Four-star David Joplin pondering decision

Over the last few months, four-star forward David Joplin has seen his recruitment start to take off.

After a strong junior season at Brookfield (Wisc.) Central, the 6-foot-7 rising senior has been able to maximize his appearances with his summer team, D1 Minnesota.

“I’ve still had the opportunity to play some summer ball with D1 Minnesota and coach Jay (Fuhrmann) and they do a job of marketing me and I’ve been doing what I’m supposed to do on the floor. My versatility has showed, for sure."

In the past few months, Joplin has picked up offers from programs like Butler, Iowa State, Minnesota, Missouri, Texas and Vanderbilt based on what he's shown.

"I do a lot of things at a high level," said Joplin. "On the offensive end I shoot from deep, I shoot from mid range and I put it on the floor and attack the rim.On the defensive end I guard multiple positions, If you can play defense and shoot you can play anywhere plus I’m 6-foot-7 which helps.”

Joplin discussed his most recent offers.

Butler: “Going to a game there I love the gym. I love the excitement, I love the fans, it is real live in there. The coaching staff, I’ve built some great relationships with them. Going back into the locker room and seeing how things are there is cool. All the guys are cool and they recruit good people to be around.”

Iowa State: “I like Iowa State a lot. We’ve had zooms and they’ve showed me their film. I always watched Tyrese Haliburton, I was good friends with him so I watched a lot of his games. The way they moved the ball around with him and how they set up the defense was good. I think Tyrese Hunter will do a good job with them and I think I would be a good fit with them as well.”

Minnesota: “They are really big on me and my versatility and I really like coach (Jeff) Mailhot, he’s really energetic and really exciting. I really like their whole staff. Coach (Richard) Pitino is a good guy as well and so is coach (Kyle) Lindsted, I like them a lot. Also Treyton Thompson, their commitment, is in my grade and on my summer team so I talk to him all the time and he’s really trying to get me there.”

Missouri: “Really, really good people. I love their coaching staff. I talked to (Cuonzo Martin) and the AD and the people who deal with all of their schooling so I really liked them and the assistants, coach (Chris) Hollender for sure, are good. From a basketball standpoint they just want to get out and get active, run the floor. They see me doing all of those things.”

Texas: “They’ve been coming on really strong. I talk to them every day. I talk to coach (Neill) Berry every day and he’s a really good guy. I talk to coach Shaka (Smart) a lot. I like them a lot. Their gameplan, their style of play and their attitude there. Obviously, it is Texas so you’ve got the city of Austin and it is big time down there for sure.”

Vanderbilt: “(Jerry Stackouse) knows exactly what it takes to the next level and the type of mindset that you have to have to get there. Coach Damany (Hendrix) said going there I could develop myself a lot, especially from the three-point line. They shoot a lot of threes. They feel with my size and my hardnosed defense that by increasing my three-point shot a little I could get to the next level.”

Earlier this week, rumors swirled that Joplin could be close to making his decision. He isn't ready to pop just yet, but he's not too far off from making a choice.

“I would say I’m like three to four weeks from a decision," said Joplin. "I felt like it would be smart to take a little more time because you never know who will add more interest. But, you also know that the people you have you have really strong interest in so I’m trying to be super smart about it and be professional."

Given that the recruiting dead period is likely to be extended and the status of visits is up in the air, Joplin recognizes that his class will have to value different things in a decision.

“We’ve settled in on realizing that we probably aren’t going to get to visit most of these places," said Joplin. "Especially if I’m getting offers from schools right now, I know I’m not going to be able to see them. So I know that I’ve got to make a decision based on the phone and it is something that a lot of guys in our class are going to have to do. Talking to the colleges they all make it seem like it would be good to be there so I’ve just got to do it based off of feel.”