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2023 Recruiting. Orig Post Updated Jan 1. ZERO Scholarships Currently Available. 34 Offers So Far (incl. Pryce Sandfort, Owen Freeman, Brock Harding)

I think I saw a video the other day where Brock drove the lane and dunked one handed.......so, pretty good leaping ability to go with what looks like good quickness and skills.....pretty impressive.

(I'm actually ok with him being a PG take for depth/limited minutes, but also....)

If everyone is impressed...... where are the high major offers?


Yeah, when I say "everyone is impressed," I should have been more specific and said "scouts and the media who have seen him play in person have all been very impressed."

Brock admits it; his height, weight (and probably strength) are the concerns of high major coaches.

4 years from now, if he plays elsewhere, it will be interesting to see if Iowa fans wished he had been on their team.
 
Iowa offered Carey Booth on Apr 9, 2022. Carey was the 24th prospect Iowa offered in the 2023 class.

Carey is the son of former Penn State player (1996-99) & current Nuggets GM (since 2000) Calvin Booth. Calvin was the Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1998 and played 10 years in the NBA.

Rivals reports Carey with 15 offers: Iowa, Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Marquette, Xavier, Wake Forest, Colorado State, Cal, Georgetown, UC Santa Barbara and San Francisco




 
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It looks like Fran should have the roster in good shape going forward. Players are going to need to develop and coaches figure out how to fit the pieces together.
 
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Sounds as if Big Tim thought more of Freeman's spring performance than Combes did.
Agreed...I have only heard/read positives about his progress and the video I've seen shows him asserting himself on the court.....really looked good to me. I was surprised to read what Combes stated....Combes is pretty straight forward poster..
 
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w7jxfbnpgdwfuliemzbm

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NATL
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ST
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POS
JAQUALON
ROBERTS


UNDECIDED
6'8" | 205 LBS | SF | 2023
BLOOMINGTON NORTH
BLOOMINGTON, IN
N/A


The lack of attention this kid is getting has been downright criminal. My comp for him is basically a stronger, more coordinated Jordan Geronimo. To only have Iowa, Notre Dame, Butler, and a few other decent programs with serious interest in JQ Roberts is insanity.

Easily the most physical prospect I've seen this summer, and yes, that includes Flory Bidunga. He dominates, and that physicality mixed with an ability to knock down shots from the free-throw line could make him an elite producer at the next level (especially in the Big Ten).

He's also a great dribbler and passer. He doesn't have to plant himself in the post, and he hung out on the wing for the majority of the weekend. His jumper still needs some work, but from what I have seen he was more efficient shooting away from the rim Sunday than when I saw him Saturday.
 
w7jxfbnpgdwfuliemzbm

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NATL
-
ST
-
POS
JAQUALON
ROBERTS


UNDECIDED
6'8" | 205 LBS | SF | 2023
BLOOMINGTON NORTH
BLOOMINGTON, IN
N/A


The lack of attention this kid is getting has been downright criminal. My comp for him is basically a stronger, more coordinated Jordan Geronimo. To only have Iowa, Notre Dame, Butler, and a few other decent programs with serious interest in JQ Roberts is insanity.

Easily the most physical prospect I've seen this summer, and yes, that includes Flory Bidunga. He dominates, and that physicality mixed with an ability to knock down shots from the free-throw line could make him an elite producer at the next level (especially in the Big Ten).

He's also a great dribbler and passer. He doesn't have to plant himself in the post, and he hung out on the wing for the majority of the weekend. His jumper still needs some work, but from what I have seen he was more efficient shooting away from the rim Sunday than when I saw him Saturday.

great info.

sorry if I am asking a stupid question but who wrote this?

Also, I see that Keegan Nickoson (a Rivals staff writer) on Jan 23 forecasted JQ to Indiana.
 
great info.

sorry if I am asking a stupid question but who wrote this?

Also, I see that Keegan Nickoson (a Rivals staff writer) on Jan 23 forecasted JQ to Indiana.
I went into the offer list, clicked on JQ's name, and read the articles listed on the left side (down a little bit) of the screen. I believe these were Indiana Rivals guys.
 
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Alec Lasley • TheHoosier
Senior Writer
@allasley

Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Sign up with TheHoosier.com here.https://indiana.rivals.com/sign_up?promo_code=IU60
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - There were no college coaches out last weekend but the Bill Hensley Run N Slam brought many of the top prospects and teams around the midwest to the Indianapolis area.
TheHoosier.com was on hand for the weekend event and got a look at a handful of Indiana targets and prospects on the IU radar.
Here are Alec's top performers and some additional notes from the Bill Hensley Run N Slam in Fort Wayne.


