TJ Power sorting through blueblood offers, planning visits
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – There are few hotter prospects in the country than T.J. Power, who has had a massive summer playing for The BABC grassroots organization on the EYBL circuit. The 6-foot-8 forward has seen his offer list expand with haste as he’s consistently turned in efforts like the 28-point, 11-rebound performance he posted against Team Thad at Peach Jam on Friday afternoon.
Below, Power, who has welcomed offers from schools such as Kansas, Duke, North Carolina and UCLA in recent weeks, discusses where his recruitment stands and what could be next for him on the visit front.
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
ON THE RUSH OF NEW OFFERS
“It’s definitely been crazy. I worked really hard, so to see it play out like this late in the summer has been really cool. It’s exciting.”
ON IF HE’S TALKED TO COACHES ABOUT ADDITIONAL VISITS
“Early talk. My focus is winning games. I told all the schools that I would start setting up visits right when I get back [from Peach Jam]. They’re giving me space right now. When I get back, I’ll just have to pick which ones I want to take.”
ON PLACES HE HAS ALREADY VISITED
“I’ve been to Virginia, Iowa and Notre Dame officially.”
ON NOTRE DAME
“Me and Coach [Mike} Brey have a great relationship. The academic side of Notre Dame is big for me, too. I think they play a good style. They really share the ball and have a lot for shooters that space the floor.”
ON VIRGINIA
Coach [Tony] Bennett is a super detailed coach. I really like that. The player development they have there is unbelievable. They’re super disciplined and they win a lot of games, so I like that. It;’s a place I love right now.
ON KANSAS
I am thinking about visiting. I’ve been talking to Coach [Norm] Roberts basically the whole summer. I talked to Coach [Bill] Self a couple times recently, too. You know, they're defending national champions. I like the caliber of player they have. They have really tough kids that play really hard. They play how we play and how I play
ON KANSAS' VISION FOR HIM
They want me to be a core guy, like Christian Braun. They send me a lot of film on him.
ON DUKE
“When I get back, I’ll talk to them and maybe set up a visit. They have a big freshman class and another big class coming in, so it will be about finding my niche with those guys. Coach [Jon] Scheyer talks about me as somebody that can be plugged into any lineup and score some points.”
RIVALS REACTION
Notre Dame seems to have made a big impression on Power and his visit may have separated the Irish from the pack for a time. The challenge now will be fending off the heavy surge of blue blood interest Power has recently attracted. Notre Dame, North Carolina, Iowa, Duke and Kansas are among schools to watch down the stretch.