Kyle Filipowski was permitted to play just five games as a junior because of the pandemic, but is already turning heads on the grassroots circuit and looking like a candidate to slide up the rankings. He managed to stand out on the first weekend of the New York Invitational, as he turned in a well-rounded performance against other Division I-bound prospects while playing for the New York Rens. Below, Filipowski discusses where his recruitment stands and where things may go from here.


IN HIS WORDS:

ON SCHOOL IN IN THE MIX

“Obviously, things will pick up again once June comes. Right now, though, Ohio State, Iowa and UCLA are the ones most involved -- the ones recruiting me the hardest.”

ON HIS PLANS FOR POST-DEAD PERIOD VISIT

“Those three I mentioned for sure and some others. I’ll figure that out soon, but for sure Ohio State, Iowa and UCLA.”

ON OHIO STATE

“My teammate (Ohio State commit Roddy Gayle Jr.) is trying to get me to go there with him, since he just committed, but I also talk to them a lot. I stay in contact with Coach [Chris] Holtmann and coach [Jake] Diebler. We are really getting that connection going. They think that I can be part of a national championship team if I go there.”

ON IOWA

“With Iowa, I talk to coach [Fran] McCaffery. He just tells me everything that I love. He says I can come there and play my game with a lot of freedom. He talks about how the team he has is a family and how Iowa has so much to offer academically and athletically.”

ON UCLA

“I wasn’t surprised by the run they made at all, actually, Coach [Mick] Cronin and Coach [Darren] Savino. They had their offense going really good. All the players know their roles. That’s what carried them so far.”

ON WHAT STYLE OF PLAY SUITS HIS GAME:

"I don’t want any of my abilities to not be used in college. I want to be able to play my game inside, but still be shooting the 3-pointer and handling the ball. I want to be able to do all of that because I think that’s what makes me such a unique player."

ON SCHOOLS IN CONTACT THAT COULD BE CLOSE TO OFFERING

“There’s a lot, to be honest. The ones off the top of my head are Virginia, Villanova and Duke.”

RIVALS REACTION: It’s clear that Filipowski deserves to slide up the 20222 rankings. He’ll do so when those refresh in May. What’s not clear, however, is where he may land for college. He seems to hold a special affinity for Iowa as things stand now, but it’s much too early to think the Hawkeyes hold any sort of significant lead.