Pe'Shon Howard - PG - Oak Hill Academy - Cleveland, OH/ Mouth of Wilson, VA

http://rivalshoops.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?Sport=2&pr_key=60129

http://indiana.scout.com/a.z?s=170&p=8&c=1&nid=3096041

ESPN INSIDER

Evaluation

January, 2009: Howard has the versatility to play as a combo-guard. He has very good strength and does a nice job of using this advantage, especially on the defensive end. Howard has decent lateral quickness and when combined with his high level of strength, he has the ability to wear down opposing ball-handlers. When he has the ball in his hands, he relies more on his strength and craftiness with changing speeds off the dribble to get to the rim, given the fact that he does not have outstanding lateral quickness when he has the ball in his hands. Howard will shoot the perimeter jumper with range that extends to the 3-point line, but he has to become much more consistent from the perimeter, especially from 3-point range. He would also benefit from adding a mid-range pull-up to his game as well as a floater, which will allow him to score when he does not get all the way to the rim. Howard will have to become a much better shooter if he wants to remain at the shooting guard spot on the next level, which may rank as a challenge given his lack of height for the 2-spot, which is where he will probably end up as he does not rank as a full-time point guard at this point. Howard gives good effort and plays hard throughout games.

December, 2008: Howard is a strong and physical combination guard that is much more a shooting guard than a point guard. He is strong and physical and gets to the rim in transition at will as well as in the half court. He finishes through contact with ease and can make a play off the dribble at anytime with a variety of dribble moves. He loves to attack mostly going to his right and goes by his defender with deceptive speed and by using his body to protect the ball from the defender. He must improve his three point perimeter shooting where he is streaky at best and involve teammates more often if he wants to see more action at the point although he can set the offense and make a scoring play at end of clock or in must score situations. Howard is