2021 West Oaks G A.J. Neal talks latest offers, summer ball and more
USF, FSU, UMass and Rutgers represent the four offers that have come this month for 2021 guard A.J. Neal.
The West Oaks guard previously had offers from Stetson and FIU and has drawn interest from Texas as of late.
A 6’0″, 150-pounder says coaches communicate with his parents telling him that he can be a really special player at the next level.
“I will play PG in college but I can also shoot the ball really well,” Neal told Prep Hoops Florida. “It means a lot to be recruited this early and makes me grind even more than I know how far I can go with this.”
Neal called his freshman season at West Oaks, a warmup year.
“I’m satisfied with it. Coach [Kenny] Gillion had to rely on my shooting some games cause everyone was off,” he said. “The best game I had was against Porter’s House when I scored 19 points.”
This spring and summer, Neal is playing for the Showtime Ballers, a program he’s been with since he’s 6 years old. His mother Diana is in charge of the organization.
“I love playing with Showtime Ballers cause it allows me to play my game and play with my best friend JJ [Harris] and plus it’s my mom’s program so it’s mine as well,” Neal said. “My game has grown so much being the man on my own team now I’m playing 17U and taking a huge step to develop more playing against bigger and stronger players.”
Neal pointed to his scoring as his biggest asset while he’s aiming to improve his on-ball defense.
There were moments last season that Neal was the best spot-up shooter on the floor for a deep and athletic West Oaks team. With Showtime featuring many West Oaks players, Neal is growing up and be more decisive with the ball. He’s taking control this summer and that should help his progress moving forward.