Elite Peoria basketball recruit transfers to state champion Metamora
Iowa basketball recruit Cooper Koch has transferred to Metamora, joining up with the reigning Illinois Class 3A state champion.
The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 18.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals for Peoria Notre Dame as a junior. He shot 48% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line and 85% from the free-throw line.
He officially enrolled in the Woodford County school this week.
"Any time you get a quality kid that has the ability he has, it's pretty cool," Metamora coach Danny Grieves said. "... He's a kid that's gifted in a lot of ways. He's got great size. He's got great court awareness.
"It might be my best shooter on the court at any time."
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Koch was a first-team Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-stater along with being named all-Big 12 Conference first team, second-team all-state by The Associated Press and Journal Star all-area. His inside-outside versatility will be a perfect complement for Tyler Mason, the 2023 JS player of the year and returning starting combo guard.
"He's definitely one of the best point guards in the area," Koch said. "Being able for him to shoot the ball as well he does and space the floor, it will definitely be a good fit for both of us."
Mason and Koch will likely be joined in Grieves’ lineup by returning starter and 6-foot-8 senior forward Luke Hopp to go with key reserves and potential starters Mathew Zobrist, a 6-foot-5 junior guard, and Nick Walker, a 6-foot-4 senior guard.
"Definitely excited to be able to work out with some new guys," Koch said, "and the competitiveness that goes on, and then contending for a state title at the end of the season."
This move by Koch is arguably the Peoria area’s biggest boys basketball transfer since Shaun Livingston went to Peoria High for the 2002-03 season following his first two years at Richwoods. Koch's former teammate at PND, Rutgers commit Lathan Sommerville, in April enrolled at Richwoods after a season away at a Georgia prep school.
In March, the Redbirds beat Chicago Simeon, 46-42 in overtime for the program’s first-ever state title. Metamora went 34-2 last season and ended the 2022-23 campaign on a 32-game winning streak.
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Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Iowa basketball recruit Cooper Koch transfers to state champ Metamora
