Recruiting Report: Mike Bothwell (2018)
December 15, 2015 Cornerstone Christian has become a perennial Division IV threat in Northeast Ohio, and the latest player to lead the way is sophomore guard Mike Bothwell. The 6-foot-2 guard has made an impact since arriving last year as a…
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Continue ReadingDecember 15, 2015
Cornerstone Christian has become a perennial Division IV threat in Northeast Ohio, and the latest player to lead the way is sophomore guard Mike Bothwell.
The 6-foot-2 guard has made an impact since arriving last year as a freshman. A natural left-hander, Bothwell keeps a defense honest and is a tough player to guard due to his scoring and passing touch. He got started in the game by watching his aunt, who played at Kent State.
He’s the team’s leading scorer and had a 20-point effort against Division III title threat Beachwood.
“When I first started playing last year, I had confidence that my coaches believed in me,” Bothwell said. “Now that confidence has driven me to not be scared to play against older guys.”
At this point, Bothwell’s only scholarship offer is to Cedarville University, but he has heard a lot of feedback from coaches.
“They like how I’m smart on the floor and have a high IQ despite being so young,” Bothwell said.
Bothwell added that his shooting has also stuck out to coaches. On the flip side, he said he still wants to work on getting stronger and becoming a better defender.
When he’s done as a senior, he wants to take his game to the highest college level.
“I would like to play Division I basketball,” Bothwell said. “From there, I would love to play professionally.”
Like most young guards, he pays special attention to Steph Curry and tries to learn from him.
“It’s very interesting how he breaks down a defense,” Bothwell said. “He has a quick shot too where he doesn’t even need to hold his follow-through.”
He also loves watching old film of Magic Johnson to study his passing ability.
While Cornerstone Christian has strung together a series of good seasons, they haven’t made it to Columbus. Bothwell is hoping to change that soon.
“I would love to make it down to state and win it,” Bothwell said. “That has always been our No. 1 goal.”
In the meantime, he’s just hoping every opponent walks away from their games says that Cornerstone Christian worked them hard.
“I want every team that plays us to feel like they had to fight and that we were a good team,” Bothwell said.