Prospect Watch: Jak Kitchens (2018)
Class of 2018 forward Jak Kitchens of New Bloomfield is a small-school player who has put up some big numbers in his career.
The 6’6″ Kitchens has already enjoyed a fine career at tiny Class 2 New Bloomfield, which is tucked away in Mid-Missouri. Playing for a small school has motivated Kitchens to play at a higher level.
“Everything thinks that because I’m from a small school, I’m not as good,” Kitchens said. “It just helps me grind out even more.”
As a junior, Kitchens averaged 25 points and 15 rebounds a game to earn Class 2 All-State honors. Some of the individual performances he had last season were mouth-watering. Kitchens had 35 points and 24 rebounds against Calvary Lutheran. He had 30 points and 24 rebounds against Missouri Military Academy and 34 points and 20 rebounds against South Callaway.
“It was a good junior year,” Kitchens said. “I’ve been putting in a lot of work to become a better player. I’ve been working hard to get my teammates to put in the same work to make us a better team.”
Kitchens does most of his good work in the low post where he can score with both hands and attack the offensive boards for put backs. He is also a good high-post performer with a nice touch out to 15 feet. He is also a good passer out of double teams, which comes from a lot of practice seeing such defenses during the season. Kitchens is looking to improve his perimeter skills during the final summer of his high school career.
“I’ve been really working on my ball handling and outside shooting,” he said. “I’ve been doing a lot of dribbling drills that I think will help me.”
During the month of July, Kitchens will be playing with the Missouri Fury 17U team.