Recruiting Report: Austin Katstra (2017)
It’s not every year that a player reaches all the milestones that Austin Katstra from Albemarle did this season. The 6’6” forward reached the 1,000 point mark, broke the school record for most career points and led his team to…
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Continue ReadingIt’s not every year that a player reaches all the milestones that Austin Katstra from Albemarle did this season. The 6’6” forward reached the 1,000 point mark, broke the school record for most career points and led his team to the 5A state semifinals. The most remarkable part about this is that he just finished his junior season.
“It means a lot to me to break the school scoring record,” Katstra said. “It’s really humbling to be up there with the great players in Albemarle history.”
Katstra has already made history both on an individual and team level. He led Albemarle to their second most wins in school history at 24-7, and took his team to the first state semifinal in school history. Coaches see a competitor that knows what it takes to win, but they see a lot more according to Katstra.
“Coaches love the fact that I rebound and play with a high motor,” Katstra said.
2017 Austin Katstra broke the Albemarle career scoring record as just a junior.That is the first thing you notice when you see Katstra play, is that he’s an athletic four that works hard on both ends to control the glass. He’s also a good shooter out to 15 feet, and can score in both the post and in face up scenarios.
It’s no wonder that many mid major programs have recently come upon a kid they feel could be a steal at the next level. Katstra mentioned Ohio and Belmont as the schools recruiting him the hardest, but also mentioned VMI, William & Mary and a few Ivy League schools that have contacted him recently.
“I’m looking for a school that isn’t small, it has to be bigger than my high school,” Katstra said with a chuckle. “They also need to have high academics and majors that I’m interested in such as criminology and sports administration.”
Katstra will play his final AAU season with Team Richmond Garner Road, who will compete on the silver circuit of the Adidas Gauntlet. While he’s sure to get a good amount of attention from coaches on the circuit, he says the summer is just as much about development as it is about exposure.
“My goals this summer are to improve my three-point shot and ball handling.”
If Katstra can improve on his perimeter skills on the offensive end, he’ll become a mismatch for defenses, which will be a nightmare because he’s already highly productive and one of the hardest working players in his class. Expect to hear more from Katstra this summer.