ballard, a shot-blocking specialist, joins Udeze, a bulldozer inside, and Pohto, a pick-and-pop specialist, to form what would be a well-rounded trio with each having a unique skill set.
“He’s one of the most athletic kids you’re going to meet,” Regina Ballard said. “He wants to go somewhere that needs a good, strong big. He wants to go a place where he can show out and show his ability and work as part of a team. He met some of the (WSU) players (on Saturday) and he thought they were pretty terrific. It definitely looks like it’s a really good situation.”
But Wichita State isn’t the only team who could use a 7-foot shot-blocker and playing time can be pitched by any program. What made the Shockers stand out were the people.
Waterman arranged a special meeting with Dr. Marché Fleming-Randle, the Chief Diversity Officer at WSU, who gave a helping hand in the recruiting process. The family was blown away by the conversation.
“That was everything,” Regina Ballard said.
Another highlight of the trip for the family was attending Saturday’s Louisville-Michigan Sweet 16 game in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at Intrust Bank Arena. Even though the game did not involve the Shockers, the family saw more than 8,500 fans pack the downtown arena to support basketball.
After watching clips of the environment at Koch Arena during Shocker games and even After Shocks TBT games, the family came away impressed with the fan base.
“That was pretty cool,” Regina Ballard said. “That was definitely one of the pros Q mentioned. That fan support is so important and clearly (Wichita State) has it, so that’s great.”
But the most important part of the visit was how Quincy Ballard and his parents would mesh with Brown, the head man in charge.
They left even more impressed than they were before they came to Wichita.
“Coach IB is fantastic, he really is,” Regina Ballard said. “He’s like the most personable, trusting and caring coach. Q was really impressed by that. He spent a lot of time with Q and I was really impressed by that as well. You can tell he really cares about his players and that’s so important to us and well-appreciated.
“It seems like a very strong program and a really tight-knit family and that’s what Q and his family is looking for.”
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