BYU, Utah Await Decision From Four-Star Hoops Recruit Keanu Dawes
Oct 11, 2022, 12:25 AM | Updated: 12:29 am
(Photo: @keanu_28/Twitter)
SALT LAKE CITY – Four-star basketball recruit Keanu Dawes could make one of the local college hoops programs happy today.
Dawes, a 6-foot-7, 210-pound forward from Stratford High School in Houston, Texas, will announce his college decision at 9 a.m. (MT)/10 a.m. (CT). Both BYU and Utah are among the top schools that he’s considering. Dawes took official visits on both campuses.
Change of plans, I will be committing @ 10 am in the main gym of Stratford high school , I will also be going live on my instagram @keanu.28 for those who can’t make it!
— Keanu Dawes (@keanu_28) October 10, 2022
The other programs in the hunt include Rice, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma State.
Dawes will make his announcement on his personal Instagram account, @keanu.28. Before announcing his decision, he laid out what he was looking for in the college he picks.
Getting to the NBA is a top priority for Keanu Dawes
“When it came down to choose my top six or my top four, what it is right now, I kind of just went off who I felt will help me get to the league the best and help develop me the best,” said Dawes in an Instagram video. “Also, off-the-court. That’s a big thing because you’re not just playing basketball all the time. You know, you’re with teammates, the staff, and then the actual school.”
Dawes is a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite ratings for the 2023 class. He’s the 117th-ranked recruit in the country with aspirations in basketball that go beyond the college game.
“The final goal is to make it to the NBA and make it to the league and then just being at college. I want to develop for however long I’m there. Personal goals, come in to win freshman of the year, whatever conference I’m in. Then take my team to the [NCAA] Tournament. I feel like if you can do that as a freshman, that means you’re doing something pretty big, and not a lot of people get to do it.”
Ties to BYU and Utah
@UtahMBB official visit! #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/1Cn61YnylB
— Keanu Dawes (@keanu_28) October 3, 2022
Dawes has ties to both BYU and Utah. Growing up in Salt Lake City, Dawes watched Utah basketball in his childhood. During his official visit to Utah, Dawes is in a photo wearing a t-shirt commemorating Utah’s 1998 NCAA Final Four run.
@BYUMBB official visit! pic.twitter.com/JlQENOUsNl
— Keanu Dawes (@keanu_28) September 24, 2022
With BYU, Dawes is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and his uncle is former BYU and Cottonwood High big man Derek Dawes.
Neither BYU nor Utah have commitments in their 2023 class. He would be the first for each team if they can land Dawes. The early Signing Period for basketball begins November 9 and runs through November 16.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.