Kiah Stokes still has Iowa on her short list

NORTH LIBERTY -- Six schools remain in the running for incoming Linn-Mar senior Kiah Stokes, who plans to make her college decision sometime this fall.

"Right now I'm just still looking," Stokes said Tuesday night. "I'm going to go on all of my visits once I get back from Singapore in August."

Stokes, who earned girls' basketball honors as the Gatorade state player of the year, has narrowed the field to Connecticut, Tennessee, Maryland, Oklahoma, Georgia and Iowa. She plans to make five visits, so she'll cut the field by one school later this summer.

She has received plenty of pressure to attend Iowa. Her father, Greg Stokes, ranks third all-time in scoring in Iowa men's basketball history. Plus, her older brother D.J., will walk on the Iowa men's basketball team this fall.

"A lot of people come up to you and say, 'We'd love to have you at Iowa and follow you in your dad's footsteps, and we'll always support you,'" Stokes said. "There's some pressure but then again ultimately it's my decision ... that's kind of relaxing."

Stokes, who stands 6-foot-3, led Linn-Mar to a 26-0 record last year and the Class 4A state title. She averaged 19.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 4.8 blocks last year, while shooting 65 percent from the floor. She will participate on the USA Women's Youth Olympic Games Team for a 3-on-3 tournament Aug. 14-26 in Singapore.

Stokes also has developed friendships with several Iowa players and coaches. She's a former high school teammate of Iowa sophomore Jaime Printy, who was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Stokes said incoming Iowa freshman Jade Rogers, a Cedar Rapids Kennedy graduate, texts her "all the time and tells me I need to go to Iowa."

She spoke highly of Iowa Coach Lisa Bluder and her assistants.

"They've improved a lot, they have a really young team and they made it to the tournament last year," Stokes said. "I think only good things are in store for them in the future."

Stokes' college goals include finding a program that can compete for a national title. She eventually wants to play pro basketball so she wants a coach that can develop her into a top player.

"A coach that can push me to my full potential so I can be as good as I can and hopefully have a shot at winning a national title," Stokes said. "That's some of the things I wanted to do."