Christian Vital flattered by McCaffery visit
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery made a strong impression on high school senior guard Christian Vital on Wednesday just by seeing him in person.
McCaffery met with the 6-foot-2 Vital at Vital’s high school in Connecticut.
Vital has trimmed his list of schools to Iowa, Connecticut and Louisville.
"It meant a lot, actually," Vital said of McCaffery’s visit. "There are plenty of other guards in the country he can recruit, but he came out to see me."
Vital was previously committed to Nevada-Las Vegas, but he changed his mind in order to explore other options. He also had been considering Alabama and Marquette before cutting his list to three schools.
Vital took an official visit to Connecticut on Tuesday. He also plans to visit Louisville and Iowa before making a final decision, although, he hasn’t said publicly when those visits will take place.
Two scholarships became available in the 2016 class after freshmen Brandon Hutton and Andrew Fleming both said they would transfer from Iowa after the spring semester. The 6-5 Fleming announced on Twitter Wednesday afternoon that he would transfer to Tennessee-Chattanooga, which is in his home state.
One of the scholarships was given to sophomore-to-be forward Nicholas Baer, while the other scholarship has been offered to Vital.
Iowa needs help in the backcourt with senior guards Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons both having exhausted their eligibility this past season.
"The main thing is the great opportunity I have waiting for me at Iowa," Vital said. "And coach (McCaffery) wants me to the guy he brings in for that guard position."
Vital attends high school in Connecticut, but his hometown is New York City.
Connecticut might seem to have an advantage because of location. However, Vital said that wouldn’t influence his decision. He already showed that he was willing to leave the East Coast by committing to UNLV.
"Location won’t factor at all," Vital said.