Prospect Update: Aaron Deloney (2019 Grant HS/Rose City Rebels)
One thing was crystal clear at the Rose City Showcase – there was no doubt that Aaron Deloney was the top performer on the floor in the finals of the Elite 17U division. The 6-foot rising senior from Grant High School put his teammates on his back, scoring in every which way imaginable on his way to 38 points, willing the Rebels to a thrilling 105-100 overtime win over the highly regarded Northwest Panthers.
As amazing as the performance was, can you believe Deloney only scored three points in the team’s opener on Friday night? In that game he served as a distributor with a team-high six assists in an easy blowout victory. “Whatever my team needs,” Deloney said. “Depending on the game if I need to distribute to get them going or if I need to get buckets that game, whatever I need to do, I try to do that.”
The ability to serve as just a playmaker, scorer – or at many times both – exudes a maturity in Deloney’s game. While he’s probably most well known as a drop-dead scorer who can fill it up from three point range in a hurry at Grant, Deloney can easily drop into a different role in a heartbeat when needed. This was the case on the EYBL circuit where while wins were tough to come by, it was a good experience – he led the team in scoring (15.4 ppg), assists (3.3 apg), and three-point field goals made per game (2.6).
“Even though we had a pretty bad record, the exposure was very nice and it was great competition,” Deloney said. “It was very fun.”
Deloney currently holds Division I scholarship offers from Portland State, Eastern Washington, Cal Baptist and Northern Colorado while others like TCU, Kansas State, San Diego, UMass, and Marquette have been in contact. He remains wide open and committed to playing out the month of July with the Rebels before making any decisions.
“I’m really trying to wait until the end of this summer,” Deloney said. “I’ll weigh my options out then and then decide. I’m going to take some visits and I’ll look at if I have a good relationship with the coach and the environment. I want to stay away from distractions and have good relationships with everybody.”
While the Rebels didn’t qualify for the Peach Jam, they will be playing a competitive schedule this summer and Deloney is ready. “I just want to win games and get better,” Deloney said. “That’s my ultimate goal.”
Deloney currently ranks as the #2 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.