earlyentry
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In basketball circuits, a player's future destination is directly related to his performance at major AAU tournaments. A never-ending Congo line of Division coaches surround the courts with Blackberries in hand and it may or may not be the only time a player can impress them. Some prospects will fail, others will thrive.
Brian Oliver, a blossoming prospect in the 2009 clash and standout this summer, knows this. He's a 6-foot-6 rising junior from William Penn in Delaware, who as a sophomore averaged 16.5 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. He can light it up from long range and can use his 6'10 to 6'11 wing span (last time he checked) to block or alter shots.
For Rutgers, Oliver would be a major coup and lethal small forward. He can shoot over smaller guards and attack slower forwards.
The Scarlet Knights have already offered Oliver a scholarship and watched virtually all of his games in Las Vegas, as did a very interested staff at Georgia Tech. Oliver has offers from West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and most recently joining the race are Baylor, Xavier and Miami (FL). He visited the campuses of Georgetown and Virginia, too, meeting both coach John Thompson III and Dave Leitao.
ashistant coach Darren Savino is in charge of recruiting Oliver, who was invited last season to a Rutgers/Georgetown game. He said he liked the RAC, although he didn't get to see the locker rooms, and believes the close crowd has the ability to get players "hyped" before games.
To gain more notoriety out of state, Oliver, much like an aspiring musician who moves to New York, linked up with a power program in Paterson, New Jersey, the U-16 Playaz AAU team. They are coached by Jerome Smart and it features Rutgers target and St. Anthony guard Dominic Cheek, who, like many others, had prejudices against a player from an unfertile basketball state.
"A lot of people, they look at Delaware and they think 'That's not a hotbed for talent,' like a New Jersey or Philly," said Oliver. Yet the sweet shooting wing has quieted in-house critics while blending in with the New Jersey ballers, most vividly in Las Vegas.
"Las Vegas is basically the place that will make or break you," said Oliver, who at last month's adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas filled the box score much like an NBA Live video game.
He averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, according to Zagsblog.
Oliver rained in 9 3s for a staggering 35 points and posted 6 blocks during one game; he followed that eye-opener with another 30 points with 7 3s and four blocks; finally, he poured in 16 and 19, respectively, as the Playaz advanced past the semifinals and into the championship game, where they lost.
"I knew it was the big stage," said Oliver. "(Las) Vegas is the spot, basically. That's where everything goes down. If you play bad in Vegas people label you as being horrible… because it's such a high-profile tournament with a lot of high-profile players," and Oliver knows there is too much at stake.
Luckily for Rutgers, Fred Hill has made inroads with Oliver before his star officially blasts off.
Brian Oliver, a blossoming prospect in the 2009 clash and standout this summer, knows this. He's a 6-foot-6 rising junior from William Penn in Delaware, who as a sophomore averaged 16.5 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. He can light it up from long range and can use his 6'10 to 6'11 wing span (last time he checked) to block or alter shots.
For Rutgers, Oliver would be a major coup and lethal small forward. He can shoot over smaller guards and attack slower forwards.
The Scarlet Knights have already offered Oliver a scholarship and watched virtually all of his games in Las Vegas, as did a very interested staff at Georgia Tech. Oliver has offers from West Virginia, Pittsburgh, and most recently joining the race are Baylor, Xavier and Miami (FL). He visited the campuses of Georgetown and Virginia, too, meeting both coach John Thompson III and Dave Leitao.
ashistant coach Darren Savino is in charge of recruiting Oliver, who was invited last season to a Rutgers/Georgetown game. He said he liked the RAC, although he didn't get to see the locker rooms, and believes the close crowd has the ability to get players "hyped" before games.
To gain more notoriety out of state, Oliver, much like an aspiring musician who moves to New York, linked up with a power program in Paterson, New Jersey, the U-16 Playaz AAU team. They are coached by Jerome Smart and it features Rutgers target and St. Anthony guard Dominic Cheek, who, like many others, had prejudices against a player from an unfertile basketball state.
"A lot of people, they look at Delaware and they think 'That's not a hotbed for talent,' like a New Jersey or Philly," said Oliver. Yet the sweet shooting wing has quieted in-house critics while blending in with the New Jersey ballers, most vividly in Las Vegas.
"Las Vegas is basically the place that will make or break you," said Oliver, who at last month's adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas filled the box score much like an NBA Live video game.
He averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, according to Zagsblog.
Oliver rained in 9 3s for a staggering 35 points and posted 6 blocks during one game; he followed that eye-opener with another 30 points with 7 3s and four blocks; finally, he poured in 16 and 19, respectively, as the Playaz advanced past the semifinals and into the championship game, where they lost.
"I knew it was the big stage," said Oliver. "(Las) Vegas is the spot, basically. That's where everything goes down. If you play bad in Vegas people label you as being horrible… because it's such a high-profile tournament with a lot of high-profile players," and Oliver knows there is too much at stake.
Luckily for Rutgers, Fred Hill has made inroads with Oliver before his star officially blasts off.
