BY ZACH SMART
With Florida International, Ole Miss, and Northeastern in heightened pursuit of him, the old adage about the only easy day being yesterday now has special resonance with Class of 2019 prospect Idrissa Bivens. That’s because the 6-foot-4 guard out of The Nation Christian Academy (FL) now has a fight on his hands with the program’s ratcheted up in-house competition.
Oh yeah, we’re talking about practice.
With Bivens flanked by Class of 2020 Khyree Taylor in the backcourt and with Class of 2021 Jaden Levine arriving at the doorstep with an advanced skill set and a certifiable toughness, point guard has rapidly evolved into a bellwether position in the upstart second year program. The Nation also features an under the radar Class of 2019 point guard in Toronto native Josiah Tynes, who has shown an ability to quarterback a team while simultaneously establishing a dependable knockdown game.
“Everyday is a battle, because you know you have those guys gunning for your spot,” said Bivens, a New York native who can play both guard positions with his ability to knock down shots and create space. Coach (Mike) Woodbury makes sure we are never on the same team in practice. He always wants me guarding Khyree. Man, we go at it each other. It gets heated at times. It’s not a battle without a little trash talk. We want to make each other better.”
Bivens, who turned in an efficient account of himself when the team played IMG Academy and Anfernee Simons last season, is flushed into a prominent role.
“As a senior, it’s my job to hold these guys to a higher standard,” said Bivens, who also has offers from FGCU and Illinois State. “We devote so much time to ball handling and being able to make heady decisions with the ball in our hands.”
Ole Miss has wasted no time assessing the South Florida program’s ensemble of talent, as they recently offered 6-foot-8 Class of 2021 prospect Mohamed Sow. With his ability to shoot it from deep and score it in the one-on-one game, Sow has the potential to be a matchup headache at the next level.
HOFSTRA OFFERS NADOLNY
Walking by Scotland Campus Sports (Pa.) guard Clarence Nadolny, one might not expect him to pull off the dazzling displays of athleticism which only rarified athletes are capable of at this level. The Paris, France native puts his head on the rim at 6-foot-3.
Hofstra is the latest program to offer the high-rising Class of 2019 guard on Monday. Nadolny, who also holds offers from Rutgers, Dayton, and George Mason, said St. Bonaventure has been in most persistent pursuit of him as of late. With his prodigious vertical leaping ability and open court finishing, Nodalny has the tool set which aligns with today’s high major game.
Similar to the other uber-talented Frenchman, former West Oaks Academy star Sylvain “Frenchie” Francisco, Nodalny possesses sneaky explosiveness and the type of game-breaking scoring capable of sparking wild runs.
