skip navigation

St. Catherine's Hunter commits to Iowa State

08/04/2020, 2:45pm CDT
By Mark Miller

Tyrese Hunter

In honor of his later mother, Ida, Racine St. Catherine's senior guard Tyrese Hunter decided to make his collegiate decision on her birthday, which is today. 

The talented and ever-improving 6-foot-1 point guard selected Iowa State out of a field he recently reduced to 10 NCAA Division I programs, and later a final four that included Georgia, Marquette and Texas Tech in addition to Iowa State.

Hunter's mother passed away on November 27, 2016 when Tyrese was in eighth grade, just over six years after his father, Brian, also passed away.

Tyrese Hunter has lived with older brother, Brian Hunter Jr., a former Racine Horlick and UW-Whitewater player, the last several years. 

"Going through the recruiting process, I was able to build relationships with a lot of coaches," Hunter said. "A lot of it at the end boiled down to how quickly I would be able to impact a program and my relationship with the head coach. 

"Iowa State just kind of stood out in those two aspects so I decided 'why wait?' From my first zoom meeting with Iowa State with the coaches, I told my brother this could be the school right here for me. It was a comfort thing for me. 

"The Big 12 Conference is one of the biggest conferences in the country, and Iowa State likes to get up-and-down the floor while also dogging you on defense. I could see myself fitting in with that style of play."

Hunter is the latest in a long line of outstanding players from Wisconsin to join the Ames, Iowa, program, a fact he was fully aware of when making his decision.

"I know all about tradition with attending St. Catherine's and maintaining the great tradition of our school," Hunter said. "So I also knew about guys from the state who have played at Iowa State. I watched (former Oshkosh North guard) Tyrese Haliburton on TV a lot last year, but I wasn't sure if I would be recruited by Iowa State. Tyrese Haliburton called me after I got the offer from coach (Steve) Prohm and mentioned the off-the-court stuff a lot and how much the coaches really care about you on and off the court." 

In addition to Haliburton, who played the past two seasons at Iowa State after leading Oshkosh North to the 2018 WIAA Division I state title and is expected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, other Wisconsin prep stars who have played at Iowa State in the last decade include Matt Thomas of Onalaska, Deonte Burton of Milwaukee Vincent, Scott Christopherson of Aquinas, Terrance Lewis of Milwaukee Riverside, Jameel McKay of Milwaukee Pulaski, Diante Garrett of Milwaukee Vincent, Donovan Jackson and Korie Lucious of Pius XI Catholic, Calvin Godfrey of Milwaukee Custer and Nate Jenkins of Kettle Moraine. 

Iowa State finished 12-20 overall last season and 5-13 in the Big 12. Prohm is entering his sixth season at the school in 2020-21. 

Ranked as the No. 2 collegiate prospect in the state in the 2021 class by WisSports.net, Hunter led St. Catherine's to a 25-0 record and the Metro Classic Conference last season before COVID-19 wiped out the season on March 12. 

The exceptionally athletic point guard averaged 21.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the way to earning Player of the Year honors in the Metro Classic. 

"Tyrese has a drive and work ethic that will set him up for whatever happens to him in life," St. Catherine's coach Nick Bennett said. "He is a competitor. His athletic ability makes people take notice, but his skill and passion for winning is what separates him from most kids. He's coachable, a great teammate and a leader. Iowa State is getting someone who is ready for the college game, but his best is yet to come."

Hunter joins Waukesha West's Cam Palesse (Valparaiso) and River Falls' J.T. Dougherty (Army) as state players in the 2021 class verbally committed to Division I programs.

For the latest and most up to date boys' basketball news and recruiting information, follow Mark on Twitter @wisbbyearbook. Email story ideas, recruiting info, etc. to Mark by clicking here.

Tag(s): News Archive  BBB News  Mark Miller