Recruiting Report: Caiden Landis (2018)
Caiden Landis (2018) is an impressive athlete at 6’6”. The prospect from Logan High School, who’s playing for Hidden Gems Black this summer, is capable of playing both forward spots. But what’s maybe even more impressive about Landis is a mentality.
Landis has a good head on his shoulders. It seems to carry him both on and off the floor.
“It really just depends who’s guarding me. If there’s a kid that I know I can take in the post that’s smaller than me, I’m going to instantly go to the post. But if there’s a bigger kid on me, I’m going to stay outside,” Landis said, when speaking on his versatility as a stretch-4 option.
Landis is effective both inside and out. He shoots the ball with confidence from three, yet he told us that he wants to improve the consistency from out there. Also, he’s a strong back-to-the-basket post up player, with various moves in his arsenal.
Also on the court, Landis simply plays harder than his opponents, which again comes back to mental toughness.
“A lot of my points this season, I just out-worked the person. I had a few baskets this weekend — I’m not faster than them — where I just worked harder and got to the rim before them,” Landis said.
“You can get 10 points and 10 rebounds, if you’re just working harder than everyone else.”
Turns out, you can also earn a 3.8 GPA with some hard work. Landis has posted this impressive grade point average even with a course-load that includes three AP classes. He also received a 21 on the ACT on his first try, a score he will most likely improve on quite a bit.
Landis plans on majoring in Environmental Science or Civil Engineering (with an environmental focus).
“I want to build stuff that doesn’t wreck the Earth completely. I know we can’t save the Earth, but just do my part,” Landis said.
The junior is clearly passionate about the environment when you talk with him. Naturally, finding a program that suits his career pursuits will be important to his eventual college decision.
Today, Landis is taking a campus visit to Pitt-Johnstown.
“We play in the Pitt Jam, there’s a tournament in Pittsburg. So, I’m going to go down Friday and visit there … They’ve been talking to me since the end of basketball pretty much,” Landis said.
Pitt-Johnstown has shown more interest than other schools, according to Landis himself.
The other schools that have previously reached out or are showing initial interest in Landis are Ohio Dominican, Capital, Otterbein, Mount Vernon Nazarene, Wheeling Jesuit, Bloomsburg (PA), and Air Force.
Landis is keeping an open-mind with his recruitment process.
“I don’t want to restrict myself and say I don’t want to go somewhere because, oh, they don’t have this many people or, oh, they’re not in the exact area that I want. I want to go to that school and find out for myself,” Landis said.
For the time being, Landis will continue to work on his game. He has a diligent work-out routine, which involves anything from working out intensely with his friend and receiving individual instruction from a coach.
As mentioned, coaches/scouts can watch Hidden Gems Black in Pittsburg this weekend.
