By JACK LeGWIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
BARTOW, Fla.- The top ranked shooting guard in the state of Florida, Antonio Blakeney put on a show Saturday night fresh off a visit to Louisville on Thursday, scoring 36 points in an overtime win over Bartow (Fla.).
Standing at 6-foot-4, the No. 16 ranked player in the class of 2015 by ESPN is one of the best pure scorers in the country, averaging 25.3 points per contest. Knowing his supreme ability to score the ball, Blakeney was face guarded for most of the first half against Bartow, but he said it didn’t bother him as much as one might think.
“I really worked my hardest to get open,” Blakeney said. “I had to have faith in my teammates to put the ball in the hoop and also put me into some positions to get open. I did have 16 points in that half, so they did a really good job.”
After the game, Blakeney was asked about his trip to Louisville.
“It was good,” Blakeney told SNY.tv. “I really got a good feel of what Louisville could offer. I got to see a practice too, so I could see how hard they practice everyday, so it was a very good experience.”Blakeney continued on to say that the pitch from Louisville included Coach Rick Pitino showing him that the style of play is the same as the style that Blakeney runs not only in high school at Oak Ridge (Fla.), but also during the summer playing for Each 1 Teach 1 Elite. “Coach Pitino said that I’m the perfect fit for their offense,” Blakeney said. “He told me that he runs the double fist offense that I run right now as well as during the summer. It would be a perfect fit because of the way I score the ball.” Blakeney currently holds offers from Florida, Louisville, Kansas, Florida State, North Carolina, Missouri, Notre Dame, Clemson, Memphis, Miami, Auburn, UCF, USC, West Virginia and Xavier. Pitino has watched Blakeney multiple times over the past couple months. Is it possible that Louisville is moving up on Blakeney’s list? Only time will tell. PHOTO- Orlando Sentinel Follow Jack on Twitter
