Top-40 junior Isaac Traudt updates his recruitment

Breakout. 

When you think of the term breakout, you think of someone who made their mark and really took off. This past fall, Isaac Traudt witnessed his breakout. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Grand Island in Central Nebraska didn’t really become a blue-chip prospect until the fall hit and he started bringing in a variety of offers.

These offers? Deserving. Traudt has asserted himself as a dynamic two-way player and has had a dominant junior season averaging 25 points and nine rebounds per game this season. In addition, Traudt surpassed the 1,000-point mark and is likely already counting to 2,000.

Traudt did what any devoted prospect would do during the off-season. Grind. Entering this season a major focus point for him was to gain muscle and work on his physical developments, and oh, he did that indeed. Traudt would end up adding nearly 30-35 pounds of muscle and has clearly evolved his game this season.

Rather than being your face-up forward, Traudt has been able to show just how dynamic he is all season long. He’s played the perimeter, runs the floor, shoots the deep ball, aggressive drives to the rim, and he doesn’t shy away from involving his teammates, he actually loves dishing the rock.

His recruitment is as I expected it to be when I first discovered Traudt over one year ago. He’s a blue-chip prospect and is being pursued by plenty of high-major programs including several local schools, blue blood, etc. 

Stockrisers.com caught up with Traudt for the third time during his junior campaign, this time to give us an update just on his recruitment.

Which programs are heavily involved in your recruitment?

“The schools that contact me the most are Nebraska, Creighton, Oklahoma, Virginia, Michigan State, North Carolina, and Gonzaga.”

Who are the newest programs to enter the fro?

“Gonzaga and North Carolina are the newest interests.”

What’s enticing about staying home? Creighton, Nebraska, thoughts on them?

“I think a positive of staying at an in-state school would be that my friends and family could come to watch me and see me more. I really like both Creighton and Nebraska and they’ve been on me very hard.”

Gonzaga, where do things stand with them currently?

“They’re having a really solid year and I've been in pretty consistent communication with Coach Michaelson.”

North Carolina, which coach have you talked with and thoughts?

“I’ve been in pretty frequent contact with Coach Frederick and he’s watched a few of my games. They’re having a very solid season this year.”

Where do things stand with a commitment timeline entering the spring?

“I really don’t know yet, but, if I had to give a guess I would say sometime during my senior year.”