Prospect Spotlight: Javonte Keck (2019)
After playing a limited role as a junior, Javonte Keck has had a breakout senior season at Sioux City East.
We knew the 6-foot-7 forward had a lot of potential and would find a way to fill the void of all-stater Van Rees, but not many people knew just how much of an immediate impact he would make for the Black Raiders. This season, Keck has averaged 14.1 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game.
“He’s a viable college player. He’s long-armed, runs and can jump and play above the rim,” said head coach Ras Vanderloo. “As many good players as we’ve had here, we haven’t had a ton of guys play above the rim. That’s a gift that not a lot of players have.”
Back in November when he had two big dunks in the East Jamboree against Siouxland Christian, it felt almost inevitable that the Siouxland area was going to be witnessing something it hadn’t seen in awhile. His athleticism and ability to find the rim at any given moment has easily played an integral part in the Black Raiders’ 21-1 record and state tournament berth.
Keck is enjoying his starting role at East and still adjusting to being in the spotlight. “It’s been a wonderful experience. It’s different and I’m still getting used to it even this late in the season,” mentioned Keck. “I still get goosebumps when they call my name for the starting lineups.”
The senior played AAU ball with the Sioux City Bombers, where he played alongside teammates Jack Peterson and Sayvion Armstrong. Keck mentioned that playing in the AAU circuit helped him around the perimeter more, as well as with his dribbling and his mid-range game.
Keck believes that he will take the junior college route and mentioned schools such as Kirkwood, Iowa Central and Iowa Lakes.
Before deciding on his basketball future, he will have the difficult task of facing defending champion Cedar Falls on Tuesday at the Class 4A State Tournament in Des Moines.