Ari Rosenfeld:
Future150 Regional Analyst. Covering high school basketball in the Mid-Atlantic.
Charlottesville, VA (Future150) -- Having made a commitment to Florida late in his junior season, DeAundrae Ballard was able to take a pressure-free approach to last month’s NBPA Top 100 camp.
As opposed to the uncommitted prospects playing to impress the litany of national scouts in attendance, Ballard was instead able to just go out and play while also focusing on the wealth of off-court opportunities that the Charlottesville, Virginia camp offers.
“It’s been great. We’ve had a lot of speakers come in, change my life, hit points in my life that made me better as a person,” the Atlanta native said. “I just want to become great as a person, not just basketball but life. Teach me how to mature as a young man, teach me how to stay on a straight path.”
One of the better bucket-getters in the 2017 class, Ballard showed off his top-notch scoring instincts both in Charlottesville and at the Peach Invitational Tournament in Augusta during the first July live period. The #69 ranked prospect in our 2017 rankings, he gets most of his points via his jumper, as he’s perfectly comfortable pulling up for threes or using his dribble to create space for his midrange game.
With his college plans already ironed out, Ballard used the AAU and camp seasons to prove his elite intangibles.
“All I’m trying to prove is that I’m a fierce competitor,” he said. “I play hard every game and play to the best of my ability. I just want to show people how hard I play.
“Really just my energy, my effort. I’m rebounding, slashing, cutting, playing defense, and also scoring.”
Ballard joins Canadian product Shai Alexander to form a strong two-man class so far for Mike White and the Gators.
While his April commitment to Florida came as a bit of a surprise, it was the atmosphere around the program that sealed the deal for the SEC power.
“First was just family. I believe in family, family is everything. The love, the support they have down there is wonderful, along with everything else,” Ballard said. “I can bring my leadership and my energy and my effort. I believe that.”
WIth his commitment behind him, Ballard plans to use his senior season to get better and prepare to make an immediate impact at the college level.
“My goal is to get better and be the greatest I can be as a person, off the court and on the court.”
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