Several doors will continue to open this AAU season while Julia Van Keuren is competing all over the Country on the road with her Iowa Battlers 17U team. Van Keuren brings size to the floor, she is a rebounding force, she defends between the paint really well, and she could be a player you could center things around, literally, because of all of these abilities above. You now how the saying goes, you can’t teach someone to be 6’2 so that Van Keuren has a base and foundation to build on is going to be the vital part of her development. Something I expect to continue to take off as we continues to move forward into 2026. She did well this last weekend on all of these factors so now she just has to keep things rolling.

The mixture of length, coordination, balance, and touch are just a few of the reasons that Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA moves up to #9. Van Keuren was the anchor in the middle of the lane for her Waukee High School team the past six months. She led traffic, commanding where everyone should be while cutting through the lane. She rebounded at a steady rate on both ends. So much so that opposing teams had to mark that down on a scouting report because if they did not contain that factor, it was going to be a long night against the 6’2 Forward. I know that Van Keuren is a 2028 that is gaining interest day in and day out from the next level. Several college recruiters asked me this Winter what her story was so I would be shocked if she didn’t receive a lot of love on the road this AAU season across the Country.

It should be a very intriguing season for Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA and Waukee High School. They lose their main guard producer from year’s past so there should be some opportunities for others to step up to make some noise. Someone who is sure to do her thing in the paint is Van Keuren. This is a player that should average a double-double this Winter is PPG-RPG. She will get all of their main action under the hoop and I’m excited to see how she responds to that. If she can become the beast we think she could be, she will love the results. She just has to stay confident and do her thing!

Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA os Waukee High School is one of the biggest prospects that we have through out this 2028 Class when it comes to height. Not only is Van Keuren tall, she has proven that she does have some guard-like tendencies. She is able to move really well, she can put the rock on the floor and drive off the dribble or she can limit her dribbles to keep everything efficient. We saw Van Keuren make some big time progress last Winter and I think we see her build on that this time around as long as she is used in the correct ways.

The combination of skill, size, and motor that Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA has been competing with as of late has been noteworthy and that puts her into the Top 12 in her Class at this point. Van Keuren is slowly becoming a well-rounded prospect day-by-day. She continues to grind in her off-seasons and it’s starting to really come to the fore-front. This is someone that could make it to a D1 roster one day in the correct circumstances. She has all the intangibles you need to be great, now it’s all about stacking those days whomever she can. If she does that, watch out.

Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA is one of the taller prospects that the state of Iowa has to offer. Especially out of the 2028 Class. Van Keuren comes into this evaluation as 6’2, she is coordinated within her balance, and she has pretty decent hands by the hoop. The combination of those three things helps her record several rebounds, put-backs/buckets, and blocks/tips/deflections every single contest. This season for AAU ball, Van Keuren has been holding down the paint for her Battler’s program. She is the definition of a presence in the middle of the lane that you have to watch out for. She is quicker and lengthier than you might think. It’s pretty deceiving. I’m excited to see how Van Keuren comes back for high school ball in a few weeks. If she continues to play like she is now, she should be a dominant force to deal with this Winter.

A few weeks ago Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA received a shoutout for her performance on the road with her Iowa Battlers program. Van Keuren, a 6’2 SF, is someone that everyone has to watch for when they are attacking the hoops against the Battlers. She is lengthy, has great reactionary skills, and a nose for getting a tip or deflection on the basketball. Being this tall and coordinated is a commodity for college programs. I’m not positive but I wouldn’t be shocked if Van Keuren had some D1 programs reach out over these next few months. She possesses all the intangibles, now it’s all about putting those to good use.

Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA of Waukee High School has been a starter for a majority of the season throughout her freshman year and she is putting in a good effort to be an impact on both sides of the ball. Van Keuren does stand at 6’0, she moves well for that height and she is continuing to learn the game throughout her career at a steady rate. If you look at the stats and break down the numbers throughout their first 18 games, Van Keuren is getting good minutes each outing. Over time, progression will be the key to everything for prospects at this age. This season most of her offensive attempts have been from three point land so it’ll be interesting to see what she becomes during AAU season with her Iowa Battlers program this Spring. Either way, I’m sure this is someone that we will mention more as time goes on.

Julia Van Keuren Julia Van Keuren 6'2" | SF/PF Waukee | 2028 State IA is someone out of this 2028 Class that is going to have a chance to turn into a productive contributor over her high school career if she stays on her current path. VanKeuren brings lengthy arms, a better than average motor, and some solid coordination to whatever team she is competing with. As you can imagine, in the middle she can step up and block smaller opponents shot attempts or she can stay down against a bigger opponent and wall up to get a stop if need be. Not to mention, she has a sweet shooting stroke offensively. I’m not sure if she is going to see big time Varsity minutes this Winter with her Waukee High School team as they do return a lot from last season but as long as Van Keuren is patient enough, she should get her opportunity to make a difference, sooner rather than later.