Panther prospect drawing interest

Matt Scott finished his career at Lakeside with more than 2,000 points. No other player from the CSRA can make that claim. However, during the season the calls were not coming in from college coaches at the rate expected.

Scott had done his part, being named to the All-Star Game at the prestigious 5-Star Camp in Pennsylvania which is run by basketball recruiting guru Howard Garfinkel. While at 5-Star, Scott also was MVP of the Championship Game, and Garfinkel raved about Matt's tremendous shooting ability. Garfinkel started calling Matt "J.J. Redick," because his game is so similar to the Duke sophomore, who is considered the best shooter in college basketball.

So when Scott turned down several offers from Division I programs in the early signing period, it seemed as if he had done the right thing. As Lakeside's season went on Scott was contacted by some schools, but the interest did not seem to be as high as it should for such an accomplished talent. Scott was named The Columbia News-Times and The Augusta Chronicle Player of the Year this season after pouring in nearly 28 points per game.

Finally, it seems as if his patience is paying off. Division I programs are starting to contact the Scott family. He has a standing offer from Campbell University of the Big South Conference. Also, it appears Georgia Southern will make a formal offer at an in-home visit Thursday.

Perhaps the most interesting offer came from the University of Cincinnati. The Bearcats program often is annually ranked in the top 15 and has produced a number of NBA stars, such as Nick Van Exel. Cincinnati wants Scott to spend a year at a prep school before joining the Bearcats, but they are definitely interested in his services.

If you are wondering how Cincinnati found out about Scott while similar programs closer to Columbia County have not shown much interest, let me explain. Cincinnati assistant coach Keith Legree (a former Bearcat guard himself), played high school ball at Statesboro High School. While at Statesboro, Legree was a star guard for current Blue Devil coach Lee Hill. Hill was stunned to hear that Scott did not have more offers, so when Legree called to asked about the Lakeside sharpshooter, Hill was quick to tell Legree that Scott was a player.

Cincinnati and Georgia Southern will likely not be the only schools to go after Scott in the next few weeks. And, of course, I will keep you updated on the offers as they come in.