james banks syracuse
Syracuse recruit James Banks competed at the NBPA Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Va.
(Donna Ditota | dditota@syracuse.com)
Charlottesville, Va. — James Banks lives in suburban Atlanta and plays high school basketball there. And yet the 6-foot-11 center includes Syracuse on his list of potential college destinations.
Banks, who is participating this week in the NBPA Top 100 in the University of Virginia, said he drew the interest of the Orange when SU assistant coach Mike Hopkins spotted him playing AAU basketball.
"They just saw we on the circuit, the Adidas Gauntlet," Banks said. "I was playing well, Coach Hopkins reached out to me for the program and they made an offer."
Banks said Syracuse has a "nostalgic" appeal. He considers SU "a great school with a great tradition." Because of his size, his skill set and his late-entry into the game of basketball, he has been hotly pursued in the Class of 2016. He recently made a visit to Kentucky, where he met with coaches, toured the facilities "and got to see BBN in action." (That's Big Blue Nation for the uninitiated.)
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Banks this week has shown the inclination to park himself in the post and call for the ball. He's active on the glass and has developed a soft jump hook shot within the last year, he said. Like most young big men, he lacks upper body strength that will improve as he ages.
"I like to control things I can control. I run the floor, I rebound, I block shots. I score when necessary, when I need to," he said. "And I put the ball in the hole. I'm versatile. A lot of coaches like me because I just started playing, I got a lot of upside."
Banks is playing on a Top 100 team this week with fellow Atlanta resident Alterique Gilbert, a quick, shifty point guard Syracuse is also recruiting. Banks said he, Gilbert and Kobi Simmons talk privately about their potential college destinations. Banks said he likely will decide some time this summer on a school. He declined to reveal whether certain programs were making more of an effort to recruit him than others.
"I think that would be unfair," he said. "A lot of schools are recruiting me really hard and have made me a top priority."
Banks is looking for a college that provides a comfortable atmosphere, a place where he can grow and prepare for the next level of his life.
"I want to be comfortable with the coaching staff," he said. "As well as game play, minutes, all those types of things."