Scout says UD recruit ‘hitting his stride’

Jesse Berry compared to Courtney Lee, who attended Western Kentucky and started as a rookie for Orlando in the NBA.

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer 10:05 PM Thursday, July 2, 2009

College basketball coaches were barred by the NCAA from scouting AAU tournaments and camps in the spring, meaning they haven’t been able to evaluate prospects in a competitive setting since the high school season ended in March.

They may be in for a surprise when they take a gander at Jesse Berry this month.

Dave Telep, the national recruiting director for Scout.com, had a chance in April and May to watch the Dayton recruit — who averaged 27.3 points for Lafayette (Ind.) Jefferson as a junior last season — and gave him glowing reviews.

“This looks like a guy who is hitting his stride right now,” Telep said. “These are always the most dangerous guys, the Courtney Lees of the world who get so much better heading into their senior year, who already had a resume of success and now have the confidence to go with it.”

The late-blooming Lee attended Western Kentucky, became a first-round NBA draft choice and started as a rookie for the Orlando Magic last season.

“I think what (the Flyers) have on their hands here is a guy who has a reputation for being a scorer and has delivered on the goods,” Telep said. “When I saw him, with his size — pushing 6-3 and about 175 pounds — I thought he was a guy who could get his own shot, who would really be an effective scorer in the Atlantic 10 and maybe down the road help them out as a secondary ball-handler.

“The big picture for Dayton is, this is a guy who was on the upswing, and to lock him up in advance of the July open period is a really big deal.”

Berry could be part of a potentially dynamic guard tandem in a couple of years with Oak Hill Academy’s Juwan Staten, who committed to UD last year. The Flyers also appear to be reserving another scholarship in this class for one more guard.

Brandon Spearman of Chicago and Cameron Wright of Cleveland have been offered full rides, but both said they’ll likely be weighing their options at least until the end of July. The 6-5 Wright also has offers from Wisconsin and Indiana, but was impressed with UD after a visit there last month.

The Flyers have another commitment in the 2010 class from versatile forward Ralph Hill of Westerville, and they no doubt are holding their final scholarship for Jefferson’s Adreian Payne.

There have been conflicting reports about the 6-10 center. Some say it’s past time he begins tapping into that enormous potential, while others believe he’s living up to his billing.

Telep is in the latter camp.

“To me, Adreian is one of the best players in the country. I think there’s going to be people lining up to get his services after July. Nobody has seen him since the end of the high school season. He has a chance to be an impact big guy,” Telep said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or at dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com

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