Recruiting Report: Austin Katstra (2017)

<div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">During his sophomore campaign at Albermarle HS, in Charlottesville, Austin Katstra emerged as one of 5A&#39;s top players. The athletic forward owns a series of effective back-to-the basket moves he utilizes with regularity in the post. This is thanks to his early growth spurt and his determination to take advantage of his height early on.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">"I&#39;m pretty comfortable in the post," Katstra stated. "I was always the tallest kid on the court the past few years because of my early growth spurt."  </span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">His scoring prowess was evident last season. The 6&#39;6 sophomore averaged 18.9 points per game for Albermarle. He was very efficient, shooting 60% from the field. His sneaky athleticism and work rate enable him to rebound in his area very effectively. </span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">"I&#39;m a pretty solid rebounder," said Katstra. "That&#39;s probably one of my best traits on the court. Most people don&#39;t think I can jump pretty high. I&#39;ve had multiple people come up to me and say they didn&#39;t expect me to jump as high as I do."</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">In light of his performances for high school and AAU, Katstra is drawing interest from some D1 schools. VMI, William & Mary, and Princeton have expressed interest. Ohio and Belmont are the two schools Katstra is hearing from the most.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">"I&#39;m hearing from Ohio and Belmont the most lately," he began. "Ohio has a pack-line defense similar to UVA, and a motion offense. I think I would fit in as a 3/4 mixture, a solid rebounder."</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">Katstra has been sharpening his wing skills so that he can be more versatile. He&#39;s been improving on his shooting, and ball handling so that he&#39;s more comfortable on the perimeter.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">"I&#39;ve been working a lot with my ball handling so I can play the 3 position and more on the perimeter. I&#39;ve gotten better on the outside. I&#39;m continuing to work on my outside shot." he said.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">Another thing Katstra does really well is catch the ball. He has excellent hands. His coach at Albermarle HS, Greg Maynard, shed some light on Austin as a person and player.</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">"He&#39;s very athletic. Can score inside and out. A very smart basketball player. A solid all around hgihg school player at this point," Maynard said. "He&#39;s an outstanding person. Very high character. Very good in the classroom. Has an outstanding GPA and takes all the toughest classes that our school has to offer."</span></span></div> <div> </div> <div><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12px">Heading into his junior season, Austin Katstra is once again considered among 5A&#39;s top players. He&#39;s improving, and looks to lead his team on a deep run this season.</span></span></div>