By ADAM ZAGORIA
Al-Amir Dawes, the 6-foot-2 combo guard from The Patrick School (N.J.) and the NJ Playaz, has set two official visits, he told Pat Lawless of prepcircuit.com.
Dawes, who has already taken an unofficial visit to Providence and had a home visit with coach Ed Cooley, will begin his official there on Thursday (Sept. 20). He will then visit Clemson Sept. 27-29. A visit to UConn could follow, he told Lawless.
Dawes lists a top eight of St. John’s, Seton Hall, UConn, Providence, TCU, Clemson, La Salle and Wichita State.
2019 @JSnjPlayaz and @patrickschool G Al-Amir Dawes is down to 8 pic.twitter.com/j7xxsnaO5p
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) September 12, 2018
He broke down several schools for Lawless:
Providence: “I’m looking forward to the fan support over there,” said Dawes. “I want to see their style of play when I’m there for practice. I want to see how I would fit in there as an athlete and a student. I just want to get the feeling of being an athlete on campus.”
Clemson: “The conversations I’ve been having with them is what it would be like if I were to go there,” Dawes said. “We have been talking about how comfortable I’d be there, how the fans are and the people who will be around me. They’ve just been talking about making me feel comfortable there.”
UConn: “Coach [Dan] Hurley loves playing guards and he has been telling me that I am very tough,” Dawes said. “He tells me that he needs a tough and smart guard. He wants me to make plays and make people better. He thinks I fit in there and he would love to have me.”
St. John’s: “It’s in Queens, but when you step onto the campus you see the arena and where people are staying. It has its own identity, which is cool. Coach [Chris] Mullin and Coach [Matt] Abdelmassih believe in me as well.”
An athletic combo guard who plays at the same program that produced Kyrie Irving, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Nick Richards, Dawes averaged 16.8 points, 4.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds with the Playaz on the Nike EYBL circuit.
“Al-Amir has improved his work ethic, which has translated into a outstanding spring and summer,” Patrick School coach Chris Chavannes said. “I think one of the best honors you get in the summer is to be consistently chosen as one of the top players in each of the EYBL sessions. Al has been very consistent this summer. I am very happy with his progress and improved work ethic.”
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