Chase Ross flew under the radar. But the 2022 guard landed at Marquette.

When 2022 guard Chase Ross announced his commitment to Marquette last week, it was quickly followed by celebratory posts on social media from the Golden Eagles' coaching staff.

MU head coach Shaka Smart released a video of himself and his assistants jumping into a lake.

Ross can sign his national letter of intent Nov. 10. Coaches can't comment on prospects until then, so the video can be seen as a subtle nod to MU's excitement at landing the 6-foot-4, athletic left-hander.

Ross' recruitment is a snapshot of how difficult it was for coaches to scout during the year-plus NCAA dead period due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how easily players could fly under the radar.

"It was my relationship with the coaches," Ross said of why he chose MU over Georgia, Rutgers, and Texas A&M. "The whole coaching staff, really. And Shaka's 'Havoc' style, I like that."

From Texas to Massachusetts prep school

Ross is from Plano, Texas. He first flashed his talent at Plano West High School. 

"I wanted to go somewhere where basketball was more serious," Ross said. "Where I could get better."

Enter James Cormier, the head coach at Cushing Academy outside of Boston, who started looking at Ross in the fall of 2019.

“There’s a talent scout down there, Al Johnson, who is a former assistant at Texas A&M," Cormier said. "He runs a service and over the years we’ve been trying to connect on some kids. And for whatever reason we hadn’t been able to, but this one was the first one that I jumped on.

"I saw the athleticism. I saw the raw skill. Shot-making ability was there. But just the consistent motor, some of the stuff you need to fine-tune, whether it be pick-and-roll reads or changing speeds or just that consistent approach to finding ways to impact winning … that’s kind of what we had to help pull from Chase and develop into his game.”

Cormier had helped develop David Duke, who was an impact player at Providence for two seasons before signing with the Brooklyn Nets as an undrafted free agent. Ross was sold on Cormier's pitch, even though the Cushing coach couldn't see Ross in person once the pandemic hit in March 2020. Cormier said Ross' family also believed Cushing was the right place.

"Sweet people," Cormier said. "Knew that he was talented. But also knew that he needed to be pushed a little bit. So when you have that support as a coach, especially at my level, if he has that athleticism, he really has a chance.”

Staff's recruitment started with a podcast

According to Cormier, the pursuit of Ross started from an unconventional place back when Smart was coaching at Texas.

“I did a podcast and (assistant coach Cody Hatt) had listened to it," Cormier said. "Nothing big, just like a New England local prep basketball world thing. And Cody happened to listen and I said I had a kid from Texas that I think everyone’s going to know about once we can open our doors and allow scouts to come in and watch. And once he has a chance to be seen he’s going to blow up.

"About a half hour after the podcast got released, he called me and he’s like, ‘Hey, man, who is this kid?’ And I explained Chase is not quite there yet. This is still when they were at Texas. But keep eyes on him because this summer he’s going to be a hell of a player and next fall, if you’re still looking, he’s going to be at that level. A lot of guys hear that and if they don’t know you will be like, ‘Yeah, yeah, he doesn’t know the level. He’s gassing the kid up.’

"(Hatt) did his due diligence and ended up falling in love with him and as they made the transition to Marquette (in March 2021) really did a good job kind of sticking with him, staying in touch with him. Even when they still hadn’t seen him live. I think that really helped build trust between Chase and the staff and also why I really supported the move when Chase ultimately told me he wanted to go to Marquette.”

Ross' recruitment finally blows up

With the disciplined existence at Cushing, Ross' game began to rapidly develop. The problem was that the school played only four games last season.

"Nobody was making moves in terms of offering scholarships," Cormier said. "Or even recruiting. Like making calls, getting a college to get on the phone with him was even tough.

“It’s been impressive because he had no reason to trust me. Like, back home, his school was still playing. We basically canceled our entire season last year and I just told him ‘Listen, just keep working, keep getting better every day and when that time comes to be seen you’re going to be one of the hottest names.' You say that and you believe it, but part of you is concerned that the family and him made a big sacrifice in putting a lot of trust in you."

The NCAA dead period ended June 1.

"Last summer at the end of June they run a NEPSAC (New England Preparatory School Athletic Council) camp, which is our league," Cormier said. "There’s loads of talent there. Brewster (Academy), Northfield Mount Hermon. A lot of good programs. I hadn’t seen him in a month, so I was little concerned when he went home. Just hoping he kept that mentality, kept the consistency. And I knew he could make an impact defensively even if his shot wasn’t falling.

"Once I watched that first game, I talked to a few schools, Rutgers probably being the first school to pull the trigger. I think it took two games for Rutgers to pull the trigger. But pretty much after that three-game little showcase event, he had maybe 12-14 offers."

Ross then played in the EYBL Peach Jam, Nike's high-profile grassroots circuit, and the secret was out. High-major schools were blowing up his phone every day.

"It wasn't overwhelming," Ross said. "I just tried to enjoy it."

Consistency led to Ross choosing Marquette

MU formally offered MU a scholarship in July, though the coaches had been in constant contact with him.

“Cody led the charge and then Shaka really made a push and really showed his love and appreciation for what Chase does and who Chase is," Cormier said. "This fall, Shaka spent a few hours just on campus here, just getting a lay of the land, not even necessarily following Chase around, just being here on campus getting eyes on the scene and what a day-to-day experience for Chase kind of looks like.

"I think that really resonated with Chase. Like a guy of that stature to take a day off in the middle of recruiting to get to know Chase’s experience and what prep life was like for him. That was definitely something that Chase was surprised and impressed about. And collaboratively he knows pretty much everyone on that staff and has dialogue with almost everyone on that staff, if not a daily basis certainly a weekly basis.”

Hatt and Smart were at an open gym at Cushing on Sept. 9, the first day of the NCAA recruiting period. Ross then made an official visit to MU's campus Sept. 10-12.

"We went out on the lake in a boat," Ross said. "I went to a concert at Summerfest. We ate a bunch of really good food."

Ross went on a visit to Georgia a week later, but committed to MU last Friday.

"Relieved," he said of the end to his whirlwind recruitment.

Chemistry developing with future backcourt mate 

Ross joins 5-10 guard Sean Jones in MU's 2022 class.

Jones announced his pledge to the Golden Eagles on Aug. 13. He and Ross already interact every day.

"He reached out to me when he knew that Marquette was heavily recruiting me," Ross said.

Both guards profile as defensive terrors in college.

Ross was familiar with Jones after watching the scrappy guard play for All-Ohio Red at the Peach Jam.

"He's a good two-way player," Ross said. "Our games definitely complement each other."

Cormier sees Ross finding his niche right away at MU.

“He’s going to have a nice transition because he can make plays without the ball in his hands," Cormier said. "He understands that he’s going to create opportunities for himself and teammates by being active and tough defensively both on the ball and in the passing lane, creating run-outs.

"He has a toughness and a college-ready body to go and mix it up. And he really, really shoots it. It’s an underrated quality that he has because everyone is enamored with the athleticism. But he really, really shoots it well."

Contact Ben Steele at (414) 224-2676 or bmsteele@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenSteeleMJS or Instagram at @bensteele_mjs