Top 2023 prospect talks Iowa visit

It’s been quite a week for Omaha Biliew.

The mega talented forward from Des Moines Dowling High School attended his first Iowa basketball game on Sunday and then a few days later, he learned that one recruiting service ranked him as the #1 player in the Class of 2023, which includes stars like Bronny James and D.J. Wagner.

The ranking came from long time scout Van Coleman, who is now working for Nothing but Net Magazine. Coleman puts Biliew at the top of his rankings and that news was a surprise to the talented 6-foot-7 forward.

“I was amazed when I saw that,” Biliew said. “Van Coleman is a legendary basketball scout, so to see him think that much of me was really humbling. I’m happy about it, but at the same time, I have a lot of work that I need to do to continue to get better.”

News like that for a young high school athlete might quickly go to their head, but Biliew has a good support group in place that keeps his feet on the ground.

“The people in my circle really keep me grounded,” he said. “My family raised me to be a humble person and not to get too involved in any of the hype.”

This past Sunday, the talented forward made his first trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena to see the Hawkeyes, who have offered him a scholarship, play against Illinois.

“It was a really cool environment at Carver. I really liked it and had a lot of fun watching a good game.”

The trip wasn’t a recruiting visit. Biliew was just a basketball fan in the stands, but he visited Iowa last fall and has already built a solid relationship with Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery.

“Fran is a really cool guy,” Biliew said. “He was really the first guy to start recruiting me, so I know we are going to have a long relationship. He’s good to hang around and relates well with me.”

Since the early offer from Iowa, other schools like Louisville, Kentucky, Memphis, TCU, and Oklahoma State have started to show interest. While his recruitment is still in the early stages, Biliew knows that the Hawkeyes are going to be a program that will be there throughout his recruitment.

“Offering first really had an impact on me and it will stick with me. They were the first school to offer me a scholarship and they have continued to recruit me and come to my games.”

This season he is averaging 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game at Dowling and Biliew is also involved in the USA Basketball program, which has really helped his game develop against the best players in the country.

“It was a big accomplishment for me,” Biliew said of being selected for the USA Basketball camp. “To be around high level players that everyone looks up to, the older guys, you just love being around that environment and learn from them and from the coaches.”

That also included Biliew’s first viral moment on social media, when he delivered a poster dunk on five star big man Chet Holmgren.

“I don’t think it went too viral,” he said with a laugh.

Given Biliew’s talent, expect more virial moments to come in the future.