By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C — It’s been a busy summer for five-star prospect Dwayne Aristode. So far he’s attended a few camps, played with the Netherlands men’s national team and taken an unofficial visit to USC. And now he’s in the middle of playing in Peach Jam with Expressions Elite.
With all of that being said, Aristode needs a break.
“After this I’m going on vacation,” Aristode told ZAGSBLOG. “Vacation and then probably cut my list to which schools I still want to visit. And then I think I’m going be closer to a decision too. So yeah. Definitely by then I’ll know more.”
For his vacation, Aristode is just going to stay home, get some rest and hang out with his family. In addition to playing EYBL this summer, Aristode debuted on the Netherlands national team.
“It’s been great man,” Aristode said. “You know, always honored to put on my nation’s jersey and represent them. It was my first time playing with men, so it was a different experience for sure. A lot of physicality and pace and just IQ overall. It’s a different game.” Aristode not only learned a lot, but he performed. In the Netherlands friendly vs. Serbia, the Brewster Academy forward led the team in scoring with 13 points. “The coach puts a lot of trust in me,” Aristode said. “He sees me as part of the future of building a legacy for the Netherlands. You know, we’ve got some great talent coming in. I just do the basics first to get on the court. Play defense, overall shot making. He just let me play. With my size, being able to play guard, he just trusts me to play my game.” The No. 1 thing Aristode took away from the whole experience was knowing he still has a lot of room to grow. “A lot of work to do on my body still,” Aristode said. “And just knowing the game. Every play is important. Every play is going to determine whether you win or lose. Loose balls, dumb shots, good shots. It’s a different game out there for sure.” Last time Aristode caught up with ZAGSBLOG in Indianapolis, UCLA, Arizona, Wake Forest, Virginia and UConn were recruiting him hardest with Duke in the mix for a visit. He broke down those programs here. “I’m hearing from Arizona still,” Aristode said at Peach Jam. “I’m still talking to Wake Forest. Michigan State wants me to go on a visit. I’m still talking to everybody.” Most recently visit wise, Aristode took an unofficial visit to USC. He’s already taken officials to Wake Forest and Arizona last year as well as an unofficial to UCLA. “That was good man,” Aristode said of the early June USC visit. “I talked to coach [Eric] Musselman and coach [Will] Conroy. They showed me around. It was a good campus. They got a good development system out there. I like the team. I like the program they’re building. They did a good job at Arkansas, obviously. I just like the way they go. I definitely have high interest there. And you know LA is LA. It speaks for itself. Good weather. It’s great overall. Great vibes. I try to stay out of distractions and all that. It’s just great vibes always in LA.” On Musselman’s message: “Come here. He wants me to come right away. He likes my size. Me being able to play defense at my size. Also I attack the rim with my athleticism. I was a overall shot maker.” Last time Aristode chatted with ZAGSBLOG, he said he will be remaining in the 2025 class. Aristode also elaborated on the Arizona program and the success Tommy Lloyd has shown with international players. Lloyd had a hand in recruiting NBA talents Kelly Olynyk, Domantas Sabonis and Rui Hachimura while he was an assistant at Gonzaga. He’s carried that success to the head coaching job at Arizona, sending guys like Azuolas Tubelis and Bennedict Mathurin to the league. “I think he has the ability to make a relationship with them and understand where they come from,” Aristode said of Lloyd recruiting well internationally. “Its just different. It’s not a different mentality, but just a different way they see some certain things, in basketball and also in life. So I think him knowing that makes his relationship closer with European players. Knowing that when they come to the states, it’s like a different view of life. He knows that.” Aristode has previously played with Joventut in Spain in Europe and his father also played basketball at Montana State and for The Ivory Coast men’s national basketball team. Aristode is ranked the No. 18 prospect in the 2025 class by 247Sports. In his most recent Peach Jam game, the forward dropped 13 points with nine rebounds in an 87-75 win over the Florida Rebels. Expressions Elite currently sits at 2-1, putting them in a three way tie for second place in Pool D with two pool play games to go. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook🇳🇱National team debut for 17-year-old @Dwaynearistode2 , ranked top 20 by ESPN, was solid in his first game! 10pnts, 2ast an 2rebs in 23 minutes on the court against a youthful Belgium Team. Busy summer ahead with exhibition games against Serbia, Germany and EYBL Peach jam! pic.twitter.com/eNdSGsBkke
— Xavier van Lierop (@xaviervlierop) June 25, 2024
