‘A great vibe’: 2022 basketball recruit Jordan Pope details visit to Wichita State
Recruiting for the class of 2022 is already in full force for coach Isaac Brown and the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
Just last weekend, Wichita State played host to an official visit to 2022 recruit Jordan Pope, a 6-foot-1 guard who plays for Prolific Prep in California who the Shockers offered a scholarship in late July.
A native of the Bay Area in Northern California, Pope said this past weekend was his introduction to Wichita State basketball. He was somewhat familiar with the Shockers as a program used to playing in the NCAA Tournament, but outside of that vague knowledge, he didn’t know much about Koch Arena or Wichita, Kansas.
When it was over, Pope said the visit to Wichita State was an eye-opening experience — one that he very much enjoyed.
“What stood out to me was coach Brown and his system and how he lets his players play,” Pope told the Eagle after his visit. “I think that plays to my strengths. And then just the city of Wichita and how much they love their basketball and how crazy their fans are and how electric every game is. That could possibly play a role in my decision because I want to play in a great environment.
“Another thing was just the family environment and culture. I got it from the people in the locker room, the people on campus and the people in town. Whoever I met, they always gave me a great vibe.”
The visit began last Friday night when Pope and his family were taken to dinner at Redrock Canyon Grill by Brown and two of his assistants, Tyson Waterman, who has been Pope’s lead recruiter, and Lou Gudino. On Saturday, Pope was given a tour of Koch Arena, including a trip to the locker room and the weight room, where he met with WSU strength and conditioning coach Kerry Rosenboom.
He also was taken through the Wichita State campus and had lunch at Torchy’s Tacos, then took a trip downtown to tour Intrust Bank Arena, where the Shockers play annually.
The highlight of the trip was Pope being able to scrimmage against some of the current Wichita State players, who he said he made quick friendships with during his visit. Afterward, when Pope posted pictures from his visit, current Shockers like Dexter Dennis, Morris Udeze and Ricky Council IV all commented on his social media post encouraging him to join them in Wichita.
For now, Pope, who is rated as the No. 166 prospect in the country for the class of 2022 by 247Sports, said he is planning on holding off committing to a college until the spring. His other notable offer is from Nevada, which is still heavily involved in his recruitment, and Pope says he is starting to hear more from Vanderbilt, Washington, California, Washington State, New Mexico, St. Mary’s and San Diego State, among others.
“My recruitment has for sure picked up since AAU, but not as much as I thought it would,” Pope said. “I’m extremely grateful for all of the attention I have received, but I thought I would blow up more than I did.”
Pope has built a reputation as a score-first guard known for his outside shooting ability. That was certainly on display the final three games of his run on Nike’s EYBL this summer, where Pope averaged 20.3 points for the Oakland Soldiers and made 14 three-pointers on 45.2% accuracy.
“I would describe myself as a scoring point guard,” Pope said. “I can shoot the ball really well, that’s probably my greatest strength. That makes the defense play me further out. Not only can I score, but I can create for my teammates and get shots for my teammates and impact the game in multiple ways more than just scoring. I can pass, rebound, defend, be a leader.”
Even though the NCAA has granted basketball players an extra year of eligibility due to the coronavirus pandemic, not every player is expected to use the extra season. So while WSU technically has no seniors on its 2021-22 roster, the Shockers will likely be recruiting for multiple spots in their 2022 recruiting class. Tyson Etienne has made it clear he expects to enter the NBA Draft after this season, while WSU could see some of its “super juniors” like Dexter Dennis, Morris Udeze, Joe Pleasant, Qua Grant and Craig Porter graduate and move on after this season.
This story was originally published September 21, 2021 at 1:05 PM.
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