Omaha Biliew's commitment to Iowa State basketball earns high praise: 'Fantastic pickup for TJ Otzelberger'
Iowa State basketball made history Tuesday, landing its highest-rated recruit in the rankings era: Five-star forward Omaha Biliew.
Biliew, who chose the Cyclones over Kansas, Oregon and the NBA G-League, earned a 0.9950 composite rating on 247Sports. He's the 247Sports's 14th-best player nationally and the sixth-best player at his position in the 2023 class.
It's a big-time recruiting win for T.J. Otzelberger and his Cyclone coaching staff. Biliew joins four-star prospects Milan Momcilovic and Jelani Hamilton in the 2023 class. All three committed in July.
More: Omaha Biliew commits to Iowa State basketball, becomes program's highest-rated recruit ever
Here's a look at what analysts had to say about Biliew's commitment and how fans celebrated.
National basketball analysts praise Omaha Biliew's commitment to Iowa State
Omaha Biliew to @PaulBiancardi: “It’s home, nothing beats it. Playing for the state that raised me for the majority of my lifetime is priceless to me. I feel like it was destined for me to be at ISU and cement my legacy here.”
Fantastic pickup for TJ Otzelberger.— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) July 26, 2022
Not sure you could’ve imagined a better start for TJ Otzelberger
Ends year 1 in the Sweet 16
Starts year 2 by nabbing top recruit in program history— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) July 26, 2022
Iowa State recruiting at a very high-level right now.
Came away from last week believing Omaha was a lot more versatile than he typically gets credit for. https://t.co/PaJ4gjLWnS— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) July 26, 2022
Omaha Biliew announces for @CycloneMBB on ESPN.
Will be a difference maker for T.J. Otzelberger. @BiliewOmaha https://t.co/Hbs8ntaL7L— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) July 26, 2022
Iowa State basketball fans welcome Biliew to the Cyclone family
https://t.co/l4tbctc7B0 pic.twitter.com/RDUhnYovFf
— Bret Spurgin (@RedDirtCyclone) July 26, 2022
15 months later, Otzelberger lands his first 5-star recruit and has the #3 recruiting class in the nation coming off a Sweet Sixteen appearance in one of the biggest 1-year turnarounds in DI basketball history.
Don’t think people realize what ISU has with Otz and Campbell. https://t.co/CCTNwcOSzB— Alex Gookin (@_AlexGookin) July 26, 2022
— Matthias Schwartzkopf (@MatthiasWRNL) July 26, 2022
Do I have goosebumps over a high school kid putting on an Iowa State hat? Yes, yes I do.
— Stephanie Copley (@StephCopley) July 26, 2022
Read more about Omaha Biliew and his journey to Iowa State
Adam Hensley is a digital producer with the USA Today Network. You can follow him on Twitter @A_Hens83 or reach him at ahensley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Omaha Biliew's commitment to Iowa State draws high praise
