By JOSH VERLIN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
PITTSBURGH — Andrew Fleming brings something a little different to Team Thad (Tenn.), and that’s become very apparent at the Pitt Jam Fest this weekend.
On a roster full of athletic, slashing wings, Fleming, a 2015 shooting guard out of Nashville (TN) Ensworth, stands out as a pure perimeter shooter, helping to space the floor for his teammates and knock it down when he’s left open. He did that with regularity in an 83-59 win over Team Paterson in the third round of the tournament, scoring a game-high 20 points, including four 3-pointers.
As of now, Fleming holds offers from Florida, Vanderbilt, Memphis, Nebraska, UNLV, Morehead State and Tennessee Tech. But since he’s made the move from the St. Louis Eagles to Team Thad for his final AAU season, several other high-majors have showed serious interest.
“Tennessee, their new coaching staff has already called me, Ohio State coach [Thad] Matta came to my school on Wednesday and watched me work out, Florida came to watch me work out on Monday,” he said. “Georgia’s getting in there, Ole Miss, Iowa too, some new schools.”
A Jacksonville, Fl. native, Fleming moved to the Nashville area as a freshman year in high school because of his mother’s job. He hopes to make his collegiate decision after the summer, once he’s got a better idea which schools are going to offer during the spring and summer live recruiting periods.
Ultimately, he said his decision will come down to “building the best relationship with the coaches.”
As far as an on-the-court fit: “In AAU it’s hard to show it, but using down-screens, I can use screens really well and get myself free for open shots and stuff like that, so whatever team can provide that, that’ll be good.”
Right now, Ensworth is ranked by ESPN’s recruiting services as the fourth-best prospect in the state of Tennessee and the 36th available shooting guard, but he’s working on his game to try and continue rising in the rankings.
He did show off the ability to take the ball to the rim when he was given the opportunity, though he’s clearly much more comfortable using screens and fading to spots on the perimeter to knock down long-range jumpers off the catch-and-shoot. If he can expand his arsenal to be able to create for himself off the wing, he could be one of the more dangerous scorers in his class.
“Pulling up, my midrange game and getting myself free, shooting off the dribble,” he said when asked what he was working on. “I know I can do it, but just continue to work on it.”
Photo: Josh Verlin
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