Recruiting Report: Christian Popoola (2017)
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — “Pops” has hops. Bishop Gorman 2017 guard Christian Popoola recently won his second high profile slam dunk contest in recent months when he captured the 2016 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions dunk contest on Jan. 16 in Springfield,…
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Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD, Mo. — “Pops” has hops. Bishop Gorman 2017 guard Christian Popoola recently won his second high profile slam dunk contest in recent months when he captured the 2016 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions dunk contest on Jan. 16 in Springfield, Mo.
The son of a former basketball player by the same name who played at UNLV from 1999-2000, Christian Popoola Jr. is a rising 6-foot-3 point guard who has garnered the attention of host of NCAA Division I programs. Already he has offers from Stanford, Southern California, San Diego State University, New Mexico, UNLV, Washington State, and has interest from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and several Ivy League schools due to his grades.
Although he does not yet have a short list, Popoola said academics will be a big part of his decision and said he has taken unofficial visits to Southern California, UNLV, UC-Irvine, Stanford and San Diego State University.
“I am really playing it by ear and just trying to see what colleges are interested in me and I’m just going to evaluate my options and try to make the best decision,” he said.
A left handed guard, Popoola has an athletic frame at 6-foot-3, 190-pounds and can get to the bucket and finish through contact.
“I’m an aggressive guard, I like to hit the lanes, I can shoot the ball well, I can catch-and-shoot and like to find my teammates,” he said. “Sometimes, I’m a little over passing, and I need to work more on my right hand, but that will come.”
“Besides that I want to work on my IQ at the point guard position.”
Although his Bishop Gorman squad placed sixth in a loaded field, Popoola said he was thankful for the experience of competing at the Tournament of Champions, a tournament that drew 25,000 fans over three days, as well as a host of college coaches.
“This crowd has been amazing and they get hyped on everything, from great basketball plays to great fan plays,” Popoola said. “They really know their stuff. The kids came out and it was so great to see them. Giving autographs, it really made me feel great about myself. The hospitality has been amazing and we are so thankful to be here.”