NCAA Basketball: 2021 wing John Poulakidas updates his recruitment

John Poulakidas has emerged as one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2021 recruiting class for NCAA basketball. He weighs in on his recruitment.

Although the current NCAA basketball season is far from over on the court, coaches from around the country are focused on their recruiting efforts off the court as well in order to build hope for the future. This includes looking ahead to the 2021 recruiting class, where 6-foot-6 wing John Poulakidas is emerging as one of the better shooters and scorers in the Midwest.

A smooth lefty out of Neuqua Valley High School In Illinois, Poulakidas has been a steady riser over the past year. That has been evident both with his growth as a player and in the amped-up level of recruiting interest that he has received.

Due to his playing style as a lanky sharpshooter with the ability to create for himself and move without the ball, Poulakidas looks poised to be a heavily sought-after wing in the class. He also does an excellent job creating for others and rebounding at his position.

Poulakidas has received interest from a growing number of programs in recent months as his recruitment exploded following his sophomore season and the ensuing summer. Butler was the first high-major program to issue a scholarship offer and the likes of Loyola-Chicago, Rutgers, TCU, Wake Forest, and Minnesota have followed.

Poulakidas is currently in the midst of a strong junior campaign and a few programs appear to be prioritizing him. I talked with the lanky wing about his season so far, playing style, and the current status of his recruitment/planned visits.

Q: How has your high school season been going so far? 

“I would say that the high school season has been alright so far. We are 17-6 now and we play a pretty tough schedule so all of our losses have come to talented teams, but it’s all to prepare us come March. We feel that we are more talented than our record shows but it’s up to us as a unit to prove it for the rest of the season as well as in the playoffs.”

Q: Which areas of the game do you think you’ve excelled in and which areas are you still working on most?

“I feel like those areas I’ve performed well in this year have been my scoring, my IQ, and playing without the ball. I’m getting face-guarded and double-teamed pretty much every game so facing that defense has forced me to get better at getting my teammates involved. I already consider myself to be a pretty good passer so having to become a playmaker has helped my game tremendously.

As far as improvements, I feel like I can always get better at all facets of the game. I’ve been in the weight room working on my body, getting stronger, and I’m always working on my ball-handling and shot-making.”

Q: How would you describe your playing style? How did it feel to drop 49 points in a game this season and set your school record?

“I would describe myself as a three-level scorer with a really underrated passing ability. The defensive schemes which my opponents have thrown at me this season have helped my IQ grow a lot. I’m only scratching the surface of what I’ll become.

Regarding the 49-point game earlier this year, it was just great to experience that with my teammates because that was a game which nobody expected us to be in, let alone win, so that performance made the win even more enjoyable.”

Q: You have now received double-digit scholarship offers – which programs seem to be prioritizing you the most? How would you describe the pitches that each of those schools is giving you and what stands out about them?

“I would say that [of the schools that have offered me] Butler, Loyola, TCU, and Wake Forest have prioritized me the most although I’ve been talking to Cal-Berkeley frequently as well.

Butler: They are playing at a high level. Coach Jordan and his staff have a great reputation of developing players of my skillset so I know that they would help me improve more and more each year.

Loyola-Chicago: They are an in-state school so it would be special to have my family be able to come to a bunch of my games. Also, I love the family atmosphere and culture that Coach Moser and his staff have built there.

TCU: I really enjoyed my official visit down there in the fall and they have consistently put together strong seasons under Coach Dixon. Coach Broussard and Coach Miller are also two great basketball minds that I’ve developed good relationships with, which is important to me.

Cal-Berkeley: I’ve been talking to Coach Francis ever since he was at Iowa, and I’ve really developed a strong relationship with him. We talk very frequently and he’s a very good guy. I know that if I was to go there I would be in good hands. I’m interested in going out to California to visit there.

Wake Forest: Coach Walters and I have really developed a great relationship over the past 5-6 months. My visit out there was great. I talk to Coach Manning fairly frequently as well. He’s a great basketball mind and I know their program will head in the right direction with him and Coach Walters. I’m looking forward to getting back out there soon.”

Q: Are you thinking about any upcoming visits? Also, as a refresher, which schools have you already visited?

“I’ll be down at Butler for their game against Georgetown on Feb. 15th. I’m looking forward to getting up to Minnesota and getting back up to Loyola before the season ends. I’m also planning on getting out to Yale and Cal-Berkeley. Of the schools that have offered me, I’ve visited Butler, Loyola, Wake Forest, TCU, Rutgers, Princeton, GW.”

John Poulakidas has been sought-after by many high-major programs over the past several months and his list of suitors will only increase in the future. Which school will be able to eventually land his commitment?