On Thursday, one of the most talented shooting guards in Missouri made a surprising announcement. Isaac Haney, the high scoring guard from Dora High School, gave his verbal commitment to Missouri State just as his stock was soaring higher and more schools were looking to get involved.

Haney has seen his recruitment takeoff ever since he recorded a 32-point performance to lead the then, Class 1 second ranked Falcons to a victory over Oklahoma’s top ranked team in Class 4A, Heritage Hall, 65-60 in OT. At the time, Haney had already secured an offer from Texas State. Missouri State was already keeping a keen eye on the small school talent. After all, Isaac Haney is last year’s Missouri Class 1 Player of the Year and a prolific scorer with the ability to add points from all over the floor. But following the Ozark Mountain Shootout performance, Ford pulled the trigger and wasted little time in solidifying the relationship. Southern Illinois, Grambling, Oral Roberts and others would also follow suit. 

But just as the offers began to roll in - just like that – it was over. Missouri State Head Coach, Dana Ford received the first commitment from the Class of 2021. The ability of Coach Ford and his staff to quickly bond with the Dora star and find common ground and interests was paramount, but undoubtedly, the school’s proximity to home also played a major role in the decision of Haney.  

Dora is the top ranked team in Class 1 and Haney has already surpassed 2,000 career points. With the decision out of the way, Haney can continue to concentrate on the second half of the season and securing the Class 1 Boys Basketball State Tournament Championship for the Falcons who finished in second place last season. 

During the travel basketball season, Haney plays alongside Kickapoo 2021 standout Anton Brookshire for Yanders Law, a program run by Brookshire’s Uncle, Rob Yanders. Brookshire also holds an offer from Missouri State, so things could continue to get very interesting for the Bears in the 2021 recruitment class.