Bost is making believers

Respect. That is all Demarquis Bost wants. After helping his Carolina Raptors team win the 16 and under division of the Tournament of Champions and a strong showing at the Reebok Next Factors camp over the weekend, the 6-foot-2, combo guard from Concord (N.C.) is finally getting the respect he has been seeking.

Bost was named the TOC 16 and under Most Outstanding Player after averaging 20.8 in six games played and scored 21 points in the championship game. At the Next Factors camp, Bost was one of the top ten performers at the event, picking up where he left off at the TOC. The three-star guard said he and his teammates aren't finished either. There is still more respect to be gained, he said.

"We got a lot of respect after that but I still feel like we are sort of underrated," Bost said. "We want to win the AAU nationals and just play well at the showcases and stuff like that.

"I feel like I'm underrated because I haven't been to too many camps and I haven't really been seen yet," Bost said.

That is changing. People are starting to take notice. Bost is making people believe. He's quick with the ball, more athletic than given credit for and can light it up when needed from the perimeter. He's showing the potential of being a steady point guard, too.

Since the TOC, William & Mary, Appalachian State and Western Carolina have inquired, Bost said. Clemson, High Point (offer), Florida State and Georgia (he will camp at UGA next weekend) dotted his list after the spring period, Bost said. He said he can play at the highest level.

"I feel like I can play at the ACC level," Bost said.

Louisville, Syracuse and Villanova are three of his dream schools. Getting to that level is still a work in progress, Bost says. He is working on a position and improving his ability to take the ball to the hole and finishing around the basket.

"My freshmen year I was one-dimensional. Then my sophomore year I became more well rounded. This year, I loosened up a lot and just played. It's helped me a lot because I'm thinking more now when I'm on the court. If a man is coming at me, I just go by him with the dribble but if he laying off of me, I'm pulling up with my jumper.

"It doesn't matter to me where I play," Bost said. "I'll play at whatever position the coaches want to recruit me at. As long as we are winning, that is all that matters."

And he's been doing that at a large clip of late.