4-star JP Estrella talks upcoming Duke, Iowa visits; what about Syracuse and UConn?

JP Estrella is On3’s No. 20 ranked player in 2023. The 6-foot-11 big man is coming off an On3 first-team All-NBPA Top 100 Camp showing where he finished top-five in scoring, blocked shots, and three-point percentage.

“I’m a very versatile big man,” Estrella told On3. “I can shoot the rock well; I’m a great shot blocker, just overall defensively. I’m a good passer, can handle the ball a little bit, and do pretty much anything on the floor. I’ve recently been watching a lot of Chet Holmgren. He’s basically a big guard, and I can see myself a lot with that.”

The four-star has seen his recruitment take off this summer with the Middlesex Magic team on the UAA Circuit. He recently announced he would play his senior high school season at Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy. On3 caught up with JP Estrella at the UAA Championships to see where things stood in his recruitment.

“I’ve taken two official visits already, Marquette and Tennessee,” Estrella said. “I have official visits set up with Iowa and Duke.”

Estrella talks recruitment

Marquette: “I love the staff there and have a great relationship with them. I learned a lot about their culture there, which is huge for me. I loved their facilities. That place was just awesome.”

Tennessee: “They have been there for a while now; I think they were my third offer. They’ve been talking to me for so long; I have a great relationship with all their staff. I unofficialed down there and loved everything I saw, so I had to go back again.”

Iowa: “I love Fran McCaffery, really their whole program in general. You see a lot of bigs come out of there, most recently Luka Garza. They develop players in their program.”

Duke: “The overall program stands out. Seeing all the recruits that are coming in to play for Coach (Jon) Scheyer, it is some of the best basketball being played over there and the ACC; it doesn’t get much better than that.”

…more recruitment?

“That gives me a couple more senior year officials to take,” Estrella said. “I’m talking with Syracuse, UConn.”

UConn: “I have a great relationship with the staff there. I went to a game, and the energy was crazy, so I want to get back and see what they’re all about.”

Syracuse: “They were my first offer; they’ve been in this thing for a long time. I have a great relationship with their staff, and it is just one of the legacy basketball schools.”

Estrella’s take

“The biggest thing for me is culture,” Estrella said. “I’ll be giving up my family, moving away, so I want to have another family in the program. I want to see if I can develop a great fit with the entire community of the school. So I’ll be looking at a lot of off-the-court stuff on my visits. But also, I want to go to a place that is a great fit basketball-wise too.

“Those are the only schools right now I’m looking to visit. Louisville and Michigan are two schools I’ve been talking to, and they have not offered yet. I talked to both of them after the NBA Top 100 camp, and they’ve been here watching throughout the week, so we’ll see. I’d like to commit before my season at Brewster starts.”