LOS ANGELES - As legendary scout Tom Konchalski said, "there's no one in high school basketball who has a better skill set, regardless of position."

Austin Rivers has been Duke's top target in 2010 for quite some time. His games have been the best attended and some of the more entertaining ones of this AAU season. The Winter Park, FL native has recently come up with a tentative list of schools, which he would like to visit in the near future. He has said that he will decide publicly on his future college program by this August. At this weekend's Nike EYBL leg in Los Angeles, Rivers injured his ankle and head in separate incidents, resulting in missing the last three games of this tournament. From the training table, Austin Rivers spoke with Blue Devil Nation about a variety of topics, including his injuries, his goals for the upcoming season, how he deals with the public nature of his father's occupation, and why he will end his recruitment by August.

First of all, let's start with the injury. What happened and how serious was it?

Oh, well, I sprained it pretty bad, but I should be all right.

Is this a long-term injury? I remember you hurt it badly at the HoopHall.

Oh, no, it just hurts a lot now, but I should be back. Hopefully, I can go by this evening, but I doubt it. [private]

What did she (the trainer) say about it?

Oh, she didn't know much.

She took about two minutes to get over to you.

Yeah, exactly, I was over there screaming and writhing in pain.

What about the head injury? You've got the massage bandage.

Oh, that was another one. I was just trying to get by my man and the guy just slammed right in to me trying to steal it.

They took him to the emergency room. The last time I spoke with you was at the Elite 24 basketball tournament in New York. You mentioned that your number one goal was to win a state title because almost every player there had accomplished that. No, you've achieved that. Talk about that accomplishment and what your goals are for next season.

I'd say for myself that I'd like to win another state championship, win Mr. Florida, be a First-Team All-American, be a McDonald's All-American. I was proud to be one of the two juniors to make the All-American team. That made me proud.

Well, that touches on a follow-up question. Are you gunning for that number one spot?

No, if it happens, it happens. I will certainly play hard, give my all, and go for it, but I can't control where they'll rank me. I think I'll be in the discussion, though. I'd be really happy, if it happens, but I'm not going into anything with that mindset.

There's been a rumor going around that you're not going to be at Winter Park next season. Can you clarify the situation?

No, I'll be at Winter Park next season.

The next thing is that you've recently come up with a list of five or six schools where you'll be visiting. How did you select these ones and what will you be looking for?

Basically, I just looked at schools that I could see myself playing at. They're ones that win a lot and get players to the NBA.

What are you looking for, when you get onto the campus?

Schools that have winning programs, great coaching, good areas as far as weather, and challenging academically.

So you're not a fan of cold?

I can deal with cold, but I don't want to go to a place where it's cold year round.

How did you decide on August being the deadline? Was it a matter of just trying to clarify this matter before the school year begins? One less thing to worry about.

Yeah, exactly, I wanted to have a clear head before my senior season and plus my birth day is in that month so I thought I would combine the two.

What do you think you've improved upon most since last season?

I think my strength. I can take a hit when I'm going to the basket. Last year, I didn't handle the bumping as well as a I do now.

You look like you've added some muscle in your upper-body. You're not hiding under those tee shirts. You've got some little guns right now.

[milig]Yeah, exactly, I was hiding under those shirts last year.

What are you looking to work on more this season?

I'm going to work on being more vocal out on the court, as far as talking to my teammates and talking about the defenses.

Do you view yourself still as a combo guard?

Yeah, I do. I like the versatility of being a combo guard.

Gilchrist: Man, what happened?

My ankle.

Gilchrist: Again? Wow. You gotta be careful, boy.

What about the attention that you've received this AAU season? You've gotten arguably the largest crowds, whether its from other players, fans, scouts, people curious about Doc Rivers' son, et cetera. Is it something you enjoy?

Yeah, I'm fine it. It's sort of something that's always been there and I just try to embrace it now. I can deal with it.

Do you notice players trying to go after you even harder than before, if for nothing else but to make their own name off of you?

Yeah, they're definitely going harder and putting a target on me, but I like it. I like the competitiveness. I like having that challenge.

Now, what about the Celtics? They just defeated your hometown Magic. Does having your father play in these high-profile games ever put you on some awkward spots? Do you try to follow him closely or just view it as your dad's work?

Yeah, it can definitely be a little awkward or strange. I mostly just try to ignore it, but it's so public.

It's got to be strange hearing people judging your dad's work because it is so public and yet so personal. I mean if your dad was an accountant or a plumber none of your friends or classmates would know whether he was doing well at his job. It's got to be somewhat crazy at times to deal with.

Yeah, it definitely can be. I just try to say that my dad has his own career to deal with. I hope that he and the Celtics do well, but I just try to concentrate on improving myself and competing.

Having seen the highs and lows of his own career, do you think you'd like to follow in the family business of getting into coaching, when your playing days are over?

Yeah, hopefully. I'd like to get into either coaching or being an analyst after the playing part of my career is over. That's something I'm taking very seriously and looking into as well.

Thank you very much, Austin. I appreciate it.

No problem at all. [/private]