2024 forward Cooper Koch has committed to a rival Big Ten school:
After narrowing his list of schools down to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Purdue, 2024 four-star forward Cooper Koch has officially committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Per 247sports, Koch is the No. 51 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 8 PF in the country, and the No. 4 player in the state of Illinois.
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward averaged 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block on 49% shooting from beyond the arc for Notre Dame High School.
The Illinois native announced his commitment to the University of Iowa via his Twitter account:
I have grown up dreaming of playing for the Hawkeyes. Yesterday I made that dream a reality! I am proud to say I have committed to play for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and Coach McCaffery!
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Point guard Brock Harding out of Moline High School committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes, becoming the second pledge in the 2023 class.
Iowa men’s basketball is having one heck of a day. Several hours after the Hawkeyes picked up a commitment from class of 2024 power forward Cooper Koch, Iowa has another in the form of 2023 point guard Brock Harding.
The 6-foot, 155 pound point guard committed to Iowa after earning his offer just three days ago. Harding is teammates at Moline High School with now fellow Hawkeye commit Owen Freeman. Freeman is a 6-foot-10, 220 pound center that’s rated as a three-star by 247Sports.
Harding is also a three-star recruit according to 247Sports. According to the recruiting experts at 247Sports, Harding is the nation’s No. 33 point guard and the No. 7 player from Illinois in the 2023 class.
On3 also lists Harding as a three-star commit. In the On3 consensus rankings, Harding is regarded as the nation’s No. 163 player overall, the No. 27 point guard and the No. 5 player from Illinois.
Harding chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Appalachian State, Bradley, Cal Poly, Colorado State, Drake, Eastern Illinois, Illinois State, Illinois-Chicago, IPFW, Loyola (Chi.), Radford, Rice, Saint Louis, Southeast Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Western Illinois.
After receiving his offer from Iowa on June 20, Harding spoke with HawkeyeInsider’s Sean Bock to discuss what his primary recruiter at Iowa, former assistant coach Kirk Speraw, liked about his game.
“When Speraw saw me in the winter, he liked that I could pass, dribble, and shoot. He liked that I was under control with the ball. I was quick, but never too quick, where I couldnโt control myself. I did a great job of controlling the game, talking, and being the true point guard. Thatโs something that they wanted whether it be me or someone else in a different class. Thatโs something they think they could see me doing there,” Harding told HawkeyeInsider.
Iowa’s new assistant coach Matt Gatens liked Harding enough to extend the offer and it’s clear that Harding sees himself fitting in nicely with the Hawkeyes.
“I like that they have five guys on the court that can score at all times. They play up and down and get shots up. Thatโs somewhere where I can really affect the game is going up and down, and not just playing the half-court game. Iโm really good in the full court with creating stuff for myself and others, and I feel like they do that with all five guys,” Harding said to HawkeyeInsider.
As evidenced in his AAU highlights below from Courtside Films on YouTube, Harding has terrific handles, excellent court vision and a pretty jumper. Here’s a look at Harding’s AAU highlights with MidPro Academy and his full recruiting profile.
In a major recruiting win, Iowa landed legacy commit Cooper Koch. The four-star power forward in the 2024 class is out of Peoria, Ill.
Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball just secured a big-time commitment from class of 2024 power forward Cooper Koch.
The 6-foot-7, 205 pound product of Peoria Notre Dame High School in Illinois is rated by 247Sports as a four-star talent, the nation’s No. 51 overall player in the 2024 class, the No. 8 power forward and the No. 4 player from Illinois.
ESPN also ranks Koch as a four-star recruit, the country’s No. 57 player nationally and the No. 3 player from the state of Illinois. Koch is the son of former Hawkeye forward J.R. Koch, who played for Iowa from 1995-99. His father was a second-round 1999 NBA draft selection of the New York Knicks.
“I have grown up dreaming of playing for the Hawkeyes. Yesterday I made that dream a reality! I am proud to say I have committed to play for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and Coach McCaffery!” Koch wrote on Twitter.
Iowa was Koch’s first Power Five offer all the way back on May 11, 2021. Now, he’s the first Hawkeye commit in the 2024 class. Koch chose Iowa over offers from schools such as Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.
The commitment from Koch is a major recruiting coup for Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery. In fact, Koch represents the third highest-rated commit Iowa has ever secured according to 247Sports since the service began ranking players.
The only two players to rank ahead of Koch according to 247Sports were small forward Tyler Smith in the 2006 class and center Adam Woodbury in the 2012 class.
With that in mind, Koch’s commitment could help lure in other big-time players to consider making Iowa City a part of their futures. Iowa just recently offered 2023 Moline High School point guard Brock Harding. Harding is teammates with current class of 2023 commit Owen Freeman.
In the 2024 class, Iowa has also recently offered Lyon County High School point guard Travis Perry, St. Rita High School shooting guard Nojus Indrusaitis, Pewaukee High School combo guard Nick Janowski and Sycamore High School center Raleigh Burgess.
Here’s a look at some of Koch’s recent AAU highlights courtesy of TheHoosier on YouTube. Plus, Koch’s full recruiting profile is included below.
The Badgers make the top three for a four-star F in the 2024 recruiting class:
After Greg Gard offered 2024 forward Cooper Koch back in September, the four-star wing out of Peoria, Illinois has officially narrowed down his list of schools down to three.
According to a report by Sean Bock of 247Sports, the Illinois native will be focusing on Iowa, Wisconsin, and Purdue moving forward. He also held offers from Bradley, Illinois, Indiana, Wake Forest, and Western Illinois.
Per 247sports, Koch is the No. 51 overall prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, the No. 8 PF in the country, and the No. 4 player in the state of Illinois.
As a sophomore, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound forward averaged 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block on 49% shooting from beyond the arc for Notre Dame High School.
It will be interesting to see which Big Ten school ultimately lands the talented four-star forward, as he appears to be headed towards an early commitment.
