Men's Basketball Future Falcon Friday: Derek Koch

RECRUITING HUB
Men's Basketball Future Falcon Friday: Joniya Gadson (May 5)
Men's Basketball Future Falcon Friday: Nelly Cummings (April 28)
ESPN Recruiting Ranks MBB Incoming Class The Best In Program History (April 21)
Men's Basketball Signs Matiss Kulackovskis (April 12)
Men's Basketball Inks Four During Early Signing Period (Nov. 10)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Last Friday (May 5), BGSUFalcons.com continued its Men's Basketball Future Falcon Friday series. Over the next three weeks, BGSUFalcons.com will be taking a closer look at each of the five men's basketball signees. The Future Falcon Friday series, which began two weeks ago, will be posted each Friday, and will delve into each of the five future Falcons. All five signees will be freshmen on the 2017-18 team.

In the third edition of the series, Future Falcon Friday will focus on Derek Koch. Koch is a 6-foot-9 forward from West Salem, Ohio. He spent the last four years at Northwestern High School.

Koch, the all-time leading rebounder in Ohio high school basketball history, is one of the most decorated and highly-recruited players in the history of the program. ESPN Recruiting ranks him as a 3-star prospect with a 73 rating. Prior to this recruiting period, Bowling Green had never signed a 3-star prospect according to ESPN.com.

Bowling Green's future forward garnered interest from a lot of schools, and earned offers from Power Five conference schools, as well. Koch was offered by national power West Virginia, according to 247 Sports. According to the same site, Koch held offers from Akron, Ball State, Brown, Cornell, Kent State, Lehigh, Oakland, Robert Morris, Tennessee Tech and Toledo.

No camera in hand tonight, yet I still end up in a high school gym. Watching @BGSUMHoops commit Derek Koch with the follow-up jam. pic.twitter.com/1nwhOTeoMk
— Danielle Dwyer (@danielleWTOL11) March 11, 2017

"The name Derek Koch sits on top of the record books, as he is the state of Ohio's all-time leading rebounder for high school basketball. Derek is a young man who will come to Bowling Green and have the chance to make an immediate impact, and be a key contributor on the court," said head coach Michael Huger. "Derek was recruited heavily by many notable mid-major programs, as well as some reputable high-major schools. His ability to play both big men positions, score on the low block, step out and shoot the three, as well as rebound and pass the basketball at a high rate, makes him a very valuable piece of our recruiting class."

In late February, Koch hauled in 19 rebounds in a game to become the all-time leading rebounder in the state of Ohio. His 19-rebound effort that night pushed his career total to 1,378, which allowed him to break Steve Bell's (1,374) record that stood since 1973. The big man is his high school's all-time leader in points, rebounds and assists.

"It is difficult to find a guy who has both terrific size and skill -- Derek Koch is one of those guys," continued Huger. "He will provide us with some much-needed size and depth, and has the potential to have a terrific career at Bowling Green. My favorite thing about Derek is he is a blue-collar worker. Derek grew up on a farm and developed an incredible work ethic at a young age. No matter what the task is, he gives his undivided attention and a full effort. He will be a terrific representative of our program and University. Our fans should be excited to see this young man in a Bowling Green uniform."

Koch, a two-time First Team All-Ohio selection, led his Northwestern Huskies to its second-ever regional final appearance this past season, which was also the program's first trip to the regional finals since 2003. Koch averaged 21.7 points and 16.0 rebounds as a senior. During his junior year, he averaged 21.7 points and 15.5 rebounds. The forward averaged over 4.0 assists during his final two seasons at Northwestern.

After leading Northwestern to a district championship in 2016-17, Koch registered 21 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in a regional semifinal victory. Koch became known for posting ridiculously impressive final lines. Below is a list of some of Koch's numbers from games his senior season.

Box Scores From Derek Koch's Senior Season
30 PTS, 20 REBS, 5 STLS, 5 BLKS
25 PTS, 12 REBS, 6 ASTS
24 PTS, 17 REBS
24 PTS, 14 REBS
23 PTS, 18 REBS
20 PTS, 17 REBS, 4 ASTS, 4 BLKS, 3 STLS
20 PTS, 12 REBS, 10 ASTS

Koch joins fellow signees Nelly Cummings (Midland, Pa. / Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School), Joniya Gadson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Dillard High School), Matiss Kulackovskis (Saldus, Latvia / Archbishop Ryan High School) and Daeqwon Plowden (Philadelphia, Pa. / Mastery Charter North School).

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Men's Basketball Future Falcon Friday: Derek Koch

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