Michael Hurt has spent the last four months discovering that he's an ever better basketball player than he thought.
The Rochester John Marshall 6-foot-7, 190-pound junior came to the realization while playing on an elite Minnesota AAU team. D1 Minnesota has been all over the map this spring and summer, including playing in high-level tournaments in Dallas, Orlando and Indianapolis. But the notion of Hurt being a true up-and-coming star wasn't solidified until this past weekend in Chicago.
That's where Hurt went against the best of the best in the nation, and more than hung in there. The sweet-shooting forward was among 100 high school players invited to Adidas Unrivaled, a skills camp done under the direction of NBA athletes, with hordes of college coaches looking on.
"I think I showed the (college) coaches and evaluators what I can do," Hurt said. "I tried to make the most out of it. Playing at the speed (of elite players) was unreal at first. It was kind of an adjustment. But it was cool, because all of it is in preparation for eventually playing at the next level."
It's never been a question about whether Hurt was talented or driven enough to play in college. It was just a matter of figuring out which level of college that would be.
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He's got a better sense of that now. Evaluated previously as a low to mid-major college talent, Hurt has elevated himself into a high range now. The Big Ten Conference may be where he ultimately competes, with Minnesota showing strong interest in him.
Last-minute addition
Scouts loved what they saw of him in Chicago. Interesting, too, because Hurt wasn't even invited to Adidas Unrivaled until the day before the event, after a player originally slotted to participate backed out at the last minute.
Showing off his 3-point shooting touch (he hit better than 50 percent of his treys) and acumen for the game, Hurt stood out from the beginning of the four-day camp. He was so good that he was invited to play in the tournament-ending all-star game on Sunday.
That went even better. Hurt scored 14 points, getting to the hoop and the free-throw line with drives and ball fakes.
"I found other ways to score besides shooting 3-(pointers)," Hurt said. "It was cool (taking part in the camp). I'd never played on that level before."
It also reinforced to Hurt that he has a ways to go. He'll put the time in. Hurt estimates that he works on his basketball game an average of four hours per day.
"This showed me where I need to put the work in," said Hurt, who is concentrating on his dribble drives to the basket. "Every day there are people in gymnasiums, working as hard as I do. I can hold my own now. But this set the standard for how hard I want to work in the future."
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Hurt is not just putting in the work for himself and a future college scholarship. Just as much on his mind is taking the John Marshall program to a new level. With Hurt averaging 17 points and nine rebounds last season, the Rockets reached the Section 1AAAA championship, but then got drilled by eventual state champion Lakeville North.
Hurt, who likely will be joined in the JM starting lineup next year by 6-8 eighth-grade brother Matthew Hurt, is aching to make it to the state high school tournament.
"I knew that these camps would be a great opportunity to get better," he said. "I want to prepare myself for next season. If we want to make it to state, we all have to get better."
