By ALEX SCHIFFER
Special to ZAGSBLOG
After flip-flopping between St. Joe’s-Metuchen and Gill St. Bernard’s the past few months, Tyus Battle, one of the top incoming freshmen in the country, has decided to take his talents to Gill St. Bernard’s.
Battle, the son of Gary Battle, a 1,000 point scorer at Colonia high school in the 80’s and All-American at the University of New Haven, originally committed to Gill earlier in the year before switching to St. Joe’s Metuchen and then back again.
“St. Joseph is a great school, but I feel very comfortable at Gill St. Bernard’s, so that’s where I will be going,” Battle told John Haley of the Star Ledger.
“I feel the combination of the academic and athletic experience will be better for me. I really think it’s the best place for me to develop as a student and as a basketball player.”
Battle joins Jaren Sina, the Northwestern-bound point guard, on a program that finished in the USA Top 25 poll last season.
If Austin Colbert, Sina’s AAU teammate with Team Final, comes to Gill as well, the Knights will have a trio that can make a lot of noise in the Garden State as well as the national scene.
The 6-foot-4 Battle can play both guard positions but it’s his all-around skills that have really caught coaches’ eyes.
While in eighth grade, Battle played in the U17 division at certain showcases and backed up the hype averaging double-digits multiple times. Despite having never played a game of high school basketball Battle has already drawn interest from Rutgers, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Baylor, Villanova and Ohio State.
Battle started playing for Team Final on the AAU scene this year but switched to the NJ Roadrunners due to the commute from Jersey to Philly.
Nevertheless, Battle’s father has said Battle will play for Team Final next summer and through his high school career. Battle was recently named the top prospect in the 2016 class at the Hoop Scoop All-American camp in Louisville.
Despite all the hype and attention, Battle feels no pressure right now, telling Haley, “I don’t look at it as pressure because I’m used to the attention.”
“The way I look at it is that getting used to it now will help me in the long run,” he added. “It will get me prepared for the future.”
Photo: Bballspotlight.com
Follow Alex Schiffer on Twitter
