Drake Team Camp: Top Prospects (Part II)
As it has been the past several years, the Drake Team Camp was one of the highlights of the spring. Last weekend, teams from all over Iowa assembled in Des Moines to get some work in and showcase themselves at Drake’s Knapp Center and Shivers Practice Facility. Prep Hoops Iowa was there all day Friday taking in the action, below, we’ll break down the 10 best prospects we saw.
Chase Courbat, 6’8 C (Cedar Falls) — 2021
Last season as a freshman on the 4A state champs, Courbat played in 16 games and averaged 1.6 points. Considering Cedar Falls was literally the best team in the state, that’s a pretty big accomplishment for such a young guy. Now, with some seniors graduated and Courbat one year older, it looks like he’ll have a major role with the squad — which will again be very good — as a sophomore. He’s got a look about him that instantly caught one Drake coach’s eye. A slender but athletic 6-foot-8 frame, one that looks like as much a big wing as a post. Courbat was going toe-to-toe with Valley 6’8 big-man Will Berg, a top 5-ranked player in Iowa’s 2020 class. He’s got a good feel for the game, and passes especially well for a big-man. He’ll be a top 5 -ranked 2021 when those rankings are released this fall.
Jordan Jackson, 6’3 F (Fort Dodge) — 2019
Perhaps the most eye-opening performance last Friday came from this Fort Dodge combo-forward. He is an absolute bulldog, and despite being smaller than other big-guys, he’s strong enough and athletic enough to hold his own, and even dominate in the paint. He was also handling it a little bit, and even created his own look once or twice, canning some mid-range Js off the bounce. He’s best, though, when out-toughing guys in the paint, and snaring offensive board and putbacks, which he’ll do regularly next season for the Dodgers.
TJ Schnurr, 6’5 F (Bishop Garrigan) — 2019
When we first saw Schnurr two summers ago as a 15U guy playing in a tourney at Kingdom Hoops, it was clear he was a cut above the rest. He was big-man then, just starting to show glimpses of how versatile he could be. Well, his versatility has blossomed since then, and he’s now a guy who not only shoots a 3-ball with confidence, but his passing is among the best we’ve seen this spring from a big-man. He remarked after a win over North Linn that it felt like he had a triple-double in the game, maybe he did. With his ability to rebound, score and pass, look for him to piece together some trip-doubs as a senior with a Bishop Garrigan squad that’s eyeing a 1A state title.
Jack Campbell, 6’4 F (Cedar Falls) — 2019
Cedar Falls has themselves a bulldog with this football standout, but he’s not all bulk and grit, Campbell has some finesse to him, too. He’s huge, but athletic, strong, but skilled. Last season as a junior with the state title team, he averaged 7.0 points on 62 percent shooting and a team-best 5.7 rebounds per game. He was the best offensive rebounder on the team by a long shot. Fun fact: he’s the fifth-best returning offensive rebounder in class 4A. He’s committed to Iowa for football, as an outside linebacker. But he’s a more-than-capable forward that has his sights set on back-to-back hoops titles first.
Austin Hilmer, 5’8 PG (North Linn) — 2021
With older brother Jake Hilmer out (he suffered an ankle injury the day before while playing baseball), it was younger bro, Austin, an incoming freshman, who had a chance to shine. It became pretty clear really quickly that Austin was cut from the same mold as Jake. He scored 20 points in his team’s opener, and swiped several steals in that one, too. He’s got defensive instincts that you can’t teach, he anticipates really well. He’s going to rack up assists, steals and points over the next four seasons; especially starting his sophomore year, when older bro has gone on to play college ball.