Top-50 junior Isaac Traudt drops 34 points, talks recruitment

It didn’t take long for a double-team to occur on Isaac Traudt on Saturday night.

Grand Island’s (NE) star was feeling the pressure against Bellevue West and they held him to just 7 points and three rebounds in the first half. They had applied several traps and kept his scoring at a low. But, I didn’t expect Traudt to go away silently.

Traudt started to pick up steam, finding his rhythm and hitting tons of shots. He was also huge defensively to help the Islanders nab the victory. The 6-foot-9 wing finished with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and had two important blocks in the final quarter.

The goal, entering the summer, was to put on tons of muscle and really just work on his body and how he could adjust his game off that. Traudt added 30-35 pounds this summer and it was very beneficial to the development of his game and ultimately led to his breakout summer.

He saw tons of growth on the court and it led to the outpouring of interest across America from high-major programs. After I watched his 34-point performance last night, Traudt talked with Stockrisers.com.

Which schools are heavily involved?

“The schools that probably are recruiting me the hardest are Oklahoma, Creighton, Michigan State, Virginia, Missouri, and Louisville.” 

Who are the newest schools to show interest?

“The newest school interested is North Carolina.”

In breaking down schools, what are your thoughts on Creighton?

“With Creighton, they were the first high-major school to really start recruiting me and they think I fit their style of play really well. I've developed really good relationships with both Coach [Greg] McDermott and Lusk.”

Oklahoma has also been heavily involved, thoughts?

“I've developed a really good relationship with Coach [Lon] Kruger. He texts me almost every day. They think they could utilize me really well as a wing.”

Louisville was a recent offer, where do things stand with them?

“I've developed a really good relationship with Coach [Chris] Mack and Coach Murray as well. They also see me as a bigger wing. Louisville has had a lot of success in the past and is a huge basketball school.”

Any zooms or virtual meetings coming up?

“I have a zoom call with Virginia and Coach [Tony], Bennett, this weekend.”

Breakdown your game.

“I’m a 6’9 wing that can do a bit of everything offensively. I’m a good shooter and have a nice feel for the game. I’m getting better defensively and rebounding and becoming a better leader.”

Season expectations.

“This season individually I want to be the best I can be on and off the court. As a team, I want to make it to the state tournament for the first time in a long time.”