Recruiting Report: Kenny Foster (2019)
The University of Colorado recently secured the commitment of the top 2017 player in the state in Sand Creek’s D’Shawn Schwartz. Now, the Buffs are turning their eyes to the future. CU hosted Prep Hoops Colorado’s top 2018 player Daylen…
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Continue ReadingThe University of Colorado recently secured the commitment of the top 2017 player in the state in Sand Creek’s D’Shawn Schwartz.
Now, the Buffs are turning their eyes to the future.
CU hosted Prep Hoops Colorado’s top 2018 player Daylen Kountz and top 2019 player Kenny Foster for unofficial visits on Saturday.
Foster had to leave his visit to attend to a family commitment before watching the suddenly surging CU football team blast Oregon State, but the 6-4 guard liked what he saw during his brief time on campus — one that he’ll likely see plenty during his final three high schools seasons.
“I was at their practice and talked to all their coaches, and all their coaches are great,” Foster said. “They know exactly what they’re talking about. Everything they say is spot on. The players, every one of them is working hard. Even at the end of a three-hour practice at the end you’d think some guys want to give up, but every single person was dialed in until the last shot of the 3-point drill they did. You really get to see how big a difference it is from high school to college.”
Foster said CU began watching him during his freshman season at Smoky Hill, and he recently began having communication with Buffs assistant coach Mike Rohn.
Foster is also planning unofficial visits this fall to Wyoming and possibly to Stanford, Santa Clara and the University of San Francisco, where is older brother Chase, a former Valor Christian standout, is a junior.
Foster said he had planned to take an unofficial visit to Stanford this summer, but the timing didn’t work out. But the Cardinal staff has encouraged him to visit the campus.
The growing attention for Foster is no surprise given his impressive resume during his brief prep career. As a freshman at Smoky Hill last season, Foster averaged 18.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in the vaunted Centennial League. He demonstrated an advanced ability to score the ball in multiple ways, especially with a mid-range jump shot. His his ability to rebound at a high level comes from his physical strength, but also his high IQ for playing the ball.
Foster was a top-10 player at the Prep Hoops Top 250 Expo at Gold Crown Fieldhouse last month, especially excelling on the glass and in transition.
Still, Foster is certainly not one to rest on his laurels. He had a strong spring and summer playing up a division for the Colorado Hawks 16U team, arguably the state’s best squad regardless of age. And he has spent his own time working individually with coach Anthony Hardin or on his own. When we caught up with Foster on Monday, he had been at the gym until 8 p.m., long after his team and finished its fall practice.
“Dribbling, shooting and getting stronger, that’s all I’ve been doing over the summer,” Foster said. “I was probably 168 or 170 (pounds) last year, and I’m up to about 180 now, so I’m pretty happy about that. Hopefully I get five more (pounds) before the season starts.”
Foster is seemingly trying to will a season that begins in December to get here sooner. After a 4-19 season that was plagued by injuries, Smoky Hill is setting high expectations for itself this season.
“There’s a lot of excitement,” Foster said. “We’re all still getting used to each other because even last year not everybody played together. This summer was the first time we did, and even then we didn’t have everybody because of injuries. I’m excited because this is the first time we’ve actually all been able to play together. I really want the season to start.”