Recruiting Report: Bo Sandquist (2018)
A coach’s son with sharpshooting ability, it looks like this winter could be a breakout one for Johnston’s 5-foot-11 shooting guard Bo Sandquist.
He spent much of last season coming of the bench for the Dragons, one of Iowa’s most talented and senior-laden squads. But this spring he’s been playing well on the 17U circuit, and college coaches are taking notice.
“It’s D3 and NAIA interest right now, from Hamline, Coe College and then Nebraska-Wesleyan,” said Sandquist, who has high goals for himself.
“I don’t have any exact school in mind, but Division I or Division II is definitely my goal.”
He certainly has high-level shooting ability, and it showed at Kings of the Court earlier this spring when he was torching opponents with precision shooting, off the bounce and with serious range.
“I’ve definitely worked on my shooting, because you’re never perfect, you can always get better,” said Sandquist. “And I really worked on my passing and ball-handling, and I definitely worked on my strength because I’m going to have a much larger role on varsity next year.”
As a junior with the Dragons, it was practice where Sandquist was able to hone his skills, but next season he’ll be a key piece to the regular rotation, along with standouts Peyton Williams and Camden Vander Zwaag.
“This past season definitely made me better,” said Sandquist. “The team was very good and being surrounded by all that talent, it definitely pushed me to get better. I definitely became a better offensive and defensive player having them guard me every day”
Evaluated by us as one of the best pure shooters in Iowa, Sandquist says it’s repetition that’s most important to his prowess. And having a dad with shooting pedigree and keys to the gym helps too.
“My dad being my head coach, he’s really strict on my shooting form, and he’s really helped me with having perfect arc and having my elbow above the eyeball. It’s really helped me improve and get my shot off quick, said Sandquist. “And he can get me in the gym whenever, so I always get a lot of shots up.”
During the spring, Sandquist played with both Attack and Kingdom Hoops. He says it’s his leadership that he’s worked to improve the most.
“I’ve improved my leadership, and it will definitely help me for my senior season where hopefully we can make it to Wells Fargo (Arena) and go as far as we can,” said Sandquist.
As for recruitment, if he has a good enough summer with Kingdom Hoops, he’s confident the college coaches will find him.
“I’m definitely hoping for a better summer than I had last year. I’m going to try and improve a lot and hopefully get some better college looks than I have now,” said Sandquist. “And just improve my game because if I’m playing good enough then they’ll find me.”