Recruiting Report: Colton Codute (2018)
Colton Codute isn’t the biggest name for his high school team. He isn’t the biggest name for his AAU team. But his teams win a lot, and he has a lot to do with it.
Codute spent the spring and summer with Powerhouse White, one of the top teams in Minnesota and it’s no coincidence that once he got fully healthy, the team seemed to take its game to the next level.
“It was a great summer. A ton of fun,” said Codute. “I’ve been with this team my whole AAU career. It was a fun last ride with the guys. We won a lot of games. I was injured the first part of the summer but in July I started feeling 100 percent and started to play well at the end of the year.”
The 5-foot-10 point guard from Orono might not have great height, but he’s a terrific defender and distributor (evidenced by his eight assists per game as a junior). He’s tough as nails on the perimeter, using a combination of physicality, smarts and quickness to harass opposing ball handlers. He also uses that quickness to get into the lane on the offensive end and create easy scoring chances for his teammates. He’s a great finisher in the lane as well, equipped with a solid floater and the explosiveness to finish through contact. He doesn’t take a lot of shots, opting to distribute more. He’s always been surrounded by talented scorers, but he’s also got the ability to score in bunches even if he doesn’t always showcase it.
“I try to keep moving the ball and get the ball to the guy that is hot,” said Codute. “I’ll take the shots I need to but I think I could be more aggressive at times and put pressure on the defense. I’ve been playing up my whole life and I’ve deferred a lot. I think I can be more aggressive. I’ve always had good players around me but getting more shots is something I think I can do more of.”
He also isn’t one to back down from a challenge. He’s used to going against elite players and seems to relish the opportunities he gets against top-flight counterparts.
“We are playing against the top tier of competition around the country,” said Codute. “You go back to high school and everything slows down. It’s an amazing thing for a high school kid to experience. As a point guard you always want to shut down the other point guard and come out with a win. Playing against guys like Matt Todd; [Calvin] Wishart – he’s in the conference so I go against him a bunch. It becomes kind of a rivalry. It’s fun to go against those kinds of guys.”
Codute has heard from a handful of Division III schools mostly to go along with some interest from NAIA and Division IIs. He said St. Johns has been the school recruiting him the hardest.
Before he gets to college though, Codute’s got high expectations for his senior season.
“The biggest thing is just staying healthy,” said Codute. “I feel like we can be one of the best teams in the state. Our goal is to get past that section final and get to state.”