By JACOB POLACHECK
Coming from the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood in San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, Class of 2021 combo guard Yerald Mieses is emerging as one of the top unsigned seniors in the country with a strong start to his senior season.
“I’m a score first guard,” Mieses said in a phone interview with ZAGSBLOG Wednesday evening. “During my sophomore and junior year, I was doing whatever. Now, I’m a point guard. I know what I’m doing. I know when to pass, when to shoot and where all my teammates are in the right spots on the court.”
After moving to the United States in 2018, Mieses suffered a major setback when he suffered a torn ACL at the end of his sophomore season.
“That process was really hard,” he said. “That was basically when everybody stopped believing in me. That was when everybody thought I wouldn’t come back the same.”
“Now, I feel better than before, to be honest with you. I feel great, perfect. I feel perfectly fine.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound combo guard from Hamilton Heights (TN) Christian Academy, is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game, while shooting 47 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range in 15 games this season.
“The most impressive thing is his resiliency,” Hamilton Heights head coach Steve Cook said. “He has had a lot of adversity through his time at Hamilton Heights and he has stayed the course.
“He’s stayed focused and has worked hard throughout,” he said. “This year he is enjoying the fruits of his labor. Being our leader on and off the court and being recruited to go to college.”
Ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 30 combo guard in the Class of 2021, Mieses has been receiving interest from a number of schools over the past two weeks including University of Washington, Southern Florida, UT-Chattanooga, Tulsa and Toledo, among others.
“I’m just focused on the season, giving it my best and everything I’ve got,” he said. “At some point, we will sit down and make a decision together.”
When the time comes for a decision, Mieses says he’s looking for a place that ‘feels like home’.
“I want a place where they’re going to make me better, not just as a player, but as a person,” he said. “A place that’s going to hold me accountable.”
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