Recruiting Report: A.J. Sawyers (2018)
The high school basketball season is less than a month away. Teams are putting the final touches during their offseason workouts to come into the first days of practice in the best possible shape. Last week, I made my way down to St. Paul’s, the home of the Crusaders and defending MIAA B Conference champions.
The Crusaders return a strong core group from last year’s championship squad. One of the seniors who will be leaned on heavily throughout is guard A.J. Sawyers. Sawyers and senior backcourt mate Trayon Wright will be the strongest guard duo you can find in the B Conference this season.
The 6’1 shooting guard averaged 10.7 points, four rebounds and 2.4 steals per game last season. His ability to score off the dribble makes him a threat every time he has the ball. Between Sawyers and Wright, opposing defenses have to be aware 100 percent of the time in terms of making crisp rotations because of their ability to get into the paint.
Sawyers is effective off the catch attacking holes in the defense quickly and finishing on either side of the rim. Whenever the opportunity presents itself to get out in the open floor, Sawyers pushes the ball and attacks the basket with one thing in mind: finishing.
Shooting wise, Sawyers is efficient in catch-and-shoot situations. He has good form and sticks his follow through until the ball goes through the net. His shot was something that was a point of emphasis in his offseason workouts.
Sawyers suffered an injury that kept him out a good chunk of the summer, but with it being his left wrist, it didn’t stop him from working on his form with his shooting hand. He also told Prep Hoops that during his time that he was sidelined, he worked on his conditioning. So even though Sawyers couldn’t technically play, he was still improving in all of the area that he could’ve.
The Crusaders will enter this season as the favorites in the B Conference. With player such as Sawyers, Wright and Ziggy Reid, their chances of bringing back a second title in two years are quite strong.
“We all know how to share the ball and get each other in positions to score,” Sawyers said. “Making sure everyone is involved is an important part of our playing style because it carries over into our defense. It makes every play harder so it makes it tough for the other team to score.”
Schools that have been in consistent communication with Sawyers include Widener University, Utica College, Bard College. Division II East Stroudsburg has also reached out to the 3.3 student. Sawyers recruitment remains open and he hopes to add to his list as he helps lead the Crusaders back to a successful season.