2023 Bloomington North and Indiana Elite forward

JQ Roberts
was tremendous and one of the best players I watched all weekend. Roberts has really grown into his game and looks as confident as ever when it comes to his skill on the court. He looked quicker with his first step and combining that with his long strides, once he had his defender beat he usually finished with authority at the rim. He played the majority of his minutes on the wing and showed off a very good slashing ability on almost every possession. He would sometimes start off a bit sluggish but as the game went on, he always raised his level of play.


His jumper wasn't fully on -- and it's not the strength of his game -- but he did struggle a bit when the defense forced him into a 15+ footer. His transition game was on full display as well and defensively, he did a good job on some very talented high major talent, especially defending Kentucky commit Reed Sheppard on a few possessions.
 
Kyler Staley • TheHoosier
Basketball Recruiting Analyst
@kylerstaley
Don't miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Sign up with TheHoosier.com here.https://indiana.rivals.com/sign_up?promo_code=IU60
The annual Bill Hensley Run N Slam took place over the weekend with the top Midwest teams from the EYBL, 3SSB, and UAA circuits along with independent squads taking over the entire Fort Wayne, Indiana area. TheHoosier.com was able to get a look at numerous Indiana targets.
Although this was not an official live period, the three-days brought multiple big time performances from Indiana targets.
Here are Kyler's top performers and some additional notes from the Bill Hensley Run N Slam in Fort Wayne.

- I don't know what it is, but JQ Roberts always seems to look better and better each time I watch him in person. The biggest standout to me from watching him was seeing how explosive he was around the basket trying to finish at the rim with authority nearly every time. His floor IQ is starting to look a ton better it seems and he is starting the shade off the rawness and become a more complete player. Did not shoot the outside jumper a whole lot here like I wanted to see but with the way Roberts was playing, he did not need to. The freak athleticism he has is also something that will never not amaze me.
 
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I think the thing that Fran will have to consider is how many SF/PF guys is he willing to bring in this class. I think we can lightly pencil in Pryce as a 3. Then it seems like they are high on JQ and TJ Power. I doubt they would take all 3 so I wonder if it comes down to who commits first.
Currently 4 open scholarships, but am just going to assume at least 1 more opens up between Kris' NBA hopes and there always being the possibility someone transfers.
 
For JQ Roberts- is Tyler Cook a comparable?
Good comp, but shoots from outside a bit more. He's a lot like a bigger version of Tony Perkins in that his game really thrives off of driving and playing in transition and just using his pure athleticsm to his advantage. A very bouncy player who loves to run as soon as his team get's a stop on D--a good chunk of his AAU highlights are just his teammates passing him the ball as an outlet and him speeding toward a dunk.
 
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For JQ Roberts- is Tyler Cook a comparable?
I see him as very similar in size and athleticism to the Murrays. He might be more physical and slightly less skilled. He apparently doesn't have quite the outside shot that the Murray's have and maybe not as good at driving to the basket....but he runs the floor like Aaron White and is pretty explosive around the rim.

I think a comparison to Tyler Cook's game/skills is in the ball park but he isn't built like TC.....he's built more like the Murrays. I also think that he is a better scorer than TC in terms of having more diverse ways of scoring.

Let's hope he becomes a Hawkeye and we can really evaluate his game as we watch him play for our team!
 
Iowa offered Omaha Biliew 3 years ago, on May 21, 2019. The Hawkeyes were the first to offer Omaha. He unofficially visited Iowa on June 7, 2021.

I originally thought Omaha would go the G League route and make around $500,000

Now, with the money kids are making in NIL? Who knows.





 
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Sounds as if Big Tim thought more of Freeman's spring performance than Combes did.
Combes notoriously thought Tyler Ulis was nothing special as a high school prospect. Though he’ll never admit it, his evaluations have always been based mostly on how heavily the Illini are pursuing a player.
 
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Currently 4 open scholarships

I count 3 current open scholarships for the 2023 class. Let me know if I am missing something.

This is what I have:

2023-2024 Roster (10 on Scholarship; 3 scholarships available):


FRESHMEN: 1 player


6"10" C Owen Freeman


SOPHOMORES: 2 players

6'3" PG Dasonte Bowen

6'5" SG Josh Dix


JUNIORS: 2 players

6'7" F Payton Sandfort

6'11" C Riley Mulvey


SENIORS: 5 players

6'4" G Tony Perkins

6'2" G Ahron Ulis

6'8" F Kris Murray

6'9" SF Patrick McCaffery

6'11" C Josh Ogundele



4 Notable Walk on players:

SENIORS: 1 player


Dante Eldridge (assistant coach Courtney Eldridge's son)--has played 2 years (through 2022) in college, first at William Penn & then Kirkwood CC; a 5'9"combo guard; on May 5, 2022, it was announced that he would be joining the Iowa roster as a walk on.

