Minnesota sophomore has game
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As a freshman, shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. deferred to star floor general Tyus Jones. Now that Jones is a freshman at Duke, the four-star prospect is taking a bigger role in his sophomore season.
Trent is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard at Apple Valley (Minn.) High with good size, strength and a balanced game. With Jones gone, he's tried to step things up.
"I'm just trying to be a leader in all phases of the game," Trent Jr. said. "I'm trying to be aggressive on the offensive end and trying to guard the best player and lock him down. I'm trying to set an example for everybody and be the tone and heart of what we do."
Though he has the strength to get to the rim and good athleticism, Trent Jr. is also a good jump shooter with three-point range. He rebounds well, can be physical on defense and has a balanced and patient demeanor on the floor.
He has already received offers from Minnesota, Texas Tech and Providence to go along with interest from the likes of Michigan State, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio State and many others but he tries to keep his "status" in perspective.
"I just know that somebody is always chasing me and that I'm always chasing somebody," said Trent Jr. "Each time when I play a game, I have to always bring my A game and I can never slack.
"You keep (attention) in the back of your mind and you just play."
Trent Jr. also has a bit of an advantage in that he can lean on his father Gary Trent for advice. The former Shaq of the MAC was a longtime NBA player and it sounds like father and son are always jostling for bragging rights.
"We joke around all the time who has the upper hand on this or that," said Trent Jr. "He tells me all the time about his 81 percent field goal percentage in high school, so I'm going after that."
For now, though, it is too early in his career for Trent Jr. to be focused on much more than getting better and trying to win a state title. He'll hit the road this summer with the Howard Pulley program and while he thinks some about his recruitment, he's not stressing over it.
"In a sense you think about it here and there," said Trent Jr. "For now it's way down the road for me and I'm going to take it in stride. I'm just going to keep playing and doing the best I can and just let whatever falls in place for me kind of happen."
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