A Dale High School senior has committed to play basketball for the University of Oklahoma, choosing the Sooners over at least 17 or 18 other Division I schools.
For Dayton Forsythe, it’s something he’s dreamed of for a long time.
“Going to OU was something I’ve dreamed about since being a little kid and playing for my state of Oklahoma was important to me,” Dayton stressed.
Dayton is the son of Josh and Valerie Forsythe and begins his senior year at Dale in a couple of weeks.
The 6-2, 175 pound point guard averaged around 18 points his junior year helping lead the Class 2A Dale Pirates to their second consecutive state championship with an unblemished 32-0 record earlier this year.
Dayton described what he’s gone through in deciding to commit to OU “as very tough. Several great schools were recruiting me,” he noted.
Among those 17 or 18 schools recruiting him were Villanova, Oklahoma State University, Wichita State, Wake Forest, Loyola of Chicago and others that are well known as well.
But he admitted, “I think I’ve known for a little bit that I was going to go to OU.”
Dayton related there were several factors involved in making his decision, but said, “the biggest one was the connection with Coach (Porter) Mosier. I had a close connection with him and the whole staff, especially Ryan Humphrey, an assistant coach.”
It will be sometime this fall, Dayton said, before the first official signing date but he plans to sign then, he said.
He pointed out, “It was at the end of my sophomore year that OU started talking to me, carrying it through this year.”
Dayton said he made one official visit to OU and a number of unofficial visits to other schools. “In June (last month) I visited OU. I was around both the coaches and the players,” he added.
He explained that, “You can take as many official visits as you want, but only one official visit per school is allowed.”
He elaborated that an unofficial visit is where he and his family had to pay for the travel and other expenses. But on the official visit to OU the university picked up the tab.
Dayton, who carries better than a 4.0 grade point average, further commented on his choosing OU. “It was definitely something I’ve been thinking about a long time.
“It’s weight off my shoulders, it’s been a huge relief since I made my decision.”
He continued, “I don’t know exactly what I will major in but when I graduate I want to go into coaching.”
His dad Josh acknowledges, “It’s been a pretty long process. Lots of miles driven, a number of visits to schools. In the end though, he’s going to his dream school.
“I myself, as growing up, have been an OU fan as has Dayton.”
Josh, who teaches at Dale, is an assistant coach on the Pirates’ baseball team that Dayton plays for and has through his years at the school.
“We’re (he and his wife Valerie) are ecstatic that he’s going to OU,” said Josh.
But he noted that Villanova, a Division I powerhouse, offered a little late. “In the long run, Dayton is ready to zero in on what he wants to do. Once he got to OU (the visit) that really locked him in,” his