Recruiting Report: RJ Blakney (2019)

We are now at the point of the calendar year where prospects are announcing their commitments. Most of which have already either scheduled or went on their official visits. There are however, always a number of prospects who wait it out until the early spring of their senior years to make a decision. St. Maria Goretti wing RJ Blakney will likely fall into the latter.

Blakney has 10 offers from schools including VCU, Old Dominion and St. Bonaventure among others. With more high major programs starting to express interest in the athletic 6-foot-5 wing, I've been told by multiple people that he will hold off to commit until around the spring to those interests to turn into potential offers.

A few weeks ago, Blakney was a standout at the Will Barton Elite Camp, playing alongside some of the best prospects in the country. I caught up with Blakney after the camp and spoke about a number of topics, including his spring and summer.

“When I made the switch from Team Melo to Team BBC it made me get tougher mentally,” Blakney continued, “I also felt like I could just play my game while also learning a lot about basketball in general. I took positives from both situations, so I just look at it all as one big blessing.”

While Blakney worked on being more dynamic off the dribble during his time with Team BBC, he understands there is still much room to improve.

“I need to continue working on my shooting,” Blakney said. “It's something I've really been focusing since the high school season ended. Also just continuing to build up my ball handling whether it's in the open court or traffic. I just have to keep getting in countless reps both on the court and in the weight room as well.”

Foreshadowing to this winter with St. Maria Goretti, Blakney will have a talented cast around him that includes Penn State commit Abdou Tsimbila, who will be an enforcer at point ends in the paint.

“Man, the expectation is a championship,” Blakney told Prep Hoops. “That's always our outlook. To win a championship and go to Alhambra. It starts day one in training camp and in the weight room. For me personally, I just want to be more consistent offensively. Whether that means scoring, handling the ball, anything I have to do to help us reach our goal.”

Per a source, Virginia will be in today to take a look at Blakney. He has also heard from Nebraska and Kansas. Blakney listed Towson, UMBC, St. Bonaventure and St. Joseph's as the schools who have remained in consistent contact.

If Blakney can make his jump shot more consistent, I don't doubt that he could produce for a high major program. His elite athleticism and explosion gives him the blueprint that any coach at the level would love to work with.

What can a program expect if they were to get Blakney?

“You're going to get a complete player,” Blakney continued, “someone who goes hard on both ends, dials in mentally and is going to be a leader.”

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Blakney is a top-10 prospect in his respective class. To see the full 2019 Maryland Player Rankings, click here.