By CHARLIE PARENT
INDIANAPOLIS — Aleks Alston, a four-star rising senior, has displayed a wide skillset at the past weekend’s first EYBL live period in Indianapolis, scoring the ball from all three levels, rebounding and running the floor.
The 6-foot-9 stretch-forward has been nicknamed the ‘Serbian Sniper’ for his coveted perimeter shooting and family roots in Serbia.Alston has been connected to his Serbian community, giving him a built in support system for his growing basketball career.
“My mom, she was born there [Serbia],” he told ZAGSBLOG. “The nickname came up when I was a freshman, hitting shots at a high clip. Basketball is everything down there, having that support system. I wasn’t born there, but because I’m 50-50, they still support and show love; it’s crazy. I can’t way to get over there and really see what it is. I want to get in a gym there.”
With impressive play this past high school season and now spring, Alston has had a surge in recruitment, as Ohio State, DePaul, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois have all been in pursuit.
The Chicago native is built on the city’s toughness, competing on every play and continuous energy throughout.
“I’m going to bring running the floor, spacing the floor and passing. [Also,] the ability to score the ball when I need to while making the right plays. At the end of the day [I want to] be tough, get down there and battle with everybody and give my all.”
Alston broke down some options:
Illinois: “It’s good. The program, every year they lose somebody, and then bounce back. Definitely this year, I want to see what they got going on, losing guys like Terrence Shannon, so I really want to watch how they improve on that; I think they’ll do really well.”
Ohio State: “They’re good, they’ve been reaching out. They’re back in play, I think after he [Jake Diebler] got the job, a couple weeks later I started getting messages.” “They’re just checking on me, seeing how I am and my family. They’re interested in my game and want to continue to recruit [me].”
DePaul: “They treat me like I’m the number one priority, and that’s a blessing. They [the staff] were at Ohio State and recruiting me hard, now they’re really recruiting me hard, especially how it’s in my backyard, it’s even better.”
Follow Charlie on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
