Mitchell Strong in Loss
Denham Springs (LA) High School lost a hard fought battle 71-60 to St. Raymonds High School from the Bronx, New York, but power forward Tasmin Mitchell did his part for Denham Springs. The top prospect in the class of 2005 scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.
St. Raymonds was led by NC State bound Gavin Grant. The 6-foot-7 small forward scored 17 points and hauled in 9 rebounds in front of NC State assistant coach Larry Harris.
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Unfortunately, the two outstanding players were never matched up on each other.
Mitchell said he knew his team might be overmatched by St. Raymonds but that they were looking at this game as a opportunity to learn.
“We are a smaller team going against big time competition here like St. Raymonds,” said Mitchell after the loss. “But this will help us down the line. When we go home, no one we play will be as strong. A game like this builds character and exposes weaknesses that can help us get to the next level.”
Mitchell said his early list of schools include LSU, Kentucky, North Carolina, Louisville, and UCLA. Despite widespread belief that Mitchell is a lock for LSU (His godfather is an assistant coach on the Tiger staff.), he refused to name a leader and said no one has officially offered a scholarship yet.
“I will make a decision during my senior year,” he said. “I am not going to commit early.”
Mitchell did say that LSU, Kentucky, and Louisville are recruiting him the hardest.
“Coach Pitino is all over me, and I don’t think North Carolina knows how interested I am in them. I really like Roy Williams.”
When asked about his aspirations to play in the NBA, Mitchell said he would not enter the draft until he knew he was ready to play.
“Only time will tell when I am ready to play with Kobe and guys like that. If I need to go to college to get better, then I will go to college. If I am ready for the NBA, I will go to the NBA. I need to be a lottery pick before I will go.”