Castle’s Jack Nunge hopes a strong July will leave an impression on college coaches.

Jack Nunge (22) is attracting high-major interest.

It doesn’t take a huge imagination to picture Jack Nunge in a black-and-gold Iowa uniform.

The 6-10 Nunge, considered one of the top basketball prospects in the state’s  2017 class, is willing to let the process play out through the 15-day live recruiting period in July, and then weigh his options.

The Castle High School star does have a few. Iowa, one of the schools to offer Nunge a scholarship, had assistant Sherman Dillard at his Pocket City Basketball game on  Wednesday night during the the Adidas Invitational at Warren Central.

“I really like Iowa,” said Nunge, who averaged 19.3 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocked shots as a junior at Castle in Warrick County. “It’s definitely a place I want to go on an official visit.”

Iowa is among the schools that has been after Nunge the longest. Vanderbilt has offered him a scholarship, and has renewed its interest in Nunge since Bryce Drew was hired as coach in April. Nunge visited Vanderbilt this summer, as well as Stanford. Ball State, Clemson, Evansville, Toledo and Vermont.

From left, Eugene German (3), of Gary 21st Century, takes a shot despite defense from junior Jack Nunge (40), of Castle, during the Indiana boys junior All-Stars versus senior All-Stars, at Bloomington South, June 7, 2016.

It’s easy to understand why other high-major programs are taking a long look at Nunge.

“He’s 6-9 or 6-10 and can shoot the ball,” said Pocket City Basketball director N.D. Kendrick. “He’s a several-tool type of player. He can put the ball on the deck and he’s strong enough. A lot of people think he’s small, but he’s not that small. He’s got a strong base. And he’s a really good shooter. Having that size and the ability to shoot is a gold mine to college coaches.”

Michigan assistant coach Jeff Meyer was among those courtside for Pocket City’s game on Wednesday. Nunge finished with 15 points and scored on two pick-and-pop 3-pointers. During the high school season, Nunge was an efficient 43 percent (32-for-74) from the 3-point line.

Recruiting: Keeping tabs on in-state players, programs in busy July period

In two exhibition games against the IndyStar Indiana All-Stars this past month, Nunge scored 24 points on 10-for-19 shooting with eight rebounds for the Junior All-Stars. The Castle star performed well alongside top-30 national recruits Kris Wilkes, Jaren Jackson Jr., Paul Scruggs and Malik Williams.

“It was an awesome experience,” Nunge said. “They are all the best players in the state and some of them are the best players in the country. That’s what the next level is like.”

Nunge, whose sister, Rebecca, is a sophomore on the Notre Dame volleyball team, said he watches how the programs recruiting him utilize their big men. A plus for Iowa is the similarity Nunge sees between himself and former Hawkeyes Jarrod Uthoff and Aaron White. The 6-10 Uthoff was a second-team All-American last year, and the 6-9 White was first-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2015.

“They play like I play,” Nunge said. “I like to run the floor.”

Park Tudor’s Kobe Webster, a guard for Pocket City with offers from Ball State and Western Illinois, first met Nunge while on a visit to Ball State. Webster likes Nunge’s size and versatility.

Jack Nunge (22) of the Pocket City team goes up for a layup, against Ryan Batte of Cincy Lakers, during the Adidas Invitational at Warren Central on July 6, 2016.

“Playing with him is great because he makes the game easy for me,” Webster said. “It’s always good to have a long 6-10 guy on your team, and he can give you a lot of different options off the pick-and-roll. He’s aggressive in the paint and can handle it a bit. Getting him the ball is an easy decision.”

Butler also has been in contact with Nunge recently. New Butler assistant Mike Schrage recruited him while at Stanford.

“I’ve been talking to (Schrage),” Nunge said. “They said they are going to try (to see me in July).”

Nunge is a high achiever in the classroom, which should come as no surprise considering some of the programs recruiting him. While academic reputation may factor into his decision, it’ll more likely come down to his relationship with a coaching staff and overall fit.

“He’s looking for a nice relationship with a head coach all the way down to the assistants,” Kendrick said. “Once he finds that, I think he’s going to pull the trigger. It may happen this week, it may happen next week, it may happen in November. It’s hard to read it at this stage.”

July is big for Nunge, as it is for most players in his class. His options could look much different at the end of the month.

“(July) is huge because this is the main time coaches are going to come and recruit us and see us play against the best players,” he said. “You won’t get that in high school ball. It’s big.”

Call IndyStar reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649. Follow him on Twitter: @KyleNeddenriep.