New London's Blaise Porter chooses Truman State to continue his basketball career

NEW LONDON ― Blaise Porter put an end to three years of intense recruiting pressure and speculation on Friday, verbally committing to continue his basketball career at Truman State University, an NCAA Division II school in Kirksville, Missouri.

The New London High School senior will make it official next week when he signs a National Letter of Intent for the Bulldogs.

For Porter, a flashy 6-foot point guard, it is the end of one journey and the start of another beginning with the 2023-24 season.

"The most important thing is the coaching staff truly believes in me," Porter said of Truman State head coach Jeff Horner and assistant coach Josh Beardsley. "I hit (Horner) up first when I was in AAU. He was 100 percent truthful and honest with me all the way through. That's what I was looking for is a coach who is truthful and honest and that's what Coach Horner and Coach Beardsley are. I am really looking forward to playing basketball for them."

Porter, an all-conference, all-district and all-state guard, averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season while shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 44.5 percent from 3-point range and 63-6. percent from the free-throw line last season.

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For his career, Porter is averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.6 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range and 73.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Porter said that while he enjoyed the recruiting process, he is glad to put it in his rearview mirror so he can focus solely on basketball.

The 2022-23 season officially gets underway Monday with the first day of practice.

"It was super, super busy at first. I was getting calls from everyone," Porter said. "Then it quieted down during the dead period and it shot back up again during AAU season. Some schools reached out again and some didn't. Coach Horner was there from the very beginning."

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Truman State head coach Jeff Horner saw basketball success in Iowa

Horner knows plenty about playing guard and what it takes to succeed at the college level and beyond.

Horner graduated from the University of Iowa in 2006 with a degree in communication studies after starting all four years as a member of the Hawkeyes. He capped those four seasons by being named the Big Ten Tournament's Most Outstanding Player as a senior when Iowa defeated Ohio State in the title game. Horner was also a two-time third team All-Big Ten honoree, a two-time team MVP and two-year team captain. He is second all-time in assists (612) and 3-pointers made (262) at Iowa while his 1,506 career points are just outside the program's top 10 list.

Horner then made four stops in the professional ranks including Bree, Belgium (2006-07), Paris France (fall 2007), the Iowa Energy of the NBA G League (2007-08), and Antibes, France (2008-09).

"That is also very important to me that he played point guard at Iowa and he knows how to get to the next level," Porter said. "That is my main goal. I trust him to help me get to that next level. I want to play in the pros, whether that is overseas, in the G-League or the NBA."

Porter said he plans to hit the weights hard after his senior year of basketball at New London, where his father, Bryant Porter, is head coach.

"The biggest takeaways of being coached by my Dad are he taught me how to lead a team and how to be a better point guard," Blaise Porter said. "This is a huge weight off my shoulders going into my senior year. Now I can go out and have fun with my friends. We want to win a state championship. That's my goal this year. We came up a little short the last few years, but I think we have the talent to get there this year if we work hard."

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 32 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Blaise Porter, New London, will play basketball at Truman State in MO