Jason Pratt:
Future150 Senior Recruiting Analyst. Covering high school basketball nationally.
Nashville, TN (Future150) -- In the talent-rich state of Tennessee, Ensworth School (TN) star Cornelius Elder is not only one of the best football prospects — he's one of the best basketball prospects as well.
As of right now, he is more known for his exploits on the gridiron, which includes winning Tennessee's Mr. Football award this past season. He is a coveted recruit by several high major programs such as Ohio State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Michigan, to name a few of the powerhouse programs salivating over the athlete.
However, the 5-foot-10 inch 170-pound running back/cornerback wants it to be known that he can also play a little roundball as well. The guard is using this spring to showcase how talented he is on the basketball court.
In back-to-back weekends, he led his Team Nashville squad to major championships in the 17U division at national Bob Gibbons and Wallace Prather tournaments. In both tournaments, he absolutely blew apart the competition.
He was named MVP of both events, averaging 15 points per game in each, and imposed his will against nationally hyped guards such as Kasey Hill, Rashan Powell and Solomon Poole.
His strong performances shouldn't exactly come as a surprise. He had a strong junior season for Ensworth, in which he averaged 18 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three steals. He also helped his team win back-to-back state championships, and along the way, he was a Mr. Basketball finalist, all-state, and state tournament MVP both years.
Performances such as those should have high-major coaches in pursuit of the play-maker very soon. Just as Cornelius has faith in his basketball ability, so does his AAU coach Carlton Battle. "No matter whether he goes high or mid-major, whoever gets him, I believe he will win at least two conference championships."
The praise is well warranted. His play on the defensive end has caused quite a bit of attention to be drawn his way. "He disrupted the flow of other teams flow on offense with his tenacious defense. He is just an overall play-maker."
While he hasn't quite "blown up" nationally, just yet, the interest level is rising for the class of 2013 guard. He has offers from Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, and Tennessee Tech. He also has interest coming in from the Tennessee Volunteers.
Middle Tennessee State is showing him the most love right now, which would be an absolutely huge recruiting coup for the program if they could land him playing both sports.
When it comes to what he is looking for the most in a college right now, he had this to say. "I'm looking for a relationship with coaches, tradition, and academics."
If you are looking for a player who he models his game after, look no further than one of the NBA's brightest stars. "Chris Paul. He is a great point guard. He gets his team the ball, and when it comes time to take over, he can do that too."
Unlike football where he is respected and feared by many people due to his talents, he is fueled by peers doubting his ability to play high-major basketball. That's okay, because if there's one thing Cornelius Elder loves, it's a challenge, and odds are, he will be suiting up for one of the best programs in the country not only playing football, but basketball as well.
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