JUNIORS: 1 player

Luc Laketa--a 2021 6'6" wing/forward; on May 13, 2021, it was announced he would be joining the roster as a preferred walk on.


SOPHOMORES: 2 players

Carter Kingsbury--a 2021 6'5", 230 lb shooting guard; on July 10, 2021, it was announced he would be joining the roster as a preferred walk on. Carter ended up redshirting the 2021-2022 season so he is now scheduled to graduate in 2026.

Amarion Nimmers--a 2022 6'3" combo guard; on April 30, 2022, it was announced he would be joining the roster as a preferred walk on.
 
Iowa offered JaQualon (JQ) Roberts on Oct 29, 2021. He unofficially visited on Dec 21, 2021 for the SE Louisiana game.

JQ averaged 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as a junior to help his team to a 24-4 record and Class 4A semistate appearance. He shot 52.2% from the field and shot 37.5% (30-for-80) overall from 3.

This is a nice story on JQ from the Indy Star. Sherm Dillard is the lead recruiter and is mentioned in the story.

Recruiting: Bloomington North's JQ Roberts uses versatility to his advantage


Kyle Neddenriep

Indianapolis Star
May 19, 2022

JQ Roberts is one of the most versatile players in the state’s 2023 basketball class.

The 6-7 Roberts, a senior-to-be at Bloomington North, dunked everything in sight over the weekend at the Adidas May Classic as his team rolled to the tournament championship.

“The biggest thing I’m working on is my consistency,” Roberts said. “I have a couple games of scoring 20 or 25 points, but just working on the consistency of doing that every game. I want to get as many rebounds as I can every single game, hustle for loose balls every single game and play as hard as I can every single game to the best of my abilities.”

One of the questions about Roberts, maybe an unfair downside to his versatility, is where he might fit in on the floor in college. Is he a wing or a post player? Defensively, this should be considered a plus. Roberts is quick and strong enough to guard just about any position on the floor. And on offense, Roberts feels he is becoming a true “dual threat.”

“(Outside shooting) was rough at the beginning of the season,” Roberts said. “I got my confidence up as the season kept going, I kept working and it got better. I was comfortable shooting if I was open, even if I was contested. In the postseason, I shot it really well.”

Roberts, who was named an Indiana Junior All-Star and will play June 5 against the Kentucky Junior All-Stars at Bedford North Lawrence, averaged 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game as a junior to help the Cougars to a 24-4 record and Class 4A semistate appearance. Roberts, a 52.2% shooter from the field, was 4-for-5 from the 3-point line in a 75-69 win over Franklin in the regional championship and shot 37.5% (30-for-80) overall from 3.

Roberts took an official visit to Marquette in February, a few weeks after receiving an offer from coach Shaka Smart. That is his only official visit to date.

“We’re definitely working on setting some things up,” Roberts said. “Me and my mom are trying to figure some things out so we can go on some visits and see some colleges. I’m playing hard to try to showcase my talent (this spring).”

Roberts talks and texts with Iowa assistant coach Sherman Dillard often. He was offered a scholarship by the Hawkeyes in late October and took an unofficial visit to Iowa City in December. It is a possibility he could take an official visit to Iowa.

“I talk to coach Dillard a lot,” Roberts said. “We have multiple conversations about what I need to work on, what I’m getting good at, just talking to him after games.”

Butler, which offered a scholarship under the previous coaching staff, has been in touch with Roberts since Thad Matta took over as coach and been in to see him at an open gym. Indiana is Roberts’ other high-major offer. He said he has been in contact regularly with IU assistant coach Brian Walsh. Virginia Tech is among the other schools that has been in regular contact. His offer list also includes Indiana State, IUPUI, Akron, Miami (Ohio), Northern Illinois, Stetson and UMass.


Roberts said he does not feel any pressure to jump into a decision despite the transfer portal and extra year of eligibility due to the COVID year limiting some opportunities for high school recruits.

“The coaches that talk to me are very honest,” he said. “I check in to make sure they are still interested in me and have those conversations with them. I’m not worried about that. I don’t want to jump the gun and choose a college right away. Wherever I go, I want to be able to do my thing and play to my maximum ability at a school that will help me get better. I don’t want to push myself into a situation that I have to get out of.”

