2003 Profile: Mitchell Beauford
Christ the King combo guard Mitchell Beauford is an
emerging junior whose skill-level and intensity have
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impressed Rivals Hoops on a number of occasions this
season.
The 5'11'' 185 pound Beauford, who is averaging 17
points, seven rebounds and five assists for head coach Bob
Oliva, excels at getting to the rack off the dribble,
a first-rate slasher equipped with the body control to
convert on acrobatic finishes. Beauford has a quick
first step, but it is his ability to weave through
traffic and hang in the air that earn him his points.
Even in a congested lane with hands in his face, time
and time again Beauford slithers through traffic anf
finds a way to convert. He has a nose for the hoop and
often battles for rebounds against, using his
athleticism and leaping ability to snare his share of
caroms despite being under six feet.
The first few times we saw Beauford, Rivals Hoops
wasn't sold on his abilities because of his size, or
lack thereof. But the native of Roosevelt, on Long
Island, really grows on you. He is such a skilled
slasher and has such a terrific feel for the game,
that time and time again your eyes wander back to him.
Beauford is also pretty consistent from the outside,
another aspect of his offensive repertoire.
Beauford did a terrific job defensively on Boston
University-bound combo guard Shaun Wynn Tuesday night
despite giving up a few inches and some bulk. Wynn had
trouble trying to contain Beauford considering his
quickness off the dribble. Beauford held Wynn to
single-digits, save for a couple of garbage time
buckets.
Early on, Beauford has heard from a couple of Big
East programs, namely Syracuse, UConn, Boston College,
and Villanova. Their degree of interest remains to be
seen. However, if Beauford continues to develop and
hone his all-around game, a major program is have to
going to pick him up, irrespective of his size. Time
and time again he has proven himself dangerous against
top-flight competition in the rugged New York City
Catholic League, one of the better proving grounds in
the country.
Beauford played AAU ball last summer for the
Brooklyn-Queens aka Sonday Express. He carries an 80
average scholastically, and has scored 820 on the
PSAT.