Meet Cyprian Hyde, a late-blooming prospect from SoCal who started to break out at the last live period this past July at “The Stage” Adidas event in Corona, CA. He followed that up with a strong performance at Pangos Best of SoCal where he made the Top-20 game. He continued his ascent at the GamePoint Fall College Showcase where he had a high game of 21 points to go with 9 rebounds. This led to an invite to the Pangos All-American Preview where he broke out with a 21-point and 24 rebound performance. The high school junior holds multiple offers (Eastern Washington and Portland) and on his current trajectory, his recruitment will undoubtedly extend beyond the Big Sky and WCC in the near future.
Recently, Hyde spent some time chatting with Pro Insight’s Jake Lieberman about his recruitment.
For the next installment of “Recruiting Roundup,” we present class of 2023 prospect Cyprian Hyde from Oceanside, California:
Pro Insight: What are you looking to accomplish this high school basketball season?
Cyprian Hyde: I’ve been preparing mentally and physically all off-season to come out my junior season and dominate on both ends of the court every game. If I do that, I know I can get 20 points, 15 rebounds, and close to 5 blocks per game and that will bring with it awards like First Team All-League, League MVP, and First Team All-CIF San Diego Section.
PI: Which programs would you say are prioritizing you the most or expressing the most interest at this stage?
CH: Eastern Washington...they text and send mailers to me multiple times per week. Portland, Cal Baptist, UC Irvine, San Diego, and Tulsa all text me multiple times every week.
PI: Where have you all visited thus far? Do you have any future visits planned?
CH: I’m thankful that I’ve been invited to visit campus and practice at Cal Baptist, UC Irvine, San Diego, and Eastern Washington via Zoom. I’ve been invited to visit Portland and Eastern Washington but haven’t been able to yet...I plan to after the season, though. I’d also like to visit Tulsa, as well.
PI: Did you have any dream schools growing up?
CH: I’ve always thought of myself playing for Florida State or Syracuse.
PI: If you could team up with any high school player in the country when you guys get to college, who would you pick?
CH: My club teammate, Jaden “Shloop” Matingou, because we have #GamePointChemistry!
PI: How do you project your role at the next level?
CH: On offense as a 4-man with speed to sprint and rim run, who can post smaller players, and can play the perimeter versus bigger players in pick-and-pop situations. On defense, I love talking as the anchor of the team, shot blocking, throwing long outlets off rebounds to get my teammates layups, and defending the pick-and-roll.
PI: What are your three main priorities when it comes to your recruitment?
CH: Most important is a coach who believes in me and wants to get me better every day. Second would be great academic support. I know the transition from high school to college is tough and I know after I’m done playing, it’s my education that I’ll rely on the rest of my life. Third, a coach and school that will enable me to grow in my faith both on and off campus. Being a part of a church on Sundays to worship is a priority for me.
PI: How's your timeline looking?
CH: I’m not thinking that far ahead, but I’m focusing on my season and enjoying the process of getting to know coaches, their programs, and schools. We’ll see what the future holds.
PI: What’s your pre-game pump up song/artist?
CH: Gotta be NLE Choppa’s “Walk Em Down.”
PI: Which player in the NBA or college would you compare your game to?
CH: I would say I aspire to be a big that is as versatile as Anthony Davis.
