Visit Primer: Iowa State basketball hosting big-time scorer Zion Griffin this weekend

A week after hosting two key recruits in Tyler Harris and George Conditt, Iowa State will again host another 2018 hoops target this coming weekend when the football team hosts Iowa at Jack Trice Stadium.

Here we offer a breakdown of the prospect and where the Cyclones stand with his recruitment:

Zion Griffin, Hinsdale South (Darien, Ill.)

The rundown: Griffin exploded onto the recruiting scene in July with huge scoring games for the Illinois Hoopers. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound small forward dropped 42 while playing against five-star prospect Tre Jones, then followed with a 31-point outburst in the same weekend.

Griffin racked up as many as 20 offers. After July’s evaluation period, he was tabbed as a four-star prospect by both Rivals and 247Sports and ranked among the nation’s top 100 players by both outlets. Coaches and scouts were drawn to his explosiveness and knock-down shooting.

Who’s in the running: Griffin trimmed his list to four in August, leaving Iowa State, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Illinois State. He scheduled officials for all four, visiting the Redbirds last month and making the trip to Ames this weekend before heading to Pittsburgh next weekend and finishing with Kansas at the end of September.

Expert’s take: “It’s hard to believe, but Griffin was mostly unknown until the mid point of July. A big-time vertical athlete with a dangerous lefty jump shot from deep, Griffin is anonymous no more.” – Eric Bossi, national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals

Cody Goodwin covers high school sports, college basketball recruiting and Drake athletics for The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.