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Koch trying to keep his options open

Cooper Koch is trying to keep his options open on the recruiting front.
Cooper Koch is trying to keep his options open on the recruiting front.

Cooper Koch, a 6-foot-7 2024 forward from Peoria (IL) Notre Dame, is one of the top sophomores in Midwest.

Koch is a name that many Hawkeye fans recognize as his father J.R. Koch played at Iowa from 1995-99 and was a New York Knicks’ second round draft pick.

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery and assistant coach Kirk Speraw watched Koch play with the Indiana Elite 15-and-under team at the adidas 3SSB championships in Council Bluffs. Indiana Elite advanced to the 15’s title game, losing to the Atlanta Celtics.

Hawkeye Report caught up with Koch last Saturday to learn the latest on his college recruitment.

Hawkeye Report: Obviously, you come from a basketball family. Your dad played at Iowa. Have you seen many of his highlights or seen much of his game at all?

Cooper Koch: He tries to show me. I’ll watch him from time to time. They’re okay.

Hawkeye Report: You look a lot like him. Do you hear that from a lot family and friends?

Cooper Koch: There are always saying that we have some similar features.

Hawkeye Report: You are only 15 years old and starting to hear from some schools. Do you like the recruiting process so far?

Cooper Koch: It is fun. It is exciting. I’ve been dreaming about it my whole life, so it’s fun.

Hawkeye Report: Does it help that your dad has gone through that same thing?

Cooper Koch: Oh, yeah. He knows what it’s like. He knows what coaches are looking for, so I just have to keep working on that stuff.

Hawkeye Report: What school are you hearing from right now? I know that they can’t call you yet.

Cooper Koch: Some have offered. Iowa, Wake Forest, Bradley and then there are a lot of other Big Ten schools that are reaching out. Western Illinois also offered.

Hawkeye Report: What other Big Ten schools are you hearing from?

Cooper Koch: Illinois, Purdue and Indiana. They want to come and see the campus once August rolls around.

Hawkeye Report: Has it been hard for your recruitment, because the last year or so until recently, coaches couldn’t even watch you play?

Cooper Koch: Not really, because they’ve been able to see highlights and mixed tapes and watched the games on TV with live streams.

Hawkeye Report: What things are you really working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?

Cooper Koch: Ballhandling, athleticism and just being able to see what is going on and knowing every position.

Hawkeye Report: What are the expectations for Notre Dame this year?

Cooper Koch: Our goal is to win state, but it will be a tough road.

Hawkeye Report: Do you have a lot of guys returning from last year?

Cooper Koch: We have five seniors coming back. Me, another freshman and some sophomores (including 6-8 Lathan Sommerville, whose father Marcellus played at Bradley and Iowa).

Hawkeye Report: How disappointing was it that you didn’t have a full season last year?

Cooper Koch: It was disappointing. We could have made a big run with our commit to Wyoming (Noah Reynolds) that we had and some other good players.

Hawkeye Report: You play against good competition, not only in practice. How much do you think that helps you?

Cooper Koch: It definitely helps the team being able to compete against the best players around Peoria every day.

Hawkeye Report: You played against a good big man today, Isaac Davis of the Utah Prospects. Do you like playing against other big men, because sometimes, to be honest, you might not play against a guy that is nearly as big as you? Is it kind of fun to go against other big guys?

Cooper Koch: Yes, I like it. It’s fun to compete and talk trash, while you are doing it.

Hawkeye Report: You mentioned Iowa, Obviously, I’m sure that a lot of Hawkeye fans would love it if you went there. Have you had a chance to go to many games throughout the years?

Cooper Koch: We have been to some basketball games, football games. We’ve been around the campus. It’s nice.

Hawkeye Report: Do you even have a favorite school yet or is still too early?

Cooper Koch: Obviously, it’s easy to say Iowa is my favorite, but we are just keeping our options open at this point.

Hawkeye Report: If you did end up there, what would that mean to you with your dad having played there?

Cooper Koch: It would mean a lot. I know he doesn’t really care where I go, but I know he’d be happy if I went there.

Hawkeye Report: What is going to mean to play Division I basketball?

Cooper Koch: It’s going to mean a lot. I’ve been waiting for this my whole life and it is coming true.

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