NOBLESVILLE — This winter, Cooper Koch and his family saw as much Big Ten basketball live as just about anyone, making nine game visits covering five schools.
The Class of 2024 from Peoria visited Iowa, Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin twice each and Indiana once. He has offers from all of them.
“We got to see all the different styles of play they play,” Koch said earlier this month, “the intensity and just how big of a step it is going from the high school to college level.”
Not to mention some of the conference’s well-known game-day environments, of which Purdue’s stood out, Koch said.
“It’s definitely the best atmosphere out of all the places,” Koch said. “The student section’s always packed and it’s a full house and they always seem to play well there, and they’re a winning program.”
Purdue and the rest of the Big Ten programs chasing the versatile 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward may need to overcome considerable connections to Iowa, the alma mater of both his parents. Koch’s father, J.R., played for Tom Davis and the Hawkeyes from ’95-99 before getting drafted by the Knicks, then playing several years professionally, mostly overseas.
“We do have a lot of ties there,” Koch said, “but my parents, they don’t care where I go as long as I’m happy with the decision and I like where I’m going.”
Purdue would be one of the options at this point, but one of several. On top of the two game visits during basketball season, Koch visited West Lafayette in the fall for a football weekend, also.
“We’ve been talking to Coach Lusk about how I’d be more like a wing for them, and play inside and out,” Koch said of Purdue assistant coach Paul Lusk, who started his college career playing for Davis at Iowa before moving on to Southern Illinois. “I wouldn’t be a big, because they’ve always got a 7-footer there.”
This spring and summer, Koch is playing alongside big men Flory Bidunga and Raleigh Burgess for Indiana Elite’s 16-and-under team, highlighting the perimeter skill that comprises much of Koch’s value in college coaches’ eyes, as he’s a prototypical hybrid forward.
This spring during the grassroots season, he’s shown that he can score around the basket and rebound, but also handle the ball, pass and make decisions like a wing, while also being an excellent spot-up three-point shooter.
“I’ve always wanted to play on the wing,” Koch said, who’s also drawn interest lately from Notre Dame, Stanford, UCLA and others. “My dad used to coach me and I’d be in the paint. I always asked him to let me play on the wing, and he finally let me play on the wing, and I’ve been in and out of the post my whole life.”