Phoenix Gill, a 2025 shooting guard out of Illinois, was impressed by Iowa State during his visit to Ames over the September 23 weekend.
Gill, a 6-foot-2 prospect rated as the No. 3 recruit in his state, is a target for Iowa State’s 2025 class.
“The visit was great,” Gill said. “I got to build a lot of relationships with the players, the coaching staff and the whole program in general. I got to see what Iowa State was like. That was really key to me.”
On the visit, he was drawn to the chemistry he saw in the program.
“What stands out is there togetherness. No team is together like Iowa State. They practically do everything together and on the court, they seem in sync. While doing drills or practicing, they seem together all of the time. They’re one big community and they all play for each other.”
Gill, who’s the son of former NBA player Kendall Gill, was on his second visit to Ames.
That’s typically a positive sign in mutual interest for the Iowa State program.
“My first visit was outstanding, but this one was even better,” Gill said.
Gill said the togetherness is an attractive aspect of the program.
It’s worth noting, too, that he singled out Iowa State in the category. Gill holds offers from Illinois, Northwestern, Stanford, Valparaiso and Toledo.
“I love teams that play together and play for one another,” Gill said. “They don’t care who gets the shots, or what’s happening.”
Coach T.J. Otzelberger had a big part in building the culture seen on and off the court with the team, and he’s already began to instill those practices in Gill.
“Coach (Otzelberger) has been telling me that I need to get a little bit better at being a leader and he wants to see more of it from me this season,” Gill said. “He says where I go, the team goes so I’ve got to be more of a leader and more of an example on the court.”
The high school junior has taken some time off of the court in recent days after spraining his ankle, but Iowa State assistant coach J.R. Blount, was in to see him at St. Ignatius High School Tuesday.
