Former Top 100 center Michael Chandler has signed with Northwest Florida State, a junior college in Niceville, Fla., the school announced Saturday.
Chandler, who was originally a member of the Class of 2011, did not enroll in school during the 2011-12 year and will now spend two years at NWF.
Qualifying academically has been the biggest obstacle for Chandler, who chooses junior college now and will work toward Division I eligibility over the next two years.
Before signing with Northwest Florida State, he had previously committed to three schools: Louisville, Central Florida, and Xavier.
The Indianapolis, Ind. native had also drawn interest from schools that include Connecticut, St. John’s, Oregon, Indiana, Kentucky, and Oregon.
Northwest Florida State has recently sent three players on to Division I schools: Rod Rucker to UAB, Trency Jackson to Texas Tech, and Neiko Hunter to Middle Tennessee.
Chandler is an especially rare case because of his numerous commitments and reclassification, now landing in junior college.
At 6-10, 225 pounds he has legitimate size to play at the Division I level, but will need to straighten out his academics before he can qualify. Defensively, he could certainly help a team in the low post with his tall, wide frame.
NWF now reportedly has four players from the 2012 class ranked in the Top 125 nationally.
Photo courtesy of the Orlando Sentinel.
Daniel Martin is a writer and editor at JohnnyJungle.com, covering St. John’s. You can find him on Twitter:@DanielJMartin_
