Summer Rewind: 6 Post Players from Summer Season; Class 4A
Though the summer season was not what anyone expected heading into the year 2020, high school basketball players still got to participate in a summer season. I wanted to give a rundown of players from the state of Iowa that…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThough the summer season was not what anyone expected heading into the year 2020, high school basketball players still got to participate in a summer season. I wanted to give a rundown of players from the state of Iowa that got to play this summer and showed well. Here is the post players from Class 4A that stood out to me.
Chase Courbat Chase Courbat 6'9" | C Cedar Falls | 2021 State IA , 2021 – 6’10 C – Martin Brothers 17U & Cedar Falls High School
Courbat has long been held as the highest ceiling big man in the state in the 2021 class, and the senior has shown this summer what he can bring. Courbat is a long big man who crashes the boards relentlessly. He has a nice, soft touch with his right hand around the rim. Chase makes his living around the rim and has soft hands on the catch in the post. Courbat runs the floor and runs directly to his spot in the lane to gain post position. His length and athleticism also causes fits for the oppoenents as he is able to protect the basket. If the Northern Iowa commit can develop and expand his game out more to 15 feet, he could be a really nice pickup for the Missouri Valley Conference. Cedar Falls is going to be stacked this season and that is in part to Courbat’s successes.
Joe Knutson Joe Knutson 6'8" | PF Cedar Falls | 2021 State IA , 2021 – 6’8 PF/C – Iowa Barnstormers Gold 17U & Cedar Falls High School
Knutson is another player from Cedar Falls who looked like he could be impactful this upcoming winter. The Truman State commit is a big bodied, long player who rebounds the ball well. He does his best work defensively where he can effect shots, and play good low post defense on the opposing post players. He uses his strength and frame to push players off the block and make a tough catch. He does the most offensive work around the rim on put backs and dump down passes from teammates, but does a nice job getting in a position to receive the ball. The DII commit can work on finishing at the basket through contact better and adding a 15 foot jumper to his game, but Joe possesses a nice skillset to produce in different ways at the next level.
Omaha Biliew Omaha Biliew 6'8" | SF Link Academy | 2023 #14 Nation FL , 2023 – 6’8 PF – Bradley Beal Elite & Waukee High School
Though Biliew didn’t play in any competitions this summer season with Bradley Beal, but he was able to get to many camps and inter squad games. Omaha was an emphatic finisher in the action I was able to see, and has great ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop. He has the ability to step out and hit the 3 point shot and will pull-up on a defender if he has space from the defense. He rebounds well, but I would like to see him dominate that part of the game more. Biliew is really growing into his game as his career continues and I think we will see why he’s so nationally rated this upcoming winter season playing with a really talented Waukee Warriors squad. Biliew has already compiled a long list of DI suitors and he has the chance to be one of the most recruited players in the history of the state of Iowa when all is said and done.
Corey Phillips Corey Phillips 6'5" | PF Ames | 2022 State IA , 2022 – 6’5 PF/C – All Iowa Attack 16U & Ames High School
Corey Phillips Corey Phillips 6'5" | PF Ames | 2022 State IA is a standout on the gridiron, but that only helps him on the hardwood. Phillips has soft hands that allow him to catch in traffic or on the post-up. His big, strong body is a presence in the middle of the lane offensively and defensively. Phillips has athleticism that makes it seem like he’s taller than his measurables say that help him run the court and get buckets above the rim. He has the ability to stretch the defense and can lineup a three pointer, though I’d like to see his efficiency move up. The last thing to highlight about Corey’s game is the way he rebounds the ball. His strength allows him to check defenders out and grab the rebound to outlet or take himself. Phillips has a DI offer for football from Central Florida and several others interested in the TE/DE from Ames. His future may be on the football field, but Phillips has shown he shouldn’t be overlooked on the basketball court either.
Cameron Fens, 2022 – 6’10 C – Martin Brothers 16U & Dubuque Hempstead
Cameron Fens is an unknown prospect in the state of Iowa right now, but this summer he showed that this could be the year he breaks out. Fens is a strong, right handed post man who is really starting to grow into his own and may have broken out even more had it not been a COVID-19 summer. He’s an athletic big, who finishes well around the rim and above the rim. He has the ability to step out to the short corner and high post and hit a nice looking jumpshot. He’s good at establishing position and running the floor to get easy buckets on post feeds and passes to push the pace. He’s a good rebounder who crashes the boards well and gets more possessions for his team. I’ll be looking for Fens to establish himself on the varsity team and see how he continues developing his post game.
Amar Kuljuhovic, 2021 – 6’8 PF/C – All Iowa Attack 17U & Waterloo West High School
A good back to the basket player in the state is Amar Kuljohovic who shows nice promise with his inside moves. He has a right handed turnaround shot, and gets deep with his drop-step moves in the post. He finishes well around the rim with different angled shots and does well when hanging off-balance to stay focused on the rim to finish. His best attribute is getting low post position where he can catch and go up with a shot or he can rebound the ball for easy put backs. One thing I liked in Amar’s game is his footwork. When he catches the pass, he is patient then uses his nice footwork to get by his defender. Amar has a lot of potential to his game and as a senior he could breakout for the Wahawks this upcoming season.