DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University men's basketball team has signed five future student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Ray Giacoletti announced Wednesday, Nov. 13. The signees, comprised of three guards, a forward and a center, make up Giacoletti's first early signing class as the head coach at Drake University.
The talented, skilled and diverse class includes Casey Schlatter (Iowa Falls, Iowa), Reed Timmer (New Berlin, Wis.), Kory Kuenstling (Dunkerton, Iowa), C.J. Rivers (Cahokia, Ill.) and Ore Arogundade (Arlington Heights, Ill.)
“We are fortunate in the sense that these five guys all come from very successful high school and AAU programs,” Giacoletti said. “They understand what it takes to win championships. They're committed to being successful scholastically as well as being the best they can be on the basketball court. They are also high-character individuals and those are the attributes with which we are building this program.”
Schlatter, a 6-9, 190-pound forward, led Iowa Falls Alden High School to a 19-4 record and conference title in his junior season to earn first team 3A all-state honors by the Des Moines Register. He averaged 25.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game as a junior. During his sophomore season he earned second team all-state accolades while helping the squad to a 21-3 record and the second of three-straight conference titles. He begins his senior season with more than 1,200 career points and a 61-9 record under head coach Kyle Hutchinson. He is also a product of the Iowa Barnstormers AAU program and coach Greg Stephen.
“Back in May, Casey was the first guy to believe in our vision and pledge to join us,” Giacoletti said. “He possesses great length, skill, shooting and a feel for the game. Above all else, he has great passion and enthusiasm.”
Schlatter's Iowa Barnstormer teammate, Kory Kuenstling, is a 6-11, 220-pound center from Dunkerton, Iowa, that is set to begin his final high school season following a junior year that saw him earn first team all-state honors while averaging 15.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for coaches Dan Knebel and Brian Brungard en route to a 23-2 team record for Dunkerton High School. As a sophomore, he garnered the first of two all-state honors.
“Kory has great size, can run the floor well, has good hands, plays very physical and has a terrific work ethic,” Giacoletti said. “He's a year young for his class, and I believe Kory is a terrific young man that has his best basketball ahead of him.”
Point guard Reed Timmer was an all-state performer and the conference Player of the Year as a junior for coach Dave Schiedigger at New Berlin Eisenhower High School where he helped the team to a 22-4 record and the Woodland Conference championship in 2012-13. The 6-1 guard averaged 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game that season and enters his senior year as the school's all-time leading scorer. He also refined his game as a member of the Ray Allen Select AAU team under coach Tom LaChance.
“As soon as we watched Reed with his AAU team and got to know his family back in April, we knew he was a guy we wanted as part of our program,” Giacoletti said. “He has all the attributes you want in a point guard – leadership, skill, a feel for the game and toughness. All the things that make a great floor general are wrapped up in Reed Timmer.”
Adding to the class at guard are a pair of Illinois products in C.J. Rivers and Ore Arogundade. Rivers, a 6-3, 180-pound guard, hails from Cahokia, Ill., where he has averaged more than eight points per game each of the last two seasons for head coach Darien Nash. As a junior, he helped the team advance to the state championships while amassing a 33-4 record. He is also a members of the outstanding SW Illinois Jets AAU program coached by Dana Morgan. However, Rivers' academic performance is just as impressive as his on-court accomplishments.
“He is the perfect example of a student-athlete,” Giacoletti said. “In the classroom, he's one of his high school's top students. On the court, he's a left-handed, versatile guard with the ability to make his teammates better.”
Completing Giacoletti's first class at Drake is another skilled and versatile guard in Ore Arogundade. As a junior, he averaged 19.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for head coach Mike Howland and St. Viator High School. The 6-3, 180-pound guard helped lead the team to an appearance in the state sectional final. He is also a member of the Illinois Wolves AAU team coached by Mike Mullins.
“We were impressed by his motor on the defensive end of the floor and his ability to score,” Giacoletti said. “But we were more excited after meeting him and his mother, Tayo, in June. We were impressed by his character, which sets him apart from others. He's a young man with great character that will have a great career here at Drake.”
Additional and expanded quotes from Drake head coach Ray Giacoletti on the Bulldogs' 2014-15 signing class.
On the class as a whole:
“We are fortunate in the sense that these five guys all come from very successful high school and AAU programs. They understand what it takes to win championships. They are committed to being successful scholastically, as well as being the best they can be on the basketball floor. They are also high character people. Those are really the attributes with which we are building this program. We feel that we really found what we needed in this recruiting class.”
On forward Casey Schlatter:
“Casey will always hold a special place in my heart. Back in May, he was the first guy to believe in our vision and pledge to join us. Casey possesses length, skill, shooting, and a good feel for the game. Above all else, he has great passion and enthusiasm. He has experienced winning at Iowa Falls Alden High School having been coached by Kyle Hutchinson and in AAU competition for Greg Stephen's Iowa Barnstormers.”
On guard Reed Timmer:
“We identified Reed immediately once our staff arrived at Drake. As soon as we watched him with his AAU team and got to know him and his family back in April, we knew he was a guy we wanted. Reed is a quarterback point guard. He provides a team with whatever is needed for that particular game. He has all the attributes that you want in a point guard – leadership, skill, a feel for the game and toughness. All the things that make for a great floor general are all wrapped up into Reed Timmer. He has a history of winning at New Berlin Eisenhower High School where he was coached by Dave Schiedigger and with Ray Allen Select AAU, coached by Tom LaChance and Tony Smith.”
On center Kory Kuenstling:
“We followed Kory throughout the spring and – after he attended our Elite Camp in June – we were sold. He has great size, can run the floor well, has good hands, plays very physical and has a terrific work ethic. He is a year young for his class, and I really believe Kory is a young man that has all of his best basketball ahead of him. Kory showed some great stretches of play this summer with Greg Stephen and the Iowa Barnstormers. He's been exposed to a strong basketball background having grown up with two brothers that both played college basketball. He's experienced a tremendous amount of winning at Dunkerton High School under coaches Dan Knebel and Brian Brungard.”
On guard C.J. Rivers:
“Carleton and Stephanie Rivers stress academic success in their home and their son, C.J., is proof of their family's commitment to academics. That's the reason he is a great fit for Drake University. He is the perfect example of a student-athlete. His success on the court is matched by his success in the classroom. In the classroom, he's one of his high school's top students. On the court, he's a left-handed, versatile guard with the ability to make his teammates better. CJ plays for Darien Nash and a Cahokia team that made it to the state championship game last year. He also plays for a very good AAU program coached by Dana Morgan. We are very excited to welcome C.J. to our program.”
On guard Ore Arogundade:
“When we had the chance to watch Ore play for Coach Mike Mullins and the Illinois Wolves back in April, we were impressed by his motor on the defensive end and his ability to score. But we were more excited to recruit Ore after meeting with him and his mother, Tayo, back in June. We were impressed by his character, which sets him apart from others. He has had a lot of success with his high school team, St. Viator, coached by Mike Howland. He's a young man with great character, and that's a credit to his mother and his coaches. Ore will have a great career here at Drake while earning his degree.”
