Some prospects were able to benefit from the shutdown of sports because of the coronavirus. Four-star point guard Angelo Brizzi, after averaging 20.5 points, seven assists and six rebounds per game while helping his Highland High team to a 28-3 record in Warrenton, Va., before losing in the state semifinals, thinks he might be one of those after adding several offers in the last few months.
“Honestly, I’d have to guess,” Brizzi said about his stock rising lately. “I don’t know for sure. I had a good high school season, but it wasn’t like crazy. I think maybe with the virus situation a lot of coaches were stuck at home and watched film and saw me play. Me and my dad made some tapes on our YouTube account and we sent it some coaches.”
Brizzi’s offer list now includes Arizona, California, Colorado, LSU, Michigan, Northwestern, Villanova, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. North Carolina and Virginia are among the other schools showing interest. Over the past couple years, the dynamic 6-foot-4 point guard has visited Georgetown, Maryland, Northwestern, Virginia and Virginia Tech.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
Arizona: “They are obviously one of the really good spots for point guards in the country. Coach [Sean] Miller knows how to develop point guards. It’s a really good program. I’m just now starting to speak with their staff and look forward to speaking with them more.”
Michigan: “I love talking to Coach [Juwan] Howard and Coach [Phil] Martelli. The one thing about Coach Howard is he’s such a great person to talk to. This year they were really good and got up into the top of the rankings. The fact they were that good in his first year says a lot.”
North Carolina: “Carolina speaks for itself. They’ve also had really good point guards coming through. Coach [Roy] Williams is one of the best in the business. It’s Carolina.”
Villanova: “Sort of along the same lines as some of the others, Coach [Jay] Wright has been at Villanova for a while and he knows what he’s doing and produced a ton of NBA players. They have had guys like me come through that might not be one-and-done prospects and he puts them in the league. It’s obviously a top tier program.
Virginia: “I didn’t the visit the campus, but I’ve been in Charlottesville before. It’s a nice town. Coach [Tony] Bennett is one of the best coaches in college basketball right now. They have had really good guards come through. It’s a really good program and a really good education as well.”
Wake Forest: “I had a zoom call with their staff and we didn’t even do a presentation or anything. We just talked and I really liked them. I’ve been talking to one of their assistants a lot since then and I really like them.”
RIVALS' REACTION
Brizzi’s initial plan on how he wanted the recruiting process to play out might not go the way he hoped.
“The plan has always been to start narrowing down late in the summer or early in the fall and then make a decision in the fall, but like everyone else, I’m going to have to adjust to what happens with the virus, AAU ball, and taking visits.”
If there are eventually live periods, there is a good chance Brizzi’s stock could rise even more with new offers coming in. Right now, he’s reluctant to name any favorites as he still has interest in all the schools recruiting him and would be open to new schools coming into the picture.
