Ebanks commits to West Virginia after re-opening recruitment

Devin Ebanks spent more than enough time over the last three months figuring out where he was going to go, so when he finally made up his mind last Sunday morning, the rangy 6-foot-8 Long Island City product made his announcement with the least possible fanfare.
At halftime of the I.S. 8 finals in South Jamaica, he let his decision be known. Ebanks was handed the microphone by Hasson Jennings, one of the tournament’s organizers, who prompted Ebanks’ first time with a mic in his hands by saying, “I believe there’s something you have to tell us all.”
“West Virginia,” was all that came out of Ebanks’ mouth before returning to the lay-up line. It spoke volumes of his desire to put his recruitment in the past and begin his college career.
Ebanks, who graduated from St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.) on Saturday and attended three high schools in five years after battling maturity problems, initially committed to Indiana at the Rumble in the Bronx last June. He was given his release in February when Kelvin Sampson was forced to resign amid allegations of NCAA rules violations. After a brief vacation, Ebanks will go to Morgantown, WV.
Ebanks chose Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers over Texas, Memphis and Rutgers. He took official visits to all four schools in the last few weeks, a dizzying month of getting to know prospective suitors that, his mother Yvonne Jackson said, wore her son down. Besides playing in the Jordan Classic at Madison Square Garden last month, they were on the road almost entirely.
“It was a trying time for us,” Jackson said.
Moreover, a difficult choice needed to be made. Hours before the I.S. 8 final, in fact, he had yet to make his decision, fluctuating between Memphis, last year’s NCAA Tournament runner-up, and West Virginia. He settled on the Big East school based on a list he compiled with his mother -where he would make the biggest impact, who offered the best academics and where he felt the most comfortable.
“West Virginia,” he said, “had everything I was looking for in a school. It offered me the best opportunity.”
Regarding Huggins, Ebanks added, “He kept in contact with me when he was supposed to; he came to see me when he was supposed to. I felt he worked the hardest and wanted me the most.”
Ebanks should fit in nicely with the Mountaineers’ up-tempo attack, particularly with swingman Joe Alexander, who led them to a surprise Sweet 16 spot in last March’s NCAA Tournament, declaring for the draft. He will also be surrounded by familiar faces - Mount Vernon’s Kevin Jones and St. Raymond’s Daryl Bryant.
“He’s a 94-foot player,” talent evaluator Tom Konchalski said. “His greatest asset is his mobility, at each end of the floor. … In terms of style of play, I think it’s tailor made for him.”