Amir Garrett is one of the top small forwards in the Class of 2011 and he’s currently planning out his schedule of visits.
“He’s going to officially visit Kansas, Miami and Boston College,” Garrett’s coach, Matt Goren, said Wednesday by phone.
The 6-foot-6 Garrett has already visited St. John’s and Boston College unofficially.
Goren said Oregon, Wake Forest, Arizona State, Seattle and San Diego State were also involved.
“But right now I’m open,” Garrett recently told Wildcat Sports Report. “I want to listen to what the college coaches have to say.”
Goren is a Las Vegas native who transferred to national power Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep from Lawndale (Calif.) Leuzinger. He runs with the Belmont Shore AAU program and is ranked No. 16 among small forwards by Rivals.
A high-level, left-handed pitching prospect who throws 95 mph, Garrett will play this fall for the Yankees scout team in Los Angeles, Goren said.
He is abandoning baseball at Findlay but may still play in college.
“I’m not worried about it,” Garrett told Wildcat Sports Report. “It was not hard for me at all moving to Findlay even though they don’t have a baseball team. I’ve made my choice and I’ll make the best of it.”
For the immediate future, Garrett plans to focus on basketball and Goren said he can be an impact player at the next level.
“I think the greatest thing about Amir is, he’s a natural winner,” Goren said. “He’s extremely athletic. He can play hard on the defensive end. The one great thing that anyone should know about him is he takes pride in not letting anyone score on him.”
Offensively, Goren says Garrett has “transitioned from a forward to now he’s a 6-6 shooting guard. He has a long-range and mid-range game. For a tall guard he runs the fastbreak and is an unselfish player. He’s willing to pass. The unbelievable thing about him is he wants to see his team win every time. Whether he has to guard someone 6-10 or guard a 5-8 guy, he’ll do that.”
Garrett visited St. John’s in June and Goren said Steve Lavin’s staff is in good position.
“I’d say what Lavin presents to the situation is someone who understands players, having coached at UCLA. [Assistant coach] Rico Hines known as one of the best player-developers in the country. Mike Dunlap is known as a Norm Chow of basketball.
“And with nine scholarships [maybe 10], he’s bringing in his own players.”
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