Porter picks Pac-10
Take Tajuan Porter, a 5-foot-7, 160-pound point guard from Detroit's Renaissance High School, seriously. Sure he's small but he proved over the AAU circuit that he can play with the best of them. One Pac-10 school saw enough in the fiery prospect to offer him a scholarship and Porter jumped all over it this week.
Porter verbally committed to the University of Oregon earlier this week when Ernie Kent made an in-home visit with the three-star prospect.
Advertisement
"They were always there recruiting me," Porter said. "They were there long before anyone else really was. They wanted me more than I wanted them at first. I felt like they needed me and not wanted me. A lot of others came in and got in my ear but they really made me feel like I was needed there."
A dead-eye shooter, Porter was a key reason why an unknown team called the REACH Legends stormed through the Big Time tournament in Las Vegas and knocked off several of the top teams in attendance, including a thrilling overtime victory over the New York Panthers.
The entire Oregon staff was on hand for Porter's 23 points and huge overtime buckets in July. That persistence on the summer trail helped Porter fend off late interest from the likes of Memphis, Tennessee, NC State and Florida State, who all came on strong after July, Porter said.
"I knew after July on who I wanted to really look at and Oregon was right there at the top," Porter said.
He joins fellow Michigan native Malik Hairston in Eugene. Porter has great speed and a knack for putting in the big shot. Mac Court will certainly see their fare share of late game baskets.
"They want me to come in and get acclimated to their style of play and the speed of the game," Porter said. "Learning their system will only help me get better. I want to learn as much as I can so by my sophomore year I can take over."