Meet Issa Samake, the small-school Iowa basketball star who has offers from Iowa State and others

It's not every day you see a 6-foot-7 kid playing Iowa Class 1A high school basketball.

It's also not every day you see a kid with a 7-foot-4 ½ wingspan ... Class 1A or anywhere, for that matter.

Meet Issa Samake, the Grand View Christian junior who smiles when he dunks on you. He's raw at this point, but he also boasts considerable potential. As he matures physically, it's not hard to envision Samake playing on the wing or as an athletic forward at the major college level. 

With his height and leaping ability, his potential is quite intriguing.

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That's why Iowa State and Tulsa have already offered. That's why Middle Tennessee has started taking serious interest. And that's why GVC head coach Dave Stubbs said a "long list" of schools are taking notice.

"Right now, he’s got to work on some skills and that type of thing over the spring and summer," Stubbs said. "He’s come a long way and he’s only going to get better. But he’s obviously got a lot of athleticism.

"He has a lot of potential there."

Originally from Mali, Samake transferred to GVC from Tennessee this year and had to sit out the first semester.

He's been a dominant force with GVC. He entered this week's state tournament averaging 11.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks. He finished GVC's quarterfinal win on Monday with 10 points, three rebounds, three blocked shots and countless altered shots.

Samake has previously played club ball with Dream Vision and Mississippi Express on the EYBL circuit.

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He will be among the most sought-after players for Iowa's club teams this offseason. He said he hasn't decided which club he'll play for yet, and he said he might not even play during the spring to rest an injured shoulder.

Samake said college recruiting is pretty far from his mind.

"I’m just trying to win right now and help my team," he said Monday.

The Register is on hand at the state tournament all week. We took a close look at Samake on Monday. Here's a scouting report from what we saw.

First of all, a disclaimer: Most athletic, 6-7 players look good against small-school competition due to their physical advantages. We'll get a better idea of Samake as a prospect during the evaluation period this summer.

But now, without further ado ... 

Samake has nice touch on his mid-range jumper. He sunk one from about 15 feet on Monday. He's got a high release and good wrist action. It's the kind of form that could support 3-point shots from 22-25 feet, too, with plenty of practice. 

His technical skills and footwork need refinement, but at this point, his sheer length makes up for his rawness under the basket. He's lanky and gets out-muscled on rebounds. He's got habit of watching shots, too, which allows opponents to box him out on rebounds. 

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His athleticism is without question. He can jump well and his long arms make a dunk possible any time he touches the ball within 10 feet of the rim. He runs the floor well and creates space for his teammates to shoot from beyond the arc in transition. He's active off the ball, mostly setting screens for his guards at the top of the key.

He'll eventually be able to spread the floor. He manned the wing nearly as often as he set up in the post for GVC. Now, at this point, he's not a realistic threat from the wing. But eventually his shot will develop. And eventually he will be more of a threat from that 18-22-feet range. 

His defensive traits need development, but they translate well to the college level. He has a size advantage over essentially every player in 1A Iowa basketball. So you expect him to swat shots away with regularity. Opponents are able to shove him off his mark to gain good position down low, but his arms are just too long for them to usually do anything about it. Either way, Samake must build strength to be a capable college defender, but his rare length combined with his athleticism give him traits to impact games on that end. 

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.