UNI Basketball Steals Three-Star Recruit from MVC Rivals

Bringing in a three-star recruit to a mid-major basketball program like UNI is always a good thing. It's even better when The Panthers snag him from the competition in the Missouri Valley Conference.

This three-star, Kyle Pock (pronounced poke) of Bolivar, Missouri was offered a scholarship by three other teams across the MVC -- Indiana State, Illinois-Chicago, and Missouri State. UNI came in with an offer in late July, had him come to Cedar Falls on an official visit in September, and the 6'6 forward made his decision just three weeks later.

As he shared on Twitter and Instagram today, Pock will be the second addition to the 2023 recruiting class for Head Coach Ben Jacobson and the Panthers, joining 5'11 point guard from Grand Blanc, Michigan, RJ Taylor.

Pock had also received offers from Princeton, Southeast Missouri, South Dakota State, Lipscomb, Saint Louis, and Oral Roberts. The coaching staff at Wisconsin had also shown interest according to 247Sports.

Over his three years playing at the high school level in Bolivar, Pock has scored over 1,700 points and hauled in more than 700 rebounds for the Liberators.

In addition to playing for his local high school team, Pock plays for the MoKan Elite 17U team on the EYBL circuit. He's teammates with some pretty high-profile guys, including two Iowa State basketball commits, a five-star from Waukee Omaha Biliew, and former UNI recruit, Kayden Fish.

Regarding Pock's style of play, Wyatt Wheeler of the Springfield News-Leader said he "can play anywhere on the court as he's developed exceptional guard skills and is someone who is hard to stop when he decides to go to the basket. He's also committed to playing on the defensive side of the ball."

In the same article, Pock told Wheeler what his priority was in choosing where he'd play his college ball:

For me, my No. 1 thing is the people and the relationships. So do I like the coaching staff? Do I like the guys they have there? And then the rest of the pieces with academics and basketball.

In a basketball program that is often described as a family by staff and players, Pock has found his fit in Cedar Falls.