Young Austin Colbert is starting to gain the attention of the nations top schools. He currently lists a lot of Big East Schools but he covets the ACC powers as well. Colbert is in the Class of 2013, stands 6-8 and weighs in around 200 to 205 at this time. He plays his high school basketball at St. Patrick's and looks up to his former teammate Kyrie Irving of Duke. Colbert supposedly was a but quiet but he was quite open with BDN. He is a good student that seems to have his head in the right place and realizes he has work to do to achieve his goals.
How would you describe your game for those who have never seen you play?
I would say I am wiry and like to jump ... I can jump pretty high actually. I can shoot, my mid range game is pretty good, I can shoot the three point basket, I can finish around the rim and decent through contact. I am quick, lightning up the court and I am always staying hungry and humble.
Do you pattern your game after any particular player?
A little bit. I kind of want to take the best from several players. Kevin Durant, Amare Stoudemire and if I half to, I go Dwight Howard, but I need to work on my frame a little bit. [smiling]
Your mom said you were a little bit quiet but you seem quite open and affable to me.
Yeah, she keeps me straight.
You are just a sophomore but the hype is starting to play a role, how do you stay grounded?
I don't really let it get to me and I don't want it to go to my head and I will not let it go to my head. Off the court? I am kind of quiet except when I am with my boys [friends] but other than that, I just want to have fun.
Did you have a dream school growing up?
When I was younger I liked North Carolina but now that I have had a chance for my eyes to open up with my recruitment, I can't say, so now, it's wide open,
Which schools have you heard from the most of late?
I have heard from Xavier, Seton Hall, Pitt, Georgetown and Temple.
I'm from ACC country, do you like those schools?
Oh yes. Duke, North Carolina, those are some great schools.
You have a relationship with Kyrie Irving of Duke, can you speak to that?
Kyrie? That's my boy. He taught me a lot, he definitely taught me a lot. And when he comes back to school I like to talk with him and ask him what and how to do things.
Is Duke a school you would consider?
Of course, they are a great school ...
At this point he had to meet with his team about their next game, but we'll hear more from Colbert if Duke gets past the look-see process when their are open periods.
Scouting Report - Colbert is long and lean and quite fast getting from point A to point B on the basketball court. Colbert has good hands and can post his man up or take them outside where he has a nice stroke for his age and size. He can block and alter shots. He needs to work on his strength but his frame will fill out in by the time he gets to college. He is a solid post prospect that impressed me during the Nike EYBL at Boo Williams.[/private]
2013 Prospect Peter Jok-Photo credit spacinvacio.com
HAMPTON, Va - A prospect to keep an eye on is Peter Jok of All Iowa Attack. Jok stands a slender 6-6 and is a slender 185 but his potential has many excited about the class of 2013 product. Jok is represented by his [private] AAU coach Henry Huddleson and a handler and saying he is soft spoken, giving up little information is an understatement. In fact, during my interview, if you can call it that, the fellow at NBADraft.net came up to listen in. Afterwards, he stated I just wanted to see if you could get anything out of him for you usually have success.
Obviously, I got very little out of him too and this was my first experience with Jok. I kind of got the impression that his handler has told him to say very little forcing one to go through him to get anything tangible.
Jok actually clammed up a bit when NBADraft.net came in about the time I asked him a question on recruiting.
When asked to describe his game, Jok said, "I'm an inside-out player, playing all the positions." I then asked if he considered himself a hybrid of sorts and he stated, "It changes every time, depending on who is guarding me. If it's a small man guarding me I take him inside and if it is a big, I take him outside.
"I am not allowed to talk about recruiting, my guardian handles that, said Jok. Jok is represented by Mike Nixon and he tells him what people and or coaches are saying and such.
He wants to play for a running team that gets up and down the court and loves Kevin Durrant, probably the most mentioned player of the weekend these kids look up to these days.
"My goal is just to get better as a player and as a team and that's what I came here to do," said Jok. Off the court, he gave the standardized answer of going to movies, hanging out with friends and practicing hoops.
Jok recently transferred to WDM Valley in West Des Moines, Iowa. His All Iowa Attack team has a portion of what will be his high school teams starting five this coming season. Jok had to transfer before April to be eligible and just did so a week ago.
