Prospect shows Krzyzewski thing or two
One glance into the bleachers provided Paul Jorgensen with some extra motivation Sunday afternoon.
Only a small collection of college basketball coaches attended the adidas Super 64 tournament championship at Rancho High School. Mike Krzyzewski, the one big name who did drop in, was easy to spot.
“I saw Coach K up there,” Jorgensen said. “That was awesome. Duke, that’s my dream.”
Krzyzewski was not there to watch Jorgensen, but the 6-foot-3-inch point guard showed him something anyway. Jorgensen scored 18 points to help New Heights NYC defeat the Milwaukee Rebels, 82-75.
Jorgensen, who will be a senior at Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, has about 20 scholarship offers, mostly from small schools. Fairfield, Fordham, George Washington and Harvard are on his short list. He shrugged and said he knows getting an offer from Duke is a long shot.
“We know if we play together as a team and win, the coaches will come out,” Jorgensen said.
Jordan Washington, a powerful 6-8 center, scored 17 points for New Heights and was named Most Valuable Player. After a series of runner-up disappointments, including a loss in last year’s Super 64 final, Washington was emotional.
“It’s my last year of AAU. I’ve been to the final four or five times and lost every time,” Washington said. “We kept our composure and fought hard. It feels great to win this championship.”
Washington, a senior-to-be who plans to attend Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, said Arizona, Marquette, Villanova and Xavier are among the programs recruiting him.
Krzyzewski’s sights were set on 6-9 forward Kevon Looney, ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 11 player in the class of 2014. Looney finished with 19 points for Milwaukee.
Damontrae Jefferson, a 5-6 hot dog of a point guard, made 6 of 14 3-pointers and led the Rebels with 32 points.
Krzyzewski had left the gym by the time Jorgensen and Washington were hoisting the trophy for New Heights.
Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@review journal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.
