Freddie Dilione is off to a hot start early in this AAU season while playing for Team Loaded (NC). His confidence and ability to put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways caught the eyes of many coaches from across the country, and he spoke with Rivals about some potential suitors.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
Schools sticking out to him: “VCU, Virginia, Tennessee, NC State and Wake Forest. Texas A&M, Alabama and Seton Hall are also in the mix.”
Alabama: “Coach Nate Oats came to Word of God. He came to me and really broke down some film with me about the previous season. An assistant coach has talked to me as well. Those are two cool dudes.”
NC State: “Coach (Kevin) Keatts, he talks to me himself. He’s the lead guy that talks to me and he talks to me everyday. He prioritizes me and tells me to come in and be a star player and be who I am. He’s just going to push me to get to that next level.”
Seton Hall: “They talk to me almost everyday. Their coaches are really cool. They tell me what they like and don’t like. They want me to come in and be a dog for them.”
Tennessee: “I talk to coach (Justin) Gainey a lot. He really talks to me a lot, and sends me stuff here and there. That’s pretty much it.”
Texas A&M: “Coach Rocc (Steve Roccaforte) talks to me everyday. He checks up on me and does whatever he can to just keep in contact, so I really like that about him.”
VCU: “Their coaching staff, they talk to me on an everyday basis. It’s not just about the basketball part with them. They really prioritize me.”
Virginia: “I actually just got offered by them. What I like about coach (Tony) Bennett is that he really sat down and watched my games and told me what I did both good and bad. It really goes a long way in trusting a coach that is honest with you.”
Wake Forest: “I talk to coach Steve Forbes and coach BJ McKie. I love coach Forbes, he’s a funny and cool dude to be around. Same thing with coach McKie, he’s a real cool dude. They’ve talked to me about just coming in and being myself.”
Decision timetable: “I would like to say after this summer, but time will tell.”
RIVALS' REACTION
Dilione’s recruitment definitely seems to have an ACC flavor to it, with a lot of the schools on the East Coast making him a priority this off-season. That conference would most likely suit his style of play the best as well, and all of the ACC schools mentioned would give him the ability to play his game out front.
He doesn’t have any visits lined up currently, but where he plans visits to will tell us a lot about where his head is at in this process.
