2023 PG Gabe Cupps a Hot Commodity in 2023
Gabe Cupps knows that this his whole “I play for the love of the game” spiel may come across a bit cliché, but he’s less concerned about opinions and more concerned about winning.
He takes the same approach with his recruitment, not overthinking which schools are watching which games and when and instead focusing more on making his teammates better and improving all aspects of his game.
“It’s the only way I know how to play,” Cupps said.
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The tunnel vision approach served him well last weekend at the adidas 3SSB, where he starred with Midwest Basketball Club (Ohio). Cupps opened the event with a 27-point outburst, and remained consistent throughout the weekend.
“You can’t get caught up into all that stuff,” Cupps said. “It can really be a distraction if you let it. I just figure if I come out and play as hard as I can the offers will come.”
So far so good.
Cupps, a rising junior point guard, has picked up offers from Xavier, Miami-Ohio, College of Charleston, Clemson, Dayton, Kansas State, Indiana, Brown, Ohio State and Cincinnati.
Cupps shares the backcourt at MBC with fellow 2023 star Reed Sheppard, who picked up offers from Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio State over the weekend.
The two form one of the most lethal backcourts in the adidas 3SSB.
When asked if they’ve talked about potentially taking their show on the road at the next level, Cupps said, “Definitely.”
“We’ve talked about it a lot,” said Cupps, who averaged 16 points, five assists and three rebounds a game at Centerville (Dayton, Ohio) this past season. “It’s something that we’d love to do if that’s possible, the right fit and somewhere we feel is truly the place for us.”
Cupps used June to “get a feel” for different campuses, taking visits to Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Liberty, Virginia and Michigan.
He learned right away not to factor in the facilities when laying out pros for schools.
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“I immediately saw that everyone’s facilities were great and top notch,” Cupps said. “What the visits taught me was to focus on the people; if it’s a culture and guys that I want to be around. I think my perfect fit would be a team that spaces the floor, plays fast, guards, defends and just plays super, super hard. I like to win, so I want to go where I can win. I’m just taking my time with everything.”