December 7, 2018 By Chris Varney
Yesterday I wrote about Hayden Fry putting a lot of pressure on Chuck Long saying that he was “destined for greatness.” It seems like those words might apply to Oskaloosa’s 6-11 Sophomore Xavier Foster. If you talk to everybody who follows high school basketball, Foster is a can’t miss prospect who has Division I coaches drooling over him. He is big, athletic, can shoot, rebound and do it all. That’s what I am reading and hearing anyway.
That’s not what I saw last year. In the 2 games that Grinnell played Oskaloosa in 2016-17, Foster did not look much more than a big, tall, gangly freshman who was still raw. He did score 11 points with an impressive dunk in the 2nd meeting and had 7 rebounds but Cade McKnight took the youngster to school when Foster tried to front him on defense. McKnight scored 29 and 22 points in both meetings against the Indians, both Tiger wins. I came away wondering where all the hype about Foster was and didn’t think we should anoint him as the next LeBron James just yet.
I have been wrong about a big kid before though I must admit. When I was broadcasting games in Sioux City, I saw a similar highly touted prospect at Sioux City East by the name of Adam Woodbury. As a freshman, he was like Foster — tall, gangly but still raw and the so-called experts were saying he was a Division I prospect. I didn’t see it at the time but he later went to the University of Iowa and had a solid career with the Hawkeyes.
Its really quite simple. Big kids usually take longer to develop their basketball skills than guards do. Foster like Woodbury at his age is still growing, still learning, still trying to figure out that he can dominate the game. Much of the hype around Foster has centered around his AAU play — that’s where the real college recruiting happens where coaches can see tons of good players face one another. Foster clearly has thrived there.
I hope the hype around Foster doesn’t get to his head. I do know that all the attention that Foster gets takes away from some of the other talented basketball players at Oskaloosa like Cole Henry and Jared Kruse. Henry is 6’9″ and is a polished offensive force. Kruse is 6’5″ and can slash and dash his way to the basket. Sometimes teammates can be jealous when one player gets all the attention. I am not saying that is happening with the Indians this year but I have seen it happen with other teams in the past. If Oskaloosa wants to win a state title this year, team chemistry and good guard play will be their two biggest keys.
Maybe Foster will turn into another Woodbury or maybe another Harrison Barnes, the Ames player who went to North Carolina. Maybe the big DI schools will be knocking on his door in the next year or so. Let’s hope that Foster turns into the player that everybody says he will be. Let’s hope that he will find success with a Division I school and all his dreams come true. Let’s hope — more importantly — that he becomes a great person and stays grounded along the way.
Let’s also hope he has an off-night when Grinnell heads to Oskaloosa Friday night to play the Indians. Coverage of Grinnell @ Oskaloosa girls boys doubleheader basketball action on Friday night at 6:00 pm on 1410 KGRN and myiowainfo.com.