Pair of 5A-West standouts find Division I homes

Russellville’s Taelon Peter and Little Rock Christian’s Yasmin Ott have a training routine that they’ve pretty much stuck with since the coronavirus pandemic cut their senior years short, but they’ll both have to alter their regimens in the coming months after signing national letters of intent on Wednesday.

“It just feels good,” said Peter, who’s heading to Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn. “It feels like a big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don’t have to continue to decide now because I know where I’m going.”

Peter, who said he regularly runs in the mornings before putting up shots at a local park, was forced to sign his commitment letter electronically because of the restrictions put in place because of the coronavirus, but that was

only a minuscule formality for the high-flyer who flourished for the Cyclones.

The 6-4 Class 5A all-state pick averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals to lead Russellville to a 23-6 record and a 5A-West Conference title. His highlight-reel dunks and all-around activity on the perimeter and in the interior helped Peter draw strong interest from several colleges, including the University of Arkansas. Yet, he decided to go with his heart, which guided him to a Golden Eagles program that’s trying to regain its status as a top tier team in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“When I went on my visit there, I was expecting to talk a lot about basketball,” Peter said. “When I got there, though, we rarely talked about it. They wanted to know more about me and helping make me a better man over the next four years. It just felt like home.”

Russellville Coach Kyle Pennington believes Peter will make a difference at Tennessee Tech, which went 9-22 this past season but is expected to return four of its top five scorers next season.

“I really think his best basketball is ahead of him,” he said. “He’s a kid that still needs to develop some things, and I think that’s going to come early in his freshman year. But you can’t teach his athleticism, and I’m not just talking about his jumping. He’s so fluid side to side and straight up.

“He can do a lot of things, but at the level he’s at and because of his upside, I really think sky’s the limit. He’s got a lot of untapped potential. Because of his mindset and who he is as a person, I really think he’s going to be a special player in that Ohio Valley.”

For Ott, there was nothing stressful about her decision to sign with Georgetown. In truth, it was just the opposite.

“It was a really exciting process throughout,” she said. “It was just a blessing for me.”

What the Hoyas will be blessed with next season is an athletic guard that excels in transition and can create off the dribble while causing havoc on defense. The 5-7 speedster chose Georgetown over offers from other Division I programs, including the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth and Louisiana-Monroe.

Ott, who averaged 14.5 points, 4 assists and just over 2 steals per game this past season for the Lady Warriors, said she visited a host of schools, but her trip to Washington, D.C., where Georgetown is located, just felt right.

“It’s a great location, and the people that surround the community are just really good people,” she explained. “It’s a great program, history-wise, the academics are great. … everything was just great.”

Things weren’t necessarily good on the court for Georgetown this past season.

The Hoyas went 5-25, which was their first losing campaign since the 2014-15 season. Georgetown also finished 2-16 in the Big East Conference, including losses in its final five regular-season games. But the immediate future looks bright, particularly with Ott joining a recruiting class that includes standout guards Jazmyn Harmon of Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy and Kelsey Ransom of Bishop George Ahr in Edison, N.J.

Ott, who garnered Class 5A All-State and 5A-West All-Conference honors, hasn’t been able to train as extensively as she would’ve like since the Lady Warriors lost to league rival Greenwood in the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament in March. The coronavirus has caused schools and athletic facilities to shut down nationwide, but the high school scholar said she’s managed to stay sharp.

“I’ve been doing some workouts, but not going fully all the way,” she noted. “I’ve been able to use my trap bar and other things around the house to keep by body in shape before I head to Georgetown this summer, whenever everything slows down.”

Peter

Ott