Recruiting Report: PJ Flannery (2018)
PJ Flannery (2018) has a basketball skill-set, body, and mentality that can be plugged into a number of lineups. He’s a selfless leader that can defend 2-4, hit the jumper, and compete on the block.
Surprisingly though, the 6’3” Lakewood St. Edward senior only has the attention of John Carroll in the recruiting process.
“I’ve had a few letters here and there but those don’t happen anymore. My main contact has been John Carroll. That’s where my brother obviously goes to school and then they’ve kind of been to a lot of my games,” Flannery said.
PJ’s brother Sean Flannery is a sophomore guard for John Carroll. Reuniting the siblings in University Heights is one of JC’s pitches.
“It’s one of the aspects they’re always talking about, play with my brother again and bring it back. We could bring back the little duo we had in our summer games when we used to play when we were younger,” PJ said.
Besides John Carroll, Flannery, a 3.6 GPA student with a 26 ACT score, has applied to larger universities with academics in mind.
“A lot of the other schools I have applied to are all Division I basketball schools, and then no other D-III school has actually reached out to me,” Flannery said. “But if I can play basketball wherever I go, I would love to.”
Flannery knows he will enter a Business Finance program in college. He has a rare sense of future plans by high school senior standards.
“When I’m older, I kind of want to do something with sports. I’ve always talked to my parents about something with a front office job. Just working with a sports team, just getting an internship early on because thankfully my dad has some connections in the business,” Flannery said.
Flannery’s father, Eric, is a coach with USA Basketball and the head coach of St. Eds. PJ’s basketball relationship with his father led to his team-first approach.
“I’ve been around [basketball] my whole life, from camps to watching my dad’s former players play, going to watch USA coaches as well … Gives me a better understanding for the game and what I need to do. Lot more respect for certain players and knowing your role,” PJ said.
Flannery’s respect for the game and teammates was evident during the interview. When asked about the key to St. Ed’s success this season, Flannery gave a thorough 58-second answer mentioning every player on the team, by name, except for himself. In truth, Flannery’s blend of perimeter shooting and defensive flexibility is key. He’s a glue-guy who takes pride in instilling leadership qualities in their sophomores and is a vital member of this State Championship caliber unit.
If you want to see it for yourself, St. Edward plays at rival St. Ignatius on Saturday at 7 p.m.