NCAA Basketball: 2021 wing John Poulakidas talks recruitment

John Poulakidas has raised his stock tremendously over the past few months. How is the recruitment heating up for the 2021 prospect from Illinois so far?

John Poulakidas has been one of the top performers on the AAU circuit so far this season. A 6-foot-6 wing from the 2021 class, he is starting to blossom as a prospect. An elite 3-point shooting lefty with a deadly self-creating game due to his long arms and patient dribbling, it is easy to see the appeal. Poulakidas has been a steady riser while playing for Neuqua Valley High School and the Young & Reckless AAU team by showcasing his all-around ability when on the court.

While advertised as one of the top shooters and scorers in the state, he also crashes the glass well and can dictate the fast break as a playmaker as a result. He does a nice job positioning on the defensive end of the floor and uses his long arms to disrupt opponents. He might be known as a scorer right now, as that is his best skill, but it is reasonable to expect that his game will take leaps in multiple ways in the future. This is especially true with regards to his defense and playmaking, where he is already flashing potential thanks to his length and court vision.

Due to his high levels of achievement both on the court and in the classroom, Poulakidas is starting to hear from some of the top academic institutions in the country. This has resulted in an increase in scholarship offers and he has also embarked on several unofficial visits. To this point in time, Poulakidas has received 11 total scholarship offers and that number is bound to increase. He has also recently unofficially visited the following campuses: Butler (offered), Northwestern, Loyola-Chicago (offered), UIC (offered), Temple, Rutgers (offered), and Princeton.

Now that Poulakidas is fresh off a stretch including those seven unofficial visits, I talked to him about his game, the current state of his recruitment, and what the next steps might be.

Q: How have you felt about your play in the spring/summer to this point? What do you believe are some of your biggest strengths or things that set you apart on the court?

“I feel like this spring/summer I’ve taken a really big leap forward in my game – both physically and mentally. My biggest strengths which I think set me apart are my ability to shoot the ball and score in many ways, my ability to create for myself and others, and my length which helps me on the defensive end.”

Q: Which facets of the game are you looking to improve on most heading into your next high school season?

“The biggest things I want to improve are my overall basketball IQ, my strength and athleticism, and my finishing above and around the rim.”

Q: Your recruitment has heated up significantly as of late. What would you say has been the most exciting part of the recruiting process so far and what are you looking forward to?

“I would say the most exciting part is just being blessed enough to experience this process because only a small percentage of basketball players get to. Visiting multiple campuses as well as developing great relationships with coaches has also been very exciting for me. Honestly, the biggest thing I’m looking forward to is just getting in the gym more and more and working on my craft.”

Q: As of right now (June 28, 2019), which programs seem to be prioritizing you most?

“As of right now Butler, Loyola-Chicago, Rutgers, and Princeton I would say are prioritizing me the most. Their coaches reach out to me fairly frequently and we have great conversations.”

Q: If I’m correct, you’ve visited all four of those schools unofficially so far. What would you say stood out about those campuses/facilities?

Each school really stressed the family atmosphere of their players and entire organization, which is really important to me. They also discussed with me how their academics are top notch, and being a 4.35 GPA student, that is very important to me as well. Each of the schools had really beautiful facilities and they also were all undergoing renovations which I’m really excited to see in the near future when they all finish.

Q: What are those schools pitching to you?

Butler: “The biggest message that the coaches at Butler have pitched to me is how Coach Jordan has developed many players of my skill-set into professionals.”

Loyola-Chicago: “Loyola-Chicago’s biggest pitch to me so far has been the family atmosphere that they have built between all of the coaches and players that Coach Moser has built because they all truly care about each other.”

Rutgers: “Rutgers’ biggest pitch to me has been how their program is up-and-coming and only going to improve under Coach Pikiell. They also showed me their brand new, multi-purpose practice facility that they are building, and told me how they are in need of a skilled shooter that can create shots for himself and others.”

Princeton: “Princeton’s biggest pitch to me has been how a degree from Princeton can take an individual very, very far in life, and also how they have been really successful in recent years and will only continue to improve behind Coach Henderson.”

Q: I know this is a long time away, but when it comes to making your college decision, what qualities are you looking for in a school, program, and coaching staff?

“Really I’m just looking for university with great academics, a program with a family atmosphere of high energy players that want to win as badly as I do and that love the game as much as I do, and a coaching staff full of great people that I can develop great relationships with and that will help me develop into the best overall player I can become.”

Poulakidas is clearly emerging as one of the top prospects from the state of Illinois. There is always room for improvement but he is already receiving interest (and offers) from high-major programs. Although not yet ranked by a recruiting service, his list of suitors explains his talent level.

Poulakidas’ total list of scholarship offers currently consists of SIU, UIC, Butler, Miami-OH, UW-Milwaukee, Brown, Loyola-Chicago, Saint Louis, Rutgers, and TCU. He is expecting to make a college decision sometime towards the end of next summer.