By MIKE GRIMALA
Special to ZAGSBLOG
LAS VEGAS — Braxton Blackwell knew he’d be popular this summer.
As a 6-foot-7 rising junior, college coaches were allowed to begin contacting the Nashville (TN) C.P.A. small forward directly on June 15, and after averaging 19.6 points and 11.2 rebounds for his high school team last year, he figured to receive plenty of attention.
But after showing well on the summer circuit, Blackwell’s status has risen even higher. He’s rated as a consensus top-40 player in his class, and this week he was one of the most impressive 2016 players in Las Vegas at the adidas Super 64.
In the midst of his breakout summer, Blackwell is just enjoying the ride.
“It’s been pretty cool,” Blackwell said. “Just getting different texts and calls from coaches all across the country—it’s a blessing to be recruited, so it’s pretty fun.”
A Tennessee native, Blackwell uses a smooth, polished offensive arsenal to score from all areas of the court. He can play multiple positions, and he hit 40.7 percent of his 3-point attempts during the high school season.
Blackwell said that Indiana, Providence, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Ohio State have been in contact the most since June 15, while noting that a lot of other schools have been in touch as well.
Despite all the recruiting attention, Blackwell hasn’t begun seriously weighing his options.
“I’m just kind of sitting back and enjoying it right now,” Blackwell said. “I haven’t really started to get into that.”
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