Abundance of Interest in Cushing Academys Kaleb Joseph
Like most top-recruits from the class of 2014, Kaleb Joseph has been inundated by interest from high-level Division 1 coaches.
Whether receiving calls, texts or messages via social media, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Nashua, NH product – who suits up for Cushing Academy during the school year and Mass Rivals throughout the AAU season – has remained the object of affection for coaches seeking a long and lanky point guard with the ability to break down defenders off the dribble, hit a midrange pull-up jumper, penetrate and find open teammates, and display lockdown, on-ball defense.
So when the 2013 April live period kicked off – the first opportunity for Division 1 coaches to evaluate players, in-person, since last July – it wasn’t surprising just how great the demand was on Joseph’s time.
“It’s really stressful. A lot of schools are calling all the time and texting,” Joseph said in a phone interview a few days after the two-week window concluded. “It’s a lot to deal with sometimes, but I can’t really be upset about it because a lot of kids would like to be in this position.”
The list of schools that have offered Joseph now includes Boston College, Delaware, Fordham, Georgetown, Marquette, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure, Syracuse, TCU and Tennessee. In the live period alone, he added high-major offers from Georgetown, Minnesota, and Marquette.
Asked to identify the schools that have shown the most interest, Joseph replied, “Georgetown, Minnesota, Marquette, Kansas State, Kansas, West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Providence.”
“I just want to build a good relationship with the coaching staff and just player development,” Joseph said about the criteria he’ll use to make his decision. “At the end of the day, I just want to get better. That’s what it is all about – to get me to where I want to be by the time my college career is over. And I want to be around good people who care about me off the basketball courts as well as on the court; (a place where) they’re going to develop me into being a better person.”
With more offers likely to come, Joseph plans to whittle down his list of choices to a more manageable number before making an ultimate decision sometime after the AAU season and before the high school basketball season, though “that’s not set in stone.”
“I’m just going to see how it all plays out,” he said.
For now, Joseph is focused on completing his junior year academic workload – which wraps in less than two weeks with final exams – before embarking on the summer AAU circuit and showcases like Addidas Nation, where he went last year, and the prestigious CP3 Elite Guard Camp, to which he was recently invited.
Joseph has already targeted improving his strength, ball handling and leadership this summer, as well as establishing a more consistent three-point shot and making sure that his team always comes out ahead.
“Just winning . . . that is really what it is all about,” he said.
Even with all the demands on his time, Joseph understands just how fortunate a position he finds himself – something he’s making sure he won’t waste.
“I wouldn’t say (13 offers) are expected,” Joseph said. “But when you work hard for something, I think, gradually people start to notice. I am definitely grateful for all the opportunities that I have, and I am just going to continue to keep working at it so when I do decide on a school I can make an impact right away.”
Paul Lazdowski can be followed on Twitter @PrepBallInsider
Kaleb Joseph