J.R. Angle Preparing For Iowa

J.R. Angle, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound forward from Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar, Indiana had a solid performance during the USA Developmental Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The future Iowa Hawkeye might not be the flashiest of players, but is fundamentally sound on the court and is always looking to improve.

“In high school I play the four and five positions, but there were times when I would step out on the perimeter,” Angle said. “In college I want to play the two and three position, so that’s an area of my game that I am working on.

“I’m developing my game right now for Iowa,” he added. “I see myself playing at the two, three and a little bit of the four. The best part of my game is catching a pass and then releasing.”

The USA Developmental Festival is an invitational only camp, so only the best players from each region are invited. While the competition in Iowa will be on a completely different level, Angle did get a taste of what it is like to go up against the very best players in America.

“These are the best players in the country and it doesn’t get any better than this,” Angle said. “This is exactly how it’s going to be in college. Every game you are going to go up against bigger, stronger and faster guys.

“You’re just going to have too dig down and find something in you that allows you to overcome some of those disadvantages.” he added.

Like many kids his age, Angle is very humble and does not like to talk up his game. He realizes that he is very talented on the basketball court, but prefers to focus on the areas of his game that need improvement.

“I really need to improve on the defensive side of the ball,” he said. “I’m so used to guarding players in the paint area, now that I’m playing the wing, I need to work on stepping out and guarding the guards.

“My strength is another area that I will focus on this summer,” he added. “I’m going to work on my upper body and getting my legs stronger.”