Bruce Guy Jr. will reclassify to the 2020 class
In the beginning, Bruce Guy Jr. had plans on being with the Iona Men’s Basketball team in 2019, but its head coach, Tim Cluess, had other plans in mind.
Instead of starting his career with the Gaels in 2019, Guy will reclassify and be part of the 2020 class, which will give him a year to work on his game from both ends of the court. Wednesday marked the first official day of the early signing period in college basketball, meaning high school basketball players who verbally committed to a school could sign their letter of intent to make the commitment official on paper.
Guy seemed to be on his way to doing so until coach Cluess saw another path for the senior forward.
“Coach Cluess feels it’ll will give me another year to get stronger, faster, and quicker,” Guy said about the reclassification. “I mean, I look at it in a positive way, even though I feel as if I’m ready to play tomorrow if I could, but it’s all about the process.”
Iona has a roster filled with upperclassmen. This season’s team will consists of eight juniors, two seniors, and two freshmen (Andrija Ristanovic will redshirt this season). Cluess can afford to keep Guy off the court in 2019, with a bulk of the team returning, but once the 2020 season gets here, Cluess could use Guy’s 6-foot-4 frame.
Even though Guy is ready to play now, he understood the process Cluess wants him to take. He sees it as a great opportunity to make strides.
“I didn’t have a reaction honestly,” Guy said when he first got the news from Cluess that it would be best to reclassify. “I know I’m ready to play in college, but anything I can do to improve my game more and make myself better in a category I’m weak in is always a plus in my book.”
With the decision to reclassify out of the way, Guy can focus on his final season at Cordova High School. The Wolfpack officially start their season this Saturday against Memphis Central in a neutral site game before playing Covington later on the same day.