Being a little undersized doesn’t faze Ian Kissell. He worked hard to get himself into better shape, put on some weight and has grown to 5-foot-10. Just like he’s had to work hard to prove he can be an effective point guard, he’s also working hard to find the right college program for him.
“I’ve been pretty proactive with recruiting,” Kissell said. “Being a smaller guard, people say it’s a dime a dozen, so, I’ve really been seeking out schools instead of just the other way around.”
That doesn’t mean he hasn’t found interest from programs. He has been recruited by teams like Rose Hulman, DePauw University and Albion College, but he has also been reaching out and in contact with Taylor University and Grace College.
Taylor and Grace have become the top two schools on his list and he has taken visits to both of them in recent weeks.
The NAIA schools have not offered him yet, but they have told him he has the potential to bring good things to their teams.
“They say I have a nice shooting and touch, and like that I shot like 46 or 47 percent from three last year,” Kissell said. “They really like that and my grades help out a lot, too.”
Those grades are nearly perfect for Kissell, who may have his choice of any school’s program simply based on academic scholarships. He said he won’t make a final college decision until after the season in part because he wants to see if an academic scholarship can reduce how much he may need athletically.
“If things work out right, I won’t even need basketball money and I can just have the relationship with the coach and go and play,” Kissell said.
This decision also gives him plenty of time to keep improving and showcase his skills with a Norwell team that hopes to compete with Columbia City for a sectional title. To do all this, Kissell knows he needs to keep improving himself to help propel his team forward.
“I’m really excited about this season,” Kissell said. “We’re going to be a little shorter than last year, so just going to have to get the conditioning level up and running a lot more than we usually do and then we have to be able to lockdown on D.”