Roberts will play with his Bloomington North team in June before finishing out his last season of AAU basketball with Indiana Elite in July.

“Wherever I go to college, I want to get that family type of feel,” he said. “My mom helps me with everything and she’ll have an impact on my decision — not location wise, but conversation wise. I’m not on a strict timeline to make a decision, but I want to do it before my senior year so I can commit and be ready so I know what I’m doing.”



 
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Combes notoriously thought Tyler Ulis was nothing special as a high school prospect. Though he’ll never admit it, his evaluations have always been based mostly on how heavily the Illini are pursuing a player.
I said that Freeman is very good. I wish Illinois had been in on him. What I said is that he did not have a great spring and it hurt his ranking. I stand by that. He is better than a three star. He also didn’t have great talent around him in high school. With a dynamic point guard this year, you may see a lot more from him this year.

If I was 100% on evaluations, I would be making a lot of money doing them. My worst miss was Brian Cardinal. I thought he was too slow and ran like Frankenstein’s monster in high school. A redshirt year later, he was great.
 
I said that Freeman is very good. I wish Illinois had been in on him. What I said is that he did not have a great spring and it hurt his ranking. I stand by that. He is better than a three star. He also didn’t have great talent around him in high school. With a dynamic point guard this year, you may see a lot more from him this year.

If I was 100% on evaluations, I would be making a lot of money doing them. My worst miss was Brian Cardinal. I thought he was too slow and ran like Frankenstein’s monster in high school. A redshirt year later, he was great.

Are the rumors true that Owen will be joining Brock Harding at Moline?

If so, how good is Moline going to be?
 
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I said that Freeman is very good. I wish Illinois had been in on him. What I said is that he did not have a great spring and it hurt his ranking. I stand by that. He is better than a three star. He also didn’t have great talent around him in high school. With a dynamic point guard this year, you may see a lot more from him this year.

If I was 100% on evaluations, I would be making a lot of money doing them. My worst miss was Brian Cardinal. I thought he was too slow and ran like Frankenstein’s monster in high school. A redshirt year later, he was great.
I thought he was/is a 4-star. I guess that ESPN is the only service that rates him a 4-star. Weird.
 
The orig post has been updated.

Iowa offered Jamie Kaiser Jr. today. This is the 25th offer Iowa has made for the 2023 Class. Jamie is a 6'6" SG out of Alexandria, VA.

Jamie has at least 26 offers now, including Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VCU, Creighton, TCU, Richmond, Miami (FL), Georgia Tech, Yale, Harvard and Columbia.





 
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Seems like we've finding dudes in the VA area lately. I'm suprised we haven't established a pipeline to the Twin Cities or even St. Louis (Tyler Cook). Lots of talent in these areas and nearby.
 
Seems like we've finding dudes in the VA area lately. I'm suprised we haven't established a pipeline to the Twin Cities or even St. Louis (Tyler Cook). Lots of talent in these areas and nearby.
Minnesota has been turning out some great HS talent for years.....I REALLY wish we could make some headway there. I think the Kapke kid that we are recruiting would be a good get for us, he's BIG and talented. But just as importantly would be establishing a pipeline to Minnesota.
 
Minnesota has been turning out some great HS talent for years.....I REALLY wish we could make some headway there. I think the Kapke kid that we are recruiting would be a good get for us, he's BIG and talented. But just as importantly would be establishing a pipeline to Minnesota.

I'm pretty sure half of Wisconsin's team is from Minnesota. Seems like Iowa State has made connections there too.
 
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Seems like we've finding dudes in the VA area lately. I'm suprised we haven't established a pipeline to the Twin Cities or even St. Louis (Tyler Cook). Lots of talent in these areas and nearby.

Minnesota has been turning out some great HS talent for years.....I REALLY wish we could make some headway there. I think the Kapke kid that we are recruiting would be a good get for us, he's BIG and talented. But just as importantly would be establishing a pipeline to Minnesota.


I really wish Pryce Sandfort would hurry up & commit to the Hawks. I think, then, with Pryce on board, that would help us in the recruitment of Taison Chatman & Boden Kapke. But it does make you wonder if Boden will look elsewhere since Iowa has already landed a center (Owen Freeman).

And don't forget the connections: Taison Chatman, Boden Kapke and Pryce Sandfort are teammates on D1 Minnesota 17U. Hopefully they want to be teammates in college, as well.

Ben Johnson said one of his goals was to keep the Minnesota high school kids home. Well, Boden lives just 40 minutes SW of the Minnesota campus. Taison lives just 20 minutes north of the Minnesota campus.


 
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