Hello and welcome to the NIKE "Path to Greatness". Here, we will track the careers of eight lucky players as they embark on their college careers and if they're lucky, they might just end up make millions in the NBA.
Here is a list of our Elite players who are finishing up their High School careers. A scouting report and a list of potential schools will follow.
Ron Childress
Honestly, this kid is one of the weirdest recruits I have ever seen at the point guard position. While almost averaging a triple double in his junior year highlighted by averaging 14 assists per game, “Chill” is the stereotypical point guard in a few ways. He has solid ball handling skills, good vision as a passer, and is one of the best leaders I have ever seen. However, he just can’t seem to put the ball in the basket, be it off the drive or by way of jump shot. What sets Chill apart from other point guards is his strength and rebounding ability, traits that have shown seen him frustrate other guards and really affect the game in a positive way. How Chill’s abilities will translate to the bright lights of college basketball will really be interesting.
Interested Teams
Northern Iowa
Drake
Michigan
Kansas
Michigan State
Minnesota
Jack Taylor
Known as “Wyoming’s Wunderkind”, Jack Taylor has been shooting the lights out since he was born. Whether it was the national free throw exercise he won when he was just twelve years old or the 3-pt shoot out at the McDonald’s All American game, Taylor has always been a star when it comes to shooting the rock. The problem is, he can’t do much else. While his basketball IQ is high, Taylor is a slow footed guard who finds it hard to create plays off the dribble. Many have credited his high success in high school from playing against weak competition, so it is time to find out if Taylor has what it takes to make it to the next level.
Interested Teams
UCLA
Duke
Kansas
Wyoming
UNLV
Nevada
Connor Kim
Jeremy Lin. That is all anyone ever talks about when Connor Kim’s name comes up. It isn’t fair, but it’s the truth. Regardless, this kid can play. Kim has all the tools you want from a scoring guard. His ability to get into the lane is unmatched among our prospects and he can finish around the basket in a multitude of ways. Overlooked at first by scouts, Kim has taken the AAU circuit by storm and is now regarded as one of the best guards in the nation. What is often overlooked is that Kim is a poor passer for his position and seems to have avoided the weight room like the plague. If he is going to succeed at the next level and reach his NBA aspirations, he will need to tighten up the short comings in his game.
Interested Teams
Arizona
Arizona St
UCLA
Nevada
Utah
UNLV
Brandon Jackson
When you watch Brandon Jackson play, you think of one word. “Prime Time”. His athleticism is a game changer in every time he steps on the court. Whether it’s the Sports Center worth dunks or the blocks that send opponents cowering, Prime Time clearly has a lot of tools to succeed at the next level. What he needs to work on is his jumper. The kid clearly needs to put the time in the gym to work on his release and expand his game. He also just needs to be more confident. Prime Time, is one of the best athletes in the nation, regardless of the sport. If he can harness this, then he might just be an All American when it’s all said and done.
Interested Teams
Michigan State
Indiana
Kentucky
Illinois
Drake
North Carolina
Aaron Harrison
A combo guard in High School who is able to use his athleticism to get in the lane at will. Is one of the best scorers for his position in the country as he is always finding a way to put the ball in the basket. The main problem with Harrison is his attitude. At various times during his high school career Harrison has found himself on the bench due to his poor behavior and his lack of defense. He has a very poor basketball IQ and at times only seems to care about if he scores a lot and not if his team wins. Reports are that Harrison has had a hard time at home, maybe that is carrying over to the court? Regardless, interest in this kid has waned and the scholarship offers have started to be taken away.
Interested Teams
UCLA
San Diego
CS Fullerton
San Francisco
Nevada
Utah
Jordan Scott
Indiana is said to be where true High School basketball is played. Fundamentals are the name of the game here and from an early age kids are taught every facet of the game. With this, Jordan Scott has gained a great foundation for a long basketball career. Scott is a tall, lanky big man whose ability to box out secures him a tremendous amount of rebounds. His silky shooting touch stretches all the way out to the perimeter and he is being talked about in basketball circles as the next Kevin Love. In order to make it at the next level, Scott will need to work on his post game and his shot blocking, as a majority of his blocks just came due to the fact that he is six inches taller than anyone else in his conference.
Interested Teams
Indiana
Michigan
Duke
Creighton
Florida
Indiana State
Matt Burke
Burke is the typical working man in this class. This 6’11 big man is great at banging in the post and scoring at will against weaker defenders. He is ferocious on the boards and is known to be intimidating to everyone who looks at him. What sets Burke apart from everyone else is his work ethic. The kid just won’t quit and I can’t imagine he won’t succeed at the next level. To do that though, he will need to work on his shot blocking and his defense. Also, what have they ever heard of a wind sprint at his high school? I know he’s a hard worker, but he needs to be able to stay on the court.
Interested Teams
Michigan State
Indiana
North Carolina
Kansas
West Virginia
DePaul
Alex Pisotsky
The last player that NIKE will be following throughout his career is a little bit different. Born and raised in the Ukraine, Pisotsky was six foot two until just two years ago. He then sprouted up to the NBA level height of six foot ten but managed to keep the guard skills that made him a fringe European prospect as a guard. His ability to shoot from all over the court fits him in the Dirk Nowitzki role and Pisotsky is very willing to fulfill this comparison. He also is very crafty around the basket and can easily score on anyone his age. Scouts question whether or not he will be able to match up with his American counter parts due to his lack of strength and soft demeanor, but just maybe he will prove these doubters wrong.
