Recruiting Report: Jackson Foley (2018)
After helping guide his team to a state tournament last season as a junior, Cedar Rapids Kennedy guard Jackson Foley heads into his senior season as one of the Iowa’s most proven 2018 guards.
A 5-foot-7 sharpshooter, Foley has seen some recruitment start to trickle in since his performances at the state tourney last March, and having a head coach with an Upper Iowa connect helped nudge his recruitment forward.
“I definitely think that basketball is my main sport, and I want to continue that in college. Right now, I’ve been talking to Upper Iowa and I visited there. I’ve talked to Coe and Simpson. There’s not a lot (of recruitment) right now; I’m hoping this season I play well enough to get some other looks, then decide,” said Foley.
“Hopefully this winter I can earn a scholarship. I definitely think my size might scare people away a little bit, but it’s definitely not something that hampers me at all. I definitely think I could play D2 basketball, and hopefully I’ll get that opportunity.”
Small, but extraordinarily effective, Foley mentioned to PHIA what it is he brings the table each night out, and why he doesn’t let his size impact how he plays.
“My whole life I’ve been small, so I’ve never used that as an excuse; it’s just something I’ve had to deal with. I got over it at a young age and did what I had to do to be good and compete. Going into games and being smaller, you can’t be afraid of anything, you just have to go in there and compete with what’s in front of you,” said Foley, who at 5-foot-7 is pound-for pound a one of Iowa’s elite players.
“Being able to stretch the floor with my shooting helps my game a lot. And I think what makes me effective is that I can pick my spots pretty well because of my basketball IQ; I know when to attack and when to set up teammates and that helps me out a lot.”
As he heads into his senior season with the Cougars, you can expect Foley to be one of the more well-conditioned players in the state. He’s been running cross country and track since the conclusion of last season.
He’s also been working this summer with his hoops squad in team camps.
“This summer, I was working on my pull-up, and hitting from 15-feet, just to add a little variety to my game. And I think I became more of a leader this summer and fall, and that will really help us out this year,” said Foley.
“I’m going to have to be a little bit more of a scorer, and I’ll need to step up and fill a leadership role. And we just hope to compete again and make a trip back to Des Moines.”