February 10, 2022

By Jon Feyen
ScoutU

Kacey Ott has always been a winner. She’s helped Slinger High School win multiple basketball conference titles while also earning a regional high jump championship. Ott will join another winning tradition when she continues her basketball career at Taylor University, an NAIA school in Indiana.

During the last three seasons, Taylor University has totaled a 79-16 record, including a 48-2 mark at home.

“Taylor is also a very high academic liberal arts college,” Ott said. “It’s ranked No. 1 in the Midwest and in the top 10 percent of the nation’s colleges. The campus is a good size, but yet has smaller class sizes. They offer tons of activities and have very cool school traditions. What really appealed to me was they have an excellent pre-med program with everything built into it to successfully get into an excellent medical school. Taylor’s basketball coach and the girls that I met from the team were awesome!”

During her junior campaign, Ott delivered all-round averages of 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game.

“Kacey’s stellar attributes stood out to coaches from the get go – specifically her consistent high level of play with intensity and her 6-foot-1 wingspan for post-ups and put-backs,” ScoutU’s Linda Blackwell Bentley said. “She glides on the court and makes man-to-man defense look effortless, which it is not! She is very disciplined, humble, kind and appreciative.”

Ott’s ability generated quite the interest among college coaches. She received offers from more than 30 programs across the nation.

“Since enrolling with ScoutU and playing AAU basketball, I was talking with over 100 coaches from all different levels,” Ott said. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to play basketball at the next level. I’m looking forward to meeting new people, traveling and playing the game that I love with my new teammates.”

Ott was looking for a complete college experience, and Taylor University offered the opportunity to launch her career after basketball.

“Kacey maintained her high GPA and No. 1 ranking at Slinger High School, which is no small feat and an asset many college coaches dream of,” Blackwell Bentley said. “Pursuing a career in medicine will suit Kacey well, as her physical and mental strength on the court will translate well. Her high virtues and qualities are needed in the ever-challenging medical profession.”

Thanks to ScoutU, Ott was exposed to hundreds of colleges and had dozens of options to choose from. She’s glad that she found the perfect landing spot in Taylor University.

“ScoutU definitely put me in contact with different coaches and basketball programs all across the country that I was not previously aware of,” Ott said. “Linda Blackwell Bentley was great to work with. She promoted me to coaches in programs I was interested in, and she was very responsive to any questions or concerns I had during the long recruiting process. Linda was good at staying in contact with me to see how my recruiting process was going. I would highly recommend her!”