Rising 2022 prospect visits Iowa
We often talk about the upside potential of a prospect in basketball and that’s the clear appeal for college coaches when they get a look at Ruot Bijiek.
The 6-foot-8 and 185 pound forward is a sophomore at Des Moines Dowling High School and he’s just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. This year he’s playing at the sophomore level at Dowling and averaging a double-double in points and rebounds, along with four blocks per game.
He’s seen a rapid improvement in his game and his athletic ability in the last year thanks to working with his AAU coach, John Lamb and the Beyond Ball program.
“Last year I really improved athletic ability by training with Coach Lamb. I’m much faster and more athletic now and I am stronger too,” Bijiek said.
This past weekend, Bijiek, along with 2023 prospect Omaha Biliew attended Iowa’s win over Illinois. They were not guests of Iowa due to NCAA regulations, but they enjoyed the visit and the game.
“It was my first time going to a basketball game at Iowa and it was a lot of fun. It was a really good game and I really loved the fan support at Iowa,” Bijiek said.
This was actually Bijiek’s second visit to Iowa City for a sports event. Fran McCaffery and his staff had him and Biliew in for an unofficial visit in the fall to see a basketball practice and attend an Iowa football game.
“The football game was more of a visit because we were there all day and got to sit down with the coaches and they showed us film and how we would fit into the system,” he said.
During the visit, Bijiek said that the Fran McCaffery told him that they would be watching his development in the next few years and see how he continues to develop and become bigger and stronger.
The Hawkeyes aren’t alone in their pursuit of the talented Class of 2022 prospect. He also reports interest from Stanford, Maryland, TCU, UMKC, and Colorado State. At this time he has no other visits planned, but will likely see several schools this summer after the AAU season is completed.