By Rafal Juc
Gaining spot in starting five of top American high school team Findlay Prep (26-1), Amedeo Della Valle turned out into one of the hottest available guard in 2012 class. Italian shooter some time ago cut list of presumptive colleges to top 7, but it is still unknown with which one he will commit. "The buzz has always been that Arizona was strong with Amedeo Della Valle and there is no reason for me to think otherwise now", explains to us in exclusive talk Evan Daniels, national recruiting analyst for Scout.com. Despite great performances at last summer’s U18 European Championship, where Della Valle was scoring 15.1 points per game, Italian guard with dream to play in NCAA, was after all under the radar. Decision about coming over earlier and join Findlay Prep School, paid off to hairy shooter. After gaining spot in starting five of Pilots alongside top prospects from class 2012 like Anthony Bennett (still undecided), Dominic Artis (Arizona) or Winston Shepard (San Diego State), was appeared big buzz around Della Valle. Undeniably fully deserved.
"I've been impressed with his overall ball skills and versatility, but what really sticks out and what will translate the most to the collegiate level is his jump shot. It's one of his best attributes, as he has nice range, a fairly quick release and the confidence to shoot both off the catch and dribble", notes Evan Daniels, who run recruiting process on prestigious portal Scout.com. Nothing surprisingly that with the progress of time, interest in Della Valle showed even high-major schools at the head of Georgetown, Arizona, Connecticut, UCLA or Ohio State. As a effect of major increase in interest, 18-years old prospect has decided to narrow his list and remove from it: Utah, UMass, Portland and USC. Schools that remain are: UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Ohio State, California, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Kansas.
According to our knowledge, Della Valle will wait with final decision until March, after the basketball season with Findlay, however he made some unofficial visits on campuses of Arizona and California. "The buzz has always been that Arizona was strong with Amedeo Della Valle and there is no reason for me to think otherwise now. I do Saint Mary's and a handful of others were quick to make him a priority. Della Valle has been clear that he's not rushing his process and will take his time taking visits and making his college choice", explains Evan Daniels. How did it happen that Della Valle even without major achievements, especially statistically became tidbit practically for all NCAA big programs? "Well I think because of the team he plays for it can often be tough for him to put up big numbers and statistics. With that said, it's still easy to see his best attributes and get a good feel for his game. I certainly think he's a guy that will find a role in college and be effective as a utility guard that can handle a couple of different roles and positions" says specially for Eurohopes national recruiting analyst for Scout.com.
Twitter of the author: @rafjuc
