Recruiting Report: Japannah Kellogg (2019)
With still two seasons left to continue his exponential growth as a player, Ames’ 6-foot-6 small forward Japannah Kellogg could end up as one of the most-recruited guys in Iowa’s stacked 2019 class.
The lengthy wing played with one of the Midwest’s best programs this past summer, adidas-sponsored D1 Minnesota 16U, and as a result, has seen his recruitment skyrocket.
“I’ve taken visits to both Nebraska-Omaha and South Dakota. I’ve had North Dakota come to a practice, UNI come to a practice, South Dakota came to a practice, and there’s been a couple other Summit League teams contacting me,” said Kellogg.
“North Dakota seems pretty interested and UNI seems pretty interested, and USD does too.”
Formerly a post, Kellogg has worked hard over the past two years to make himself into a fluid and true wing. He’ll get a chance to showcase that ability this season with the Little Cyclones.
“I’ll be starting at the three this season, so I’ll handle the ball a little bit and play in the post a little bit,” he said. “I feel like I’ve gotten better with my ball-handling, also my vision and passing.”
He was able to improve as a wing while playing with the aforementioned D1 Minnesota this past summer. A coach from that program saw him play at our Top 250 Expo last year, and later invited him to play with his team.
“It was cool experience, it was a lot different than what I’m used to, just a whole different level of competition,” said Kellogg. “And I got invited back, so I’ll be playing with them again next season.”
But first, he’s got his junior season with the Little Cyclones ahead of him. And after averaging 6.9 points last season, while also leading his team in rebounds and blocks, he’s looking to improve upon those numbers, and become a leader on the team this season.
“I feel like we can go pretty far, we’re going to need some people to step-up and help lead the team. I think we have a pretty good squad, though,” said Kellogg.
“I feel Coach (Vance) Downs wants me to be a leader, and I’d like to be a leader, too. I realize that we lost a lot of our leaders last year, so I’m going to try and help out with that.”
As for his recruitment: he’s staying grounded, and says getting better is the goal, both for the present and the future.
“I hope to get my first offer soon, and I hope that I can make a little bit more improvement with my game,” said Kellogg. “So I can be more useful to our team now, and hopefully some team in the future.”