Recruiting Report: Van Rees (2018)
When Sioux City East sophomore Van Rees was younger, he never dreamed he’d be a top-ranked prospect in the state by the time he was sophomore. He was just hoping to make an impact with the varsity team by his junior season.
As it is, the 6-foot-6 forward made the highest debut of any 2018 in our latest rankings, all the way to No. 6 — and he’s one of just five players in 4A who averaged a double-double this season.
“When I was in eighth grade I didn’t even know if I’d be on varsity until my junior year. And my parents told me my goal should be to play with my brother on varsity. I didn’t know I’d be anywhere near where I am now by my sophomore year,” said Rees.
“This summer when we were doing a lot of our tournaments it just all started coming. I just played hard and wasn’t scared anymore, and it all came together.”
His prowess on the court last summer and this winter have earned the attention of all sorts of college programs; from Division I to NAIA.
“The schools probably after me the most right now are Briar Cliff, and Wayne State. And I’ve gotten a couple letters from Drake, a couple from USD, one from SDSU, and I’ve gotten one from Albion in Michigan,” said Rees.
“Most of them have been letters. The only school that’s called me is Wayne State, and I talked to their coach for awhile.”
Rees will play with the Martin Brothers again this offseason, and he knows how critical the coming spring and summer will be for his recruitment.
“This summer is going to be huge for me,” said Rees. “What I told myself is if I get a lot of interest this summer that I probably won’t play football next fall. And I’ll just focus on getting better in the gym.”
A versatile forward, Rees plays mostly inside of 15 feet right now, but he’ll work this offseason on moving his game out towards the perimeter.
“One advantage that I have is being so tall and so lengthy I’m pretty good off the dribble. And I’m pretty good with both hands so I use that offensively to help me against shorter players,” said Rees.
“I’m pretty good with the up-and-under, that’s my go-to move. I go up against a lot of athletic posts and they’re always trying to block shots. Most of my points are coming around the rim.”
He added: “Me and one of my coaches are going to work a lot this offseason on me just dribbling and pulling-up, and shooting more outside and mid-range to the 3-point line. I haven’t taken many 3s this season because we have Aidan (Vanderloo) and Connor (Murrell) to do that for us.”