Oklahoma State Making Progress with Five-Star Center Omer Yurtseven

Oklahoma State and Brad Underwood are giving five-star 2016 center Omer Yurtseven the full court press as he faces the home stretch of his recruitment.

The Istanbul native made the decision earlier this year that he would pass on a lucrative contract with his club team Fenerbahce to pursue an opportunity to play college ball in the United States. DraftExpress.com projects Yurtseven as the No. 14 overall pick in next years NBA draft.

“I haven’t been playing that much,” Yurtseven told Scout. “So I need to go some place that I can to play more and to improve. That’s why I want to go to college.”

The 6-foot-11 center averaged 9.8 points and 8.7 rebounds in nine games with the Turkish national team.

According to a report from The Oklahoman’s John Helsley, head coach Brad Underwood has recently made a trip to Istanbul in an attempt to lure the elite big man. And an interesting connection to keep in mind is Turkish prospect Enes Kanter, who has a good relationship with Yurtseven.

As you might know, Kanter plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, just an hour down the road from Stillwater.

It was reported that a trip to the states for exploring destinations would potentially be put on hold. However, Yurtseven has reportedly been in the country over the last few days and has been making his rounds with several schools.

Multiple reports have stated that Yurtseven has visited two schools during his trip thus far: NC State and Syracuse.

One source tells me that although he is in the states, getting Yurtseven to visit the campus is a particularly difficult challenge. I would speculate that challenge could be from a logistical standpoint. Because of his semi-impromptu visit, he could be in a hurry to get back to Istanbul. Or, another challenge would be simply recruiting him enough for him to feel comfortable making the trip.

[Hey Omer, Enes Kanter plays at 8:30 in Oklahoma City on Friday night!]

Although a visit is not yet planned, the source tells me that OSU remains in fair shape with the elite Turkish prospect.

However, if a visit is not planned, it would be safe to presume OSU’s chances will significantly decrease.

“I got to see the school if I think I’m going to go to college,” Yurtseven told Scout in February. “To make the right choice I need to visit the school I’m going to go to.”