Three-Point Play: Florida commit Kowacie Reeves flashes huge upside
When he committed, Kowacie Reeves looked like a big pickup for Mike White and Florida. Just how important was his commitment? Also, updates on two of the hottest class of 2022 prospects in today’s edition of the Three-Point-Play.
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2020 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position
2022 Rankings: Top 75
1. REEVES HAS THE ABILITY TO BE A BIG TIMER AT FLORIDA
When Macon (Ga.) Westside wing Kowacie Reeves committed to Florida at the end of April, I thought he had the opportunity to be a significant pickup for Mike White and his program.
At No. 32 nationally in the class of 2021, we have Reeves ranked considerably higher than the rest of the recruiting industry and when we decided to rank him that high, we did so based on the room we thought he had to improve.
Well, I spent a lot of time watching live streams of Reeves playing with Team Georgia Magic over the weekend at the LakePoint Live Showcase and a few things stand out. One, his ranking isn’t about potential anymore and two, he has a legitimate shot at the NBA.
He’s got tremendous size, he’s fluid, he can shoot lights out from deep and he’s very skilled in the mid-post. So much of what he does translates to the state of today’s game and the more I see from him the more I’m convinced Florida really got themselves a difference-maker. He’s got to get stronger, use his size more on the glass and continue to round out his game, but Reeves is a big-time talent who is surging at the right time.
2. TRAUDT CAUSING A STIR IN THE MIDWEST
We introduced 2022 forward Isaac Traudt of Grand Island (Neb.) High and the Lincoln Supreme summer program in the spring. His film had been sent to us and his skill and size jumped off the screen.
As it turns out, we weren’t the only people to be impressed. Now grown to 6-foot-9 and filled out to almost 200 pounds, Traudt has become a hot item with college coaches.
I checked in with the sharp shooting and versatile junior-to-be on Monday and he told me that he now has scholarship offers from Creighton,, Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wyoming, In addition, he’s heard from Clemson, Colorado, Iowa State, Marquette, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, Stanford and Wisconsin.
“Almost every coach I’ve talked to has said that they love my versatility and ability to play a lot of different positions,” said Traudt. “They have said my ball-handling and shooting ability is impressive for my height and they love my unselfishness. I need to improve my strength and rebounding.”
3. SHELBY’S RECRUITMENT TAKES OFF
Another member of the 2022 Rivals150 who has seen his recruitment take off is Noah Shelby of Addison (Texas) Greenhill School and the Drive Nation summer program.
Now pushing 6-foot-3, Shelby has been racking up offers during the quarantine. In the last month alone Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Minnesota and Mississippi State have offered scholarships. They joined Baylor, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, SMU, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt who had already done so.
“I think that they love my shooting ability and my versatility at the guard spot, being able to play both the one and the two because of my growth,” Shelby told Rivals.com. “My biggest focus has been working in the pick-and-roll and getting faster and stronger.”
So far, Shelby has seen the campuses of Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Stanford, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. He had planned to see more before things were shut down because of the pandemic.
Once he can get back on the road, he’ll be planning to hit more schools and get a better sense of when he would like to make a decision.
“I think once this Covid passes, we will quickly try to visit as many schools as time permits,” said Shelby. “After talking to coaches and visiting campuses we will from there try to get a list of who we think has the best fit. Once all that is done we want to make a decision on which school I am going to go to. In regards to that time frame, it is sort of up in the air, but I would like to have an idea by next summer.”