The calls from college coaches started to blow up for Dwayne Bacon when he was only a freshman in high school. Thirty scholarship offers later, his NBA dream is suddenly within reach.
Dwayne Bacon is ready for his next challenge at Oak Hill
The wing in the class of 2015 has his list cut to 10 schools.
Bacon cut his list on Aug. 15 to 10 schools: SMU, Oklahoma State, Florida State, South Florida, USC, Auburn, Tennessee, Georgetown, UNLV and Georgia Tech all still in the running.
The 12th-ranked prospect in the nation according to 247Sports will visit Florida State on Sept. 5, then head to Knoxville to see Tennessee on Oct. 6.
But before deciding where he will spend at least one year in college, Bacon will first have to adjust to a new high school. He has transferred from McKeel Academy to Oak Hill Academy for his senior year with the sole dream of making the pros on his mind.
The NBA is already riddled with Oak Hill alumni, including Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony and Rajon Rondo.
Bacon put it simply.
“Oak Hill makes pros and that’s what I want to be,” he said.
His future head coach in Mouth of Wilson, Va., Steve Smith, isn't looking quite as far down the road as his new star and is able to see what Bacon brings to the Warriors immediately.
“Dwayne has a tremendous offensive skill set,” Smith said. “He has great three-point range and seems to be able to get to the basket at will. He also is a tremendous passer and can create shots for his teammates.”
Not that Oak Hill gained its reputation for churning out NBA-level talent by just gushing over its five-star toys every season. Smith sees area for improvement in Bacon’s game and is eager to help.
“His only weakness is simply playing all out every possession on both ends of the floor,” he said. “The game comes easy to him. As he adds strength to his body this year, he should be considered one of the best guards nationally in the 2015 class.”
It’s not just those closest to Bacon who have come away impressed with his skillset. New York basketball legend and scout Tom Konchalski watched him play at the Reebok Classic X in Rucker Park earlier this summer and did not hesitate to share his thoughts on how Bacon’s game has progressed.
“The biggest improvement in his game is he has become a terrific three-point shooter,” Konchalski said. “That was his Achilles heel six months ago and he has really worked purposely on it, and he has become a very, very good shooter. He’s a 6’6 wing, who can really score.”
Bacon dropped 30 at the Reebok Classic X, just days after taking home MVP honors at the annual Big Strick Classic in the Bronx. He’s mastered the local circuit, grown out of his local high school and captured the attention of the smartest minds in the game.
Where does Bacon go when he’s done at Oak Hill? Not even he knows. But his dream is slowly coming closer to reality.
See More:
