Prospect Spotlight: Joe Knutson (2021)
Cedar Falls has a wealth of talented basketball prospects in its system right now, Class of 2021 big-man Joe Knutson is among that group.
A skilled and big 6’7 post, Knutson is one in a slew of Tigers prospects make them a threat to three-peat as 4A champs next winter.
But first, he’s got a big summer ahead of him playing on the adidas Gauntlet with Iowa Barnstormers Gold 16u. Where he’ll displaying some toughness, a sweet short-to-mid range jumper, among other things.
“My strengths as a player would be my rebounding, defense, and I would say I’m pretty good with the pick-and roll with my mid-range jumper and stuff like that,” said Knutson.
“The main thing I’ll need to work on is my speed and quickness, that will help my overall game the most.”
With Cedar Falls last season, Knutson, despite being one of the state’s better 2021 prospects, played with the sophomore squad. That’s a testament to just how stacked the Tigers’ program is right now.
“We had a really good sophomore season, we went undefeated. We’re pretty tough at all ages at Cedar Falls,” said Knutson.
“I’m hoping to contribute at the four and five next season. We obviously have a lot of good players, and I’m hoping we can step up and fill the void that some of the seniors left.”
With Iowa Barnstormers Gold this season, Knutson looks forward to competing against some of the best players in the nation.
“Barnstormers has been great for me, the coaches have been letting me play faster and the Gauntlet has been great, playing against national talent,” said Knutson. “I’m just excited to play this summer and then the (Gauntlet) Finale in July.”
Recruitment: “It has been kind of slow, I’ve had some camp invites from UNI, Augustana and some NAIA schools,” said Knutson. “I’m hoping it picks up at the Gauntlet this summer, we’ve had a lot of coaches at those Gauntlet games, so it’s a good opportunity to get recruited.”