The 2013 prospect has a nice game but needs strength. He runs in a smooth manner and is active on the glass but is still deferring to his teammates at this point in the AAU season. Jok played very well early one but had a couple of games where his stats were a bit meager. Jok, is well spoken, seems grounded and seems to have a good deal of discipline and focus.
BDN Premium will keep an eye on Jok as the AAU season heats up and he is one of the kids on that long list of look-sees for the Blue Devils staff. [/private]
Anthony Bennett enjoyed the attantion during the Nike EYBL Session I - BDN Photo
HAMPTON, Va -Make no mistake that Anthony Bennett is a top notch prospect, physically gifted with a good amount of upside. Bennett didn't exactly sneak up on anybody during the Nike EYBL Session I in Hampton, Virginia this past weekend, but he did have a monster first game and that started the talk amongst analysts.
There was a throng of media surrounding him after his performance but you had to listen carefully to realize he was not at all familiar with the makers and shakers of college basketball. In fact, when asked about his play against Julius Randle he [private] acted as if he knew who he was but really didn't. He admitted that when I asked him of the two.
So, here is a kid that doesn't really know who he is going up against in that he has never really done anything but go out and play the game of basketball. It didn't take me long to see that he was unaware of the Duke's and Kentucky's of the world, so I said, "you really don't know much about these schools, do you?" and he responded by saying, "not really, I am still learning the scene in college basketball in the United States."
Bennett is also being represented by a handler, not uncommon these days. The bottom line is the recruiting process is just getting going with 6-8 2012 star despite what you might read. Bennett said that Florida State from the ACC has been in touch and that he has heard of Duke from his handler and AAU coach. So, there is little direct contact with the budding prospect.
"I feel free in AAU ball," said Bennett. When asked what he meant, he referred to the structure that was in place on his high school team, Findley Prep. Bennett is an aggressive player who runs the court well. He was very active in his CIA Bounce Teams games and showed the ability to score on drives and put backs but needs work on his perimeter offensive game.
But as good as he was, you could see little holes in his game and that is not suprising. "I have only been playing basketball for four years," said Bennett when BDN asked of his experience. Considering the short time he has played organized hoops, his game was even more impressive.
I then asked when he became serious about his hopes of playing college basketball and then beyond. Bennett stated, "I got serious about two years ago in Canada. I was like 6-4 and everybody said I was a great basketball player." That's when he decided to take his game stateside landing at the aforementioned Findley Prep.
He said his weight was 220 or 230, and we'll go with 220 from our views. "I like to try and be aggressive and get everything that comes off the rim," said Bennett and it is statements like that that make college coaches drool.
"I really like to get out and run and I just try and be a part of every play,' quipped the rising prospect. And while he may not know the names thrown about y the guru's asking the questions, he makes it clear with this statement, "I just go out and play, it doesn't matter to me who I am going up against, be it Julius Randle or anybody else."
Bennett said he would take his time in making his choice with concerns to collegiate basketball. He will site down with his parents and Mike George his AAU coach in due time.
"I am a forward, a small forward, but a lot of people see me as a big at the next level but I think I will be a small forward," said Bennett but you will have a hard time convincing seasoned coaches that he is anything but a power forward in my opinion.
We have some more questions and answers on the cutting room floor with Bennett that we hope to get to, so stay tuned for more EYBL coverage at BDN. [/private]
One of the things that recruits do once they sign is go after other prospects to play with them. Rasheed Sulaimon shares a bit on that in this exclusive video. We also update the NYBL statistical leaders. In another note, Tony Parker is sitting out his teams morning game with back spasms. Much more [private] to come on BDN Premium.
ANAHEIM - These two are for BDN Premium members only -- Kyrie Irving and Mason Plumlee videos from Anaheim, California where they prepare to take on Arizona tonight. Be sure to check out our updates on BlueDevilNation tweets where we will chime in from dead center court on press row. [private]
Young Austin Colbert is starting to gain the attention of the nations top schools. He currently lists a lot of Big East Schools but he covets the ACC powers as well. Colbert is in the Class of 2013, stands 6-8 and weighs in around 200 to 205 at this time. He plays his high school basketball at St. Patrick's and looks up to his former teammate Kyrie Irving of Duke. Colbert supposedly was a but quiet but he was quite open with BDN. He is a good student that seems to have his head in the right place and realizes he has work to do to achieve his goals.
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