Recruiting Report: Kailleb Walton-Blanden (2018)
*Photo: Rapid City Journal**
One of the more under-the-radar prospects going into the year was 2018 guard Kailleb Walton-Blandon. Now as he has helped lead the Rapid City Central Cobblers to a #2 seed in Class AA, his name is well known. At 6’3” and 175lbs, Walton-Blanden is a legitimate college prospect. However, the current focus is the state tourney.
“Some goals I have are to make it to the state tourney and play in the championship game,” Walton-Blanden said.
In order to do that, the Cobblers will have to beat Spearfish at home this Saturday. A win there would send them into the state tournament to play the winner of Brandon Valley and Douglas.
PHD recently ranked Walton-Blanden the #2 PG prospect in the 2018 class. An individual goal for him has been to be considered for player of the year in South Dakota.
After the state tourney is complete, he will shift his attention to college and deciding where he wants to attend. He does want to play basketball at the next level. The catch is, he is being recruited by plenty of different schools at different levels. Walton Blanden said that Black Hills State, South Dakota School of Mines, University of Sioux Falls are the division 2 schools talking with him. He has also talked to NAIA nationally ranked Briar Cliff and NJCAA Division 1 Gillette College in Wyoming.
Part of Walton-Blanden’s decision will be factoring in his desired major. He is looking into sciences for his undergrad.
“My goal is to be a dentist or chiropractor so I am looking into the sciences,” he said. “I have no offers yet and need to visit some schools before making a decision this spring.”
As for the colleges recruiting him, they will need to decide where he fits. As a natural scorer and playmaker he can play on or off the ball. A year of development in any program will help him transition to the next level. He has the scoring ability and athleticism to play at the next level, but for now the sights are still set on the state tourney.