By JACK LeGWIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
Jermaine Haley has made quite a name for himself recently, showing that he could be one of the best players to come of Canada in the class of 2016 and one of the best players from British Columbia in the history of the province.
Haley says that he takes it as an honor to be compared to the former Suns and current Lakers point guard, as well as a figure that has been a big part of his development.
“It’s a great honor to be considered one of the best players ever from BC,” Haley told SNY.tv. “Up there with Steve Nash and my coach Pasha Bains who most say is the greatest high school player to come out of BC. I hope I can carry their legacies and make the province proud.”
Haley’s recruiting has exploded since June 15, in addition to his reclassification to the class of 2016, and he says that a select group of schools are working the hardest at the moment.
“People that are on me the hardest are Ohio State, Washington, Gonzaga, Memphis, Louisville, USC, and starting recently, Arizona,” Haley said. “A lot of new schools have been calling too, I just want to take my time and I’ll think about it more after the AAU season is done.”
Haley’s head coach during the summer, Pasha Bains, says that he’s never seen anyone like Haley come out of British Columbia, and that his game reminds him of a former NBA All-Star, thanks to his length and his skill in the backcourt.
“He’s a kid who loves the game and has improved a lot over the years,” Baines said. “He’s definitely one of the most special and best players we’ve ever had coming out of here. We’ve never seen a kid like Jermaine Haley out here, as far as a guard that is that tall, I always like to say Penny Hardaway. He’s the first guy that come to my mind when I see Jermaine play.”
Listed as a 6-foot-7 point guard, Haley has received offers from Louisville, Maryland, Gonzaga, Memphis, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Washington State, Boise State, Utah, New Mexico State, Oregon State, San Jose State, UNLV, UC Irvine, Utah State, Santa Clara, Portland and Wyoming.
Haley is blazing the path for a new group of basketball players in BC and it looks like he could become a household name, not only in Canada, but in all of North America.
Video- KSTL Productions