Interested Teams
Duke
North Carolina
Kansas
UNLV
UCLA
Michigan State
Here is a list of our Elite players who are finishing up their High School careers. A scouting report and a list of potential schools will follow.
Ron Childress
Honestly, this kid is one of the weirdest recruits I have ever seen at the point guard position. While almost averaging a triple double in his junior year highlighted by averaging 14 assists per game, “Chill” is the stereotypical point guard in a few ways. He has solid ball handling skills, good vision as a passer, and is one of the best leaders I have ever seen. However, he just can’t seem to put the ball in the basket, be it off the drive or by way of jump shot. What sets Chill apart from other point guards is his strength and rebounding ability, traits that have shown seen him frustrate other guards and really affect the game in a positive way. How Chill’s abilities will translate to the bright lights of college basketball will really be interesting.
Interested Teams
Northern Iowa
Drake
Michigan
Kansas
Michigan State
Minnesota
Jack Taylor
Known as “Wyoming’s Wunderkind”, Jack Taylor has been shooting the lights out since he was born. Whether it was the national free throw exercise he won when he was just twelve years old or the 3-pt shoot out at the McDonald’s All American game, Taylor has always been a star when it comes to shooting the rock. The problem is, he can’t do much else. While his basketball IQ is high, Taylor is a slow footed guard who finds it hard to create plays off the dribble. Many have credited his high success in high school from playing against weak competition, so it is time to find out if Taylor has what it takes to make it to the next level.
Interested Teams
UCLA
Duke
Kansas
Wyoming
UNLV
Nevada
Connor Kim
Jeremy Lin. That is all anyone ever talks about when Connor Kim’s name comes up. It isn’t fair, but it’s the truth. Regardless, this kid can play. Kim has all the tools you want from a scoring guard. His ability to get into the lane is unmatched among our prospects and he can finish around the basket in a multitude of ways. Overlooked at first by scouts, Kim has taken the AAU circuit by storm and is now regarded as one of the best guards in the nation. What is often overlooked is that Kim is a poor passer for his position and seems to have avoided the weight room like the plague. If he is going to succeed at the next level and reach his NBA aspirations, he will need to tighten up the short comings in his game.
Interested Teams
Arizona
Arizona St
UCLA
Nevada
Utah
UNLV
Brandon Jackson
When you watch Brandon Jackson play, you think of one word. “Prime Time”. His athleticism is a game changer in every time he steps on the court. Whether it’s the Sports Center worth dunks or the blocks that send opponents cowering, Prime Time clearly has a lot of tools to succeed at the next level. What he needs to work on is his jumper. The kid clearly needs to put the time in the gym to work on his release and expand his game. He also just needs to be more confident. Prime Time, is one of the best athletes in the nation, regardless of the sport. If he can harness this, then he might just be an All American when it’s all said and done.
Interested Teams
Michigan State
Indiana
Kentucky
Illinois
Drake
North Carolina
Aaron Harrison
A combo guard in High School who is able to use his athleticism to get in the lane at will. Is one of the best scorers for his position in the country as he is always finding a way to put the ball in the basket. The main problem with Harrison is his attitude. At various times during his high school career Harrison has found himself on the bench due to his poor behavior and his lack of defense. He has a very poor basketball IQ and at times only seems to care about if he scores a lot and not if his team wins. Reports are that Harrison has had a hard time at home, maybe that is carrying over to the court? Regardless, interest in this kid has waned and the scholarship offers have started to be taken away.
Interested Teams
UCLA
San Diego
CS Fullerton
San Francisco
Nevada
Utah
Jordan Scott
Indiana is said to be where true High School basketball is played. Fundamentals are the name of the game here and from an early age kids are taught every facet of the game. With this, Jordan Scott has gained a great foundation for a long basketball career. Scott is a tall, lanky big man whose ability to box out secures him a tremendous amount of rebounds. His silky shooting touch stretches all the way out to the perimeter and he is being talked about in basketball circles as the next Kevin Love. In order to make it at the next level, Scott will need to work on his post game and his shot blocking, as a majority of his blocks just came due to the fact that he is six inches taller than anyone else in his conference.
Interested Teams
Indiana
Michigan
Duke
Creighton
Florida
Indiana State
Matt Burke
Burke is the typical working man in this class. This 6’11 big man is great at banging in the post and scoring at will against weaker defenders. He is ferocious on the boards and is known to be intimidating to everyone who looks at him. What sets Burke apart from everyone else is his work ethic. The kid just won’t quit and I can’t imagine he won’t succeed at the next level. To do that though, he will need to work on his shot blocking and his defense. Also, what have they ever heard of a wind sprint at his high school? I know he’s a hard worker, but he needs to be able to stay on the court.
Interested Teams
Michigan State
Indiana
North Carolina
Kansas
West Virginia
DePaul
Alex Pisotsky
The last player that NIKE will be following throughout his career is a little bit different. Born and raised in the Ukraine, Pisotsky was six foot two until just two years ago. He then sprouted up to the NBA level height of six foot ten but managed to keep the guard skills that made him a fringe European prospect as a guard. His ability to shoot from all over the court fits him in the Dirk Nowitzki role and Pisotsky is very willing to fulfill this comparison. He also is very crafty around the basket and can easily score on anyone his age. Scouts question whether or not he will be able to match up with his American counter parts due to his lack of strength and soft demeanor, but just maybe he will prove these doubters wrong.
Interested Teams
Duke
North Carolina
Kansas
UNLV
UCLA
Michigan State
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