While many of his fellow high school basketball standouts are finishing up on the AAU circuit, Ricky Ledo is training with the Puerto Rican National Team and planning his college visits.
The 6-foot-7 Ledo, the No. 1 shooting guard in the Class of 2012, said he is planning to visit Syracuse, UConn, Kentucky and Providence, although no dates have been set.
“I plan on visiting Syracuse and UConn and Kentucky and some other schools,” he told SNY.tv Thursday by phone.
“Those are just schools I want to visit. I don’t have a top [five]. I have friends at UConn and friends at Syracuse.”
Ledo said he is particularly close with incoming Syracuse shooting guard Michael Carter-Williams.
“Mike Carter is like my brother,” Ledo said. “He’s like my brother. He’s like a real close friend. I’m gonna go up there and visit Syracuse because I know he’s up there.”
Ledo also has close ties to the defending national champs.
“I know Tyler Olander at UConn, and Shabazz Napier and Alex [Oriakhi] from AAU,” Ledo said. “We’re pretty close friends. We joke around a lot with each other. I’m gonna go see UConn with them.”
Ledo doesn’t have any close friends at Kentucky, but also plans a visit there.
“I have no people I know there but I plan on visiting Kentucky,” Ledo said. “But I don’t know when.”
A Providence native and onetime Providence commit, Ledo also plans to see the Friars under new coach Ed Cooley.
“Providence is right in the backyard of my house,” he said. “I’m going to obviously see them a lot.”
Ledo, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is in Puerto Rico with his AAU coach, Todd Quarles, until Saturday practicing with the National Team.
“It’s a different style overall in the international game,” said Ledo, who plans to visit his great-grandmother and other relatives. “It was a lot less dribbling. You don’t dribble at all, just moving a lot.”
For a guy who’s used to creating off the dribble, that is an adjustment.
“It’s kind of weird because a lot of the times when I’m scoring, I’m coming off a pick and I’m dribbling and scoring so it’s an adjustment,” he said.
Ledo is one of 24 players trying out for 12 spots on the National Team that will compete in Olympic qualifying Aug. 31-Sept. 11 in Argentina. Former BU guard John Holland of The Bronx and former Kansas State point guard Denis Clemente are also trying out.
NBA players J.J. Barea and Carlos Arroyo also figure to make the team, but are not among the group of 24 trying out.
“There are two or three guys who are going to make the team who aren’t even part of the 24,” Quarles said.
“With him being the young guy they aren’t necessarily looking to set him up. So he has to figure out ways to score. All of a sudden he hits a couple shots and he gets excited.
“You can see his ability. He’s got to get the strength and the maturity and learn the international game a little bit better.”
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