By JACOB POLACHECK
Tamin Lipsey, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound point guard from Ames (IA) High School, currently holds offers from Iowa State, Nebraska and Minnesota.
He broke down each school for ZAGSBLOG Wednesday:
Iowa State: “I live in Ames and Iowa State is right there so I’ve always grown up watching them and stuff. It’s my hometown. They’ve always had pretty good point guards. Their latest great point guards were Tyrese Haliburton, who’s going to be in the draft this year and Monte Morris, who’s on the Denver Nuggets. I really looked up to them and Iowa State always seems to have those good point guards which is my position, so that’s their main pitch really for me.”
Nebraska: “Coach Fred Hoidberg, I’ve known him for a while. He used to coach at Iowa State and I played AAU with his two sons. I’ve known him for a long time. We have a good relationship and I know how great of a coach he is. He has experience in the NBA now. I know that last year was his first year and they’re just trying to build that team back up, get them better and they’re probably going to keep getting better each year.
Minnesota: “They really reached out this spring. I’ve watched them. They’re not too far from where I live, just a few hours. I know their coaching staff is amazing. I like the style of play they have, so they have a lot to offer too.”
In addition to his three offers, Lipsey has heard from Marquette, Virginia Tech, Iowa, California, Xavier, Illinois, Texas, Ohio State, Stanford, North Carolina, Arizona, Air Force and Holy Cross since schools began reaching out on Monday.
Lipsey has previously taken unofficial visits to Illinois, Michigan, Iowa State and Nebraska. He was planning on taking a visit to Minnesota before the coronavirus pandemic put recruiting visits on hold.
“It’s obviously up in the air, but if it’s open, I’d really like to go visit some of these schools that I haven’t been to and see what they have to offer,” Lipsey said. “I’d definitely like to visit a lot of these places.”
Lipsey when evaluating these schools, his relationship with coaches and players is paramount.
“The biggest thing for me would probably be having a relationship with the coaching staff and the players that are going to be on the team, like the incoming recruiting class,” he said. “That’s probably the biggest part that would play a role in our success as a team.
“After that, I’m really open to location and everything, but education is also a high priority for me.”
According to 247Sports.com, Lipsey is ranked as the No. 23 point guard and No. 93 overall player in the Class of 2022.
However, after missing the entire 2019-20 season due to a torn ACL, Lipsey has been cleared to play and is in a good position to move up in the rankings.
“It was a long recovery. I’m at 11 months now and I’m fully cleared to play,” he said. “I think I’m stronger than ever.
“I’m jumping higher and I’m more explosive. I definitely got the physical part of rehab down. I just have to get the mental part, knowing that I’m stronger and not thinking about it, just going out and playing my game.”
In terms of his game, Lipsey labels himself as a “floor general” point guard and says he likes to guard the opponent’s best player on defense.
“I can handle the ball and I like to make plays for my teammates and get them open shots,” Lipsey said. I’m a two-way player that likes to play defense a lot.
“On offense, I’m more of a slasher. I like to get to the bucket and everything. I like to shoot too, but that’s something I like to work out, improving my shot.”
Lipsey is a three sport athlete, competing in football as well as track and field.
When I’m not playing one sport, I’m probably working on another,” Lipsey said.
Photo: USA Basketball
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