Derek Piper:
Future150 Midwest Analyst Covering high & middle school basketball. IL, IN, KY, OH, MI, MO & WI
Nashville, TN (Future150) -- Four-star 2015 point guard and Milwaukee native Damontrae Jefferson is simply one of a kind.
In the world of advanced scouting and analysis, we’re always looking for a comparison: whether it’s one prospect to another (Diamond Stone and Elijah Thomas) or a prospect to the finished product (Jalen Coleman and Jamal Crawford). But good look finding another player like Jefferson, a 5’7” lightning rod of excitement and swagger on the hardwood. He isn’t your typical…well…anything.
Jefferson has Spud Webb-like bounce, a sweet outside stroke and handles/crossovers you’d find in an AND1 mixtape. While sometimes criticized for being too flashy or self-absorbed, Jefferson is outstanding at creating for his teammates—throwing some of the best no-look passes you’ll ever see. For the sake of labeling, Jefferson could be considered a morph of Allen Iverson. Both have had plenty of knocks on them on and off the court, yet always seem to produce on the big stage. They also have a toughness about them that can never be shaken.
Jefferson put all of that on display in Chicago two weeks ago at adidas Unrivaled, as he went up against many of the top prospects in the country. From production alone, Jefferson is in that same group—and while he’s ranked No. 57 in the class by Future150, some scouts and coaches have questioned how his game translates to the next level. Jefferson silenced those critics in a big way in the adidas Unrivaled Junior Showcase on July 13th, in which he shined as bright as anyone on the floor.
“It was real exciting knowing that a lot of these players have some big names, and getting the opportunity to show how good I am against them, let me know which level I’m at out here. I think I did pretty good against the big names in this camp,” he said.
Some of those big names included Jaylen Brown, Jalen Adams, Carlton Bragg, Deng Adel, Chase Jeter, Brandon Ingram and others. The most important names, however, were those of the coaches that were watching the game on Sunday—and there were plenty of big-time programs in attendance.
“I’m blessed,” Jefferson said after the game. “I’m blessed to show my talent, and for them to all be watching me. It was like ‘just don’t mess up, put your best foot forward and leave it all on the court.’”
Since his standout performance in Chicago, Jefferson has picked up offers from Boston University, LaSalle, Memphis, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Tulsa, Washington and Western Kentucky—in addition to previous offers from Cleveland State and UC Irvine. He is also hearing from Auburn, Colorado State and Tennessee. More offers are sure to come, as Jefferson’s recruitment is just getting started. He said that ultimately he is looking for a program with good guard history, a fast-paced style, good coaching and a winning tradition.
For now, Jefferson is focused on continuing to impress college coaches as we enter the final July live period. He will play with the Milwaukee Runnin’ Rebels in Las Vegas this week.
Leave it up to Jefferson in Vegas to make some more programs want to roll the dice with him in the 2015 class.
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