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East Coast programs among top contenders for four-star Locke

EMERSON, Ga. – Noah Locke, a 6-foot-2 guard out Baltimore in the 2018 class, has solidified his standing as a premier scorer. Thanks to his shot-making abilities, a plethora of high-level programs up and down the East Coast have entered the mix.

Scoring and efficiency don’t always go together, but Locke does this at an outstanding rate. The Team Melo star is averaging close to 19 points per game while knocking in over half of his field goal tries and converting over 45 percent of his three-point attempts.

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IN HIS OWN WORDS

The top-100 guard has seen his stock soar this spring.

Notre Dame, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Pitt, Virginia Tech, South Florida and a few others have all offered recently.

When asked which offer stood out, Locke spoke about the Cavaliers.

Virginia: “They have been on me for a while. It took a while for them to offer me but I thought that they were just going to be interested in me and not offer. I have always liked them. Their playing style is just the way that I play. They run sets well, have a lot of guys that can score on and off the ball and it is just a great program.

“They are just telling me to come in and play right away. They don’t have a lot of scorers like me and to come in and do what I do. But I would have to lock in on defense, too.”

The four-star guard also touched on a few others involved.

Providence: “I like Providence because they had Kris Dunn come out of there. They develop point guards and guards really well; Coach (Ed) Cooley does a great job at that. They really appeal to me.”

Florida: “It is pretty much their atmosphere, their coaches are great, and their guards can really go. I feel like I can play at that level.”

Xavier: “They are great guys. The coaches are really great. When they were going into the NCAA Tournament, they were telling me they didn’t know if they had a chance. Every year they seem to get far in the tournament so it seems like they know what it takes, which really appeals to me.”

WHAT'S NEXT

A decision is not imminent, as Locke will finish out his final year on the travel circuit this summer with the Team Melo 17-under unit. He does, however, hope to narrow his list of college choices soon.

“I should be cutting down my list after the AAU season but I am not sure about when I will be committing,” he said.

RIVALS' REACTION

Locke has cemented his standing as one of the top scoring guard prospects on the East Coast, and he has turned into a priority target for some of those in pursuit. Virginia and Florida have gained the most traction of late, though Xavier and Providence are not too far behind in recruiting the top-100 junior.

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