Gordon realizing big time potential

Always blessed with the raw material to be an outstanding all around basketball player, five-star combo guard Jamont Gordon is refining his game and harnessing his talent as the top player for Oak Hill Academy (15-1). Gordon, 6-foot-3, 225-pounds and from Nashville, Tenn., has been the Most Valuable Player in two consecutive tournaments and has more schools clamoring for his services next year.

"Jamont is probably our best player," said Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith. "He was the MVP at the Top of the World and the Les Schwab. It was cut and dried, no question about it, that he was the best player in both those events."

Statistically, Gordon is leading Oak Hill in scoring with 18 points per game on only 11 shots per game. He is shooting 65 percent from the field, including 40 percent from the arc. Gordon is also averaging 6 rebounds per game and is second on the team in both assists and steals. Perhaps, more import than his statistics are the improvements he has made in his game that do not necessarily show up on the stat sheet.

"Since our loss, I cannot remember the last bad shot he has taken," said Smith. "To have his average only taking 11 shots per game is impressive. In the past, I'm sure he has had quarters where he has taken more shots than that.

"He is also our best on the ball defender. He has been locking up everyone he has guarded. Except for Monta Ellis, I can't remember anyone scoring on him. His only weakness right now is that he is only shooting 59 percent from the line."

With his size, strength, athleticism and all around skill set, Gordon certainly has the potential to play in the NBA. How much further he refines his game and improves the consistency of his long range shot will determine the length of his career.

As to his recruitment, a number of schools are both trying to get in on Gordon as well as monitoring his academic progress. Still not a qualifier, Gordon is making progress on both his GPA and test score according to Coach Smith.

"I have to be honest when schools ask about him," said Smith. "There is just no way he is going out west, and I have to tell Arizona State and Washington and others that he is just not going to do it. We really don't even talk about his recruitment, so I don't know who he likes right now. I know he has said that he wants to stay close to home, but then he held off on Tennessee.

"I can tell you who is recruiting him right now, though- Pittsburgh, Alabama, Illinois, Mississippi State and Tennessee."