Recruiting Report: John Poulakidas (2021)

<p>Neuqua Valley 2021 small forward <strong>John Poulakidas</strong> is among the premier wings in his class.  The rangy forward has excellent length and an ultra smooth skill set.  Elite shooter from three that has greatly improved his game off the bounce.  Plus passer that plays the game with a high IQ.</p> <p>He chatted with PHI about his sophomore season at Neuqua Valley.</p> <p>“Individually I felt it went really well.  I was able to step up my game as a leader and playmaker.  As a team we didn’t do as well record wise as we would have wanted too.  We were really young as we have two other sophomore starters other than myself.”</p> <p>We have seen major growth in Poulakidas’ game over the last year.</p> <p>“I have improved a lot on my aggressiveness.  Rebounding and attacking the basket.  I have gained a lot of confidence in my ball handling which has allowed me to dribble the ball much more than I have in previous years.  I am a more than just a shooter.  I feel my game is the whole package.”</p> <p>How is it going with Young &amp; Reckless 16U on the circuit?</p> <p>“It is going really well.  A lot of coaches were trying to get me to play on the shoe circuit, but I have a lot of trust in Justin Brim, Brian Burns, and Stanley Boateng and what they have done with this Y&amp;R program.  I feel they are putting me in the best position to be the best player I can be.”</p> <p>He updated us on the latest with his recruitment.</p> <p>“Butler is recruiting me.  I am going to their camp and to visit them in the summer.  Coach Francis from California I am going there in the summer as well.  Loyola Chicago has come to one of my open gyms.  I talked to a Stanford assistant coach.”</p> <p>Currrently checks in as the #12 overall prospect in 2021 and #4 small forward in the PHI Rankings.</p>