By JACK LeGWIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
WINTER HAVEN, Fla.– Eric Hester is making a name for himself as one of the top guards in the class of 2016.
Hester made the transfer to Oldsmar Christian School (Fla.) last year in the spring and he says that it has gone smoothly for him.
“I’ve been playing pretty well so far this year,” Hester told SNY.tv at the Josh Giles Invitational on Saturday. “It’s been a lot different, a lot of good competition, I’ve been adapting to it well.”
Hester’s coach at Oldsmar Christian School, Jordan Fair, says that Hester is a big part to the team’s success this year.
“He really defends, he’s probably our best defender,” Fair told SNY.tv after a loss to Lakewood on Monday night. “He hits shots and provides us with another scorer and shot maker. Right now, he’s trying to make the transition to playing the point which isn’t easy for anyone who’s used to being a scorer their whole life, but he’s been a very good defender and shot maker for us.”
Ranked 27th in the class of 2016 by 247 Sports, and the 3rd ranked combo guard in the nation, Hester, listed at 6-foot-3, has received offers from Louisville, Southern California, Miami, Ole’ Miss, South Florida, and TCU.
“Right now, Eric has about 5 to 10 high major offers,” Fair said. “Georgetown has shown interest, Florida State, South Carolina, Florida is recruiting him pretty hard right now.”
However, there are 4 schools that are showing the most interest.
“I would say Louisville, Florida, Florida State, South Carolina,” Fair said.
Hester is a sophomore on an Oldsmar Christian team that is laden with older talent, including South Florida bound Troy Holston, unsigned nationally ranked small forward Jeff Garrett, and Oregon State signee Isaiah Manderson.
“They really help me get better everyday in practice,” Hester said. “Playing against Troy, Jeff and all of those high offer guys helps me.”
Photo: Jack LeGwin
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