Georgia Hoops spotlight: Jon Pack

It is perfectly okay if you don't know who Jon Pack is. Few do. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound center from East Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., was one of the biggest surprises at the Georgia Hoops Fall Showcase and now the word is slowly but surely finding a way to college basketball offices around the country.

Pack is an unknown, even at his size. Few in Atlanta, one of the basketball hotbeds in the country, knew about him. Keep in mind he only played 30 minutes on varsity his entire junior season. Pack played at a few AAU events this summer but he insists his best basketball is yet to come.

Says his high school coach Jamal McCoy: "He is a classic late bloomer."

No question about it. Pack makes no excuses either.

"I definitely see myself as a different player now," Pack said. "Coach McCoy and my trainer have really worked with me…Last year it got me kind of mad sitting on the bench and watching everyone else play. I didn't want to do that again this year."

McCoy doesn't sound like a coach who will keep the big man on the bench.

"The first thing I noticed about him was that he had good hands and good feet and of course his height," said McCoy, who played at Southwest Texas State in the 90s. "I thought to myself, 'I can work with that.' He was one of the main reasons why I took this job. His work ethic is hard to find in a big guy like him.

"If I can get him to put in 15 points and 10 rebounds a game, I'll be happy."

Pack shouldn't have any problems with that. His confidence and production improved by the game at the Georgia Hoops Fall Showcase and picked his spots to produce in a guard oriented environment.

His best strength is his midrange jumper. Pack is certainly confident in his face up skills. He says one of his best strengths his knowledge of the game and he knows time spent in the weight room will only make him more dangerous down low. He has a frame that can pack on 30 more pounds for college.

Based on his showing at the camp, the mid-major programs should find a reason to get out to Dallas, Ga., to see him in action.

Alabama State and Georgia State have stopped by in the last week to see him play. Several others are calling and asking for information since the Georgia Hoops Fall Showcase. St. Mary's (Md.) and Furman have called.

"I would love to hear from Tennessee," Pack said. "I've always liked them and would love to play for them."

Pack has the size and the raw ability that a high-major could take a chance on the late signing period. East Paulding plays a competitive schedule this year in it's new region, squaring off against the likes of Chris Singleton, a Rivals100 junior, at Cherokee High School.

"This year is very important for me. I know I have to keep getting better if I want to play in college. Everything depends on me playing good.

"I'd like to go to a school where academics are important and somewhere that I can get an education that will help me in my life," Pack said.

Just how high is his ceiling?

"Honestly, it is up to him," McCoy said. "He'll be as good as he wants to be. That is the good thing about him. He wants to get better. The biggest thing for him is being consistent."