Cal Poly, Denver, Portland State, San Diego and UCSB were his five finalist. When it came down to a final decision, Dunklin left four programs to look elsewhere for a point guard.
Dunklin, decided to end his recruitment with a commitment to UCSB. "Yes, I did commit to UCSB two days ago," he said. "I didn't announce it to everybody but yes I am committed."
After taking an official visit this past weekend, Dunklin just couldn't pass up any opportunity to stay close to home and play for a program that he felt comfortable with.
He was shown around by freshman TJ Taylor and was very impressed with what the school had to offer.
"The coaching staff is amazing and I was able to build a great bond with each of them," he said. "Along with that, the players were all great people."
There is every reason for head coach Bob Williams to smile after Dunklin elected to stay in-state and play for the Gauchos.
"The program is making strides," he said. "I, along with the freshman, feel we can be the Butler or VCU of the West."
That's pretty big shoes to fill but no mistake, Dunklin to UCSB will be a major boost in the backcourt as he has continued to improve that his hardwork pays off. He's a consistent scoring threat and could become a pure point in-time.
The location also played a huge part in Dunklin committing to UCSB because there won't be a problem for his family to see him play.
"The location is far enough from home but easy to get back and forth," he said. "My family will be able to see me since the majority of the teams are in Southern California."
Dunklin is the first commitment for UCSB in the 2012 class. He had nothing but good things to say about the program and should be an All-Big West player when it's all said and done.
"The school atmosphere was phenomenal," he said. "[UCSB] is just a beautiful place."
