No. 1 Ayton thriving with target on his back
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- The No. 1 player in the class of 2017, DeAndre Ayton has a big target on his back. Along with skilled, jumbo-sized wing Michael Porter who ranks No. 2 overall, fellow elite big men Wendell Carter (No. 3) and Mohamed Bamba (No. 4) have helped to push Ayton to excellence.
At last week’s Peach Jam, the seven-foot tall Ayton was fully engaged and dominant in leading California Supreme to the semifinals while averaging 21.6 points and 12.7 rebounds per game. Included his Peach Jam effort was a 25-point and 12-rebound performance in a quarterfinal win over Carter and his CP3 squad.
The win allowed Ayton to avenge an earlier loss to Carter this spring and helped to establish a true big man rivalry.
“I feel like my big rival right now is Wendell," Ayton said. "Wendell has an engine, he’s a big guy and he’s got a lot of stuff to his game. He’s been working. I haven’t really gone at Bamba like I did Wendell, but I guess he’s my rival.
“They are all good at what they can do. Bamba has extra long arms and he can block every shot and he’s super athletic. Wendell is a versatile player. Me, I can run the floor, put the ball on the ground, shoot jumpers. I’m an all around player.”
Ayton says that he’ll be back at Phoenix (Ariz.) Hillcrest for his senior season and that his recruitment is starting to pick up. He said Kansas has recruited him the longest and has been a visible presence since he first came to the States, but two other powers have started to step things up as he’s developed a top three.
“Arizona and Kentucky have come along,” said Ayton. “Kentucky has always been there but they’ve really just started gauging into my recruitment. I just took an unofficial visit to U of A in June. I liked it out there, it was nice. It caught my eye when they said I could be their first No. 1 draft pick coming out of college.”
“I have three of the best schools recruiting me. Arizona, Kansas and Kentucky that’s my top three right now.”
For the time being, Ayton appears pretty happy with that group of three and doesn’t seem in any hurry to add more programs. There is continued speculation that Ayton could look to skip college. However, he remains adamant that he wants to try and win a national championship and that somebody very important to him wants him to experience college.
“My mom wants me to go to college so I have to go.”