The Basketball Interview: Timmel “Melo” Eggleston

Heading into his senior season, Melo Eggleston had a decision to make. Should he stay in Maryland and continue to be one of the top high school players in his class, or should he transfer to a prep school in order to maximize his potential both on and off the floor?

He ended up choosing to attend Notre Dame Prep (MA), a prep school that has manufactured countless high Division 1 talents and even NBA players such as Michael Beasley. It wasn't an easy decision to make, but Eggleston knew it was one he had to make at that time.

"Spending my senior year away was different, because I was so far and not seeing my family," Eggleston told PrepHoops. "But it helped prepare me for college because that's what it's going to be like. As far as my game, it made me play a lot harder that I already did, and my jump shot has improved tremendously."

Before attending Notre Dame Prep, Eggleston had already committed to Wake Forest despite holding offers from Connecticut, Georgia, Georgia Tech, LSU, Miami, Oregon State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, and more. Quite the list. For the 6-8 wing, the coaching staff at Wake Forest is what won him over.

"What made wake forest stand out was the relationship I had with the coaches," Eggleston said. "They just helped me with so much and gave me advice as if I was already a part of their programs. Also I'm just what they need in terms of helping the team."

The Demon Deacons have some great young talent on their roster, but what is missing is a dynamic scorer from the wing. That's where Eggleston comes in. He can put the ball in the bucket from all three levels whether it's off the dribble or off a catch and shoot situation. The ground he can cover with his first step on top of his ability to shoot the long ball makes it extremely difficult on his match up during close-outs.

Wake Forrest commit Melo Eggleston (@LocalCeleb_ ) is the winner of the dunk contest thanks to this: pic.x.com/8Cq1kXLKk1

— Colby Giacubeno (@ColbyGHoops) March 18, 2017

(Eggleston uses 6-11 Iowa commit Luke Garza and 6-8 La Tech commit Anthony Duruji to win the slam dunk contest)

Eggleston recently played in the Crab Ball Classic, a very competitive all star game featuring more than 12 Division 1 commits. He led Team Washington to a win over Team Baltimore scoring 20 points (including four triples), eight rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes. Playing in these postseason all star games is the fun part for Eggleston, but soon, he'll hit the road again. This time, it'll be to start his journey as a Demon Deacon and ultimately chase his goal of playing in the NBA.

"I've asked the coaches do they think I could make it to the NBA and all of that," Eggleston said. "Me and coach Manning talked about it and he said yes, I have all of the tools, but it's on me how hard I work, it's a marathon not a sprint so everything won't just come at one time you know."

https://twitter.com/The1st_JMG/status/841142172799905792

Eggleston has made the right decisions throughout his basketball journey. Choosing to play for a former two-time NBA All-Star in Danny Manning seems to be yet another smart choice that will give him a great chance of fulfilling his dreams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6inkEsQw4jg