Kansas juco basketball national champion hosted by Wichita State on recruiting visit
A junior college national champion playing in Kansas has emerged as a serious recruiting target for the Wichita State men’s basketball team.
Dre Kindell, a 6-foot point guard at Barton Community College, completed an official visit to WSU on Tuesday. WSU assistant coach T.J. Cleveland is spearheading the recruitment of the class of 2025 prospect, who was in attendance at Koch Arena on Tuesday for the team’s open practice.
Kindell was a key reserve for a Barton team that finished 36-1 and won the program’s first NJCAA national championship in Hutchinson this past March. He averaged 9.7 points and 2.6 assists in 20.1 minutes per game as a freshman for the Cougars.
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With the starting backcourt from last year’s championship team graduated, it’s likely Kindell will be featured heavily at Barton this upcoming season in the Jayhawk Conference. The Cincinnati native has already earned around a dozen offers, while WSU remains the most high-profile program after him.
The WSU coaching staff was left impressed by Kindell following Tuesday’s visit, according to sources, as his speed on the ball and raw athleticism was better than advertised. Kindell, listed at 6 foot and 155 pounds, has a diminutive stature, but has explosive athleticism and was making highlight-reel dunks look effortless.
He also was lightning quick with the ball in his hands, which allows him to consistently attack for himself and to create for others.
WSU head coach Paul Mills received his first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class last week when high school senior Tyrus Rathan-Mayes, a 6-foot-6 wing and three-star prospect, pledged to the Shockers.
With up to nine scholarship players possibly exhausting their eligibility with WSU this season, the 2025 recruiting class figures to be a crucial one, regardless of how this upcoming season fares, because of the sheer size of it.
With WSU hosting high school and junior college prospects on official visits this fall, it’s clear Mills would like to have at least a handful of recruits secured in the fall recruiting period before the transfer portal opens up next spring.
This story was originally published September 18, 2024 at 5:03 AM.
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