Georgia prep Kyle Meyer picks Iowa

IOWA CITY -Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery earned his first commit for the 2012 class. 

Junior Kyle Meyer, a 6-foot-10 post/forward from Alpharetta, Ga., announced today he has accepted a scholarship to play for McCaffery in 2012. Meyer, who played for Northview High School and the Atlanta Celtics AAU team, said he felt comfortable with McCaffery from the beginning. 

"I like the team and the direction that they're heading," Meyer said. "I think I can play there in the next two years and make a difference for the team." 

Meyer averaged around 16 points as a junior and 14 points as a sophomore for Northview. His final three choices were Iowa, Clemson and East Carolina. 

With Meyer's commitment, Iowa now has three scholarships available for the 2012 class. Iowa has two scholarships to fill for 2011. 

McCaffery started recruiting Meyer last summer at an AAU Tournament. Meyer said either McCaffery or his assistants have watched him play in two high school games and attended a practice along with their AAU presence last summer. 

Meyer took a pair of unofficial visits to Iowa, most recently Feb. 19, and he said he's struck a bond with McCaffery. 

"I felt he's done really well with all the players," Meyer said. "They're not the superstar players, but he works with them really well. He creates a good team off them, a well-coached team. They follow the coaching style that he wants and he's out recruiting pretty good players to come back up (to Iowa). There's lot of examples where he can make somebody incredible if he works with them longer." 

"I just wanted a college that wanted me as a player and not just to fill a spot. I felt that they were a school that wanted me as I am and thought that I was right for them. It takes the pressure off me and allows me to enjoy the summer and develop more as a player." 

Despite his size, Meyer considers himself more of a forward than a post. He said he needs to gain between 15 and 20 pounds to be able to compete in the Big Ten. 

"I'm a pretty decent knock-down shooter," Meyer said. "I can go inside, get a board and move back really well. My low post moves, I think, are pretty strong. I can attack off the dribble reasonably well. Things I need to work on, definitely lateral quickness; my first step is a little bit slow. And also work better on a one-dribble, pull-up, mid-range (jumpers)." 

According to an ESPN scouting report, Meyer "is effective playing facing up where he can knock down a 15-17 foot jumper and he is improving with his back to the basket in the low post. He runs the floor consistently and does a nice job finding a seam rebounding the ball in transition. He plays good low post position defense and challenges the shot by bodying up with hands high; also showed he is capable of blocking shots off the ball. He has a good work ethic and is impressive showing his skill set away from the basket." 

The ESPN scouting report said Meyer, who weighs 215 pounds, needs to "mature and develop more strength and then he will be a handful around the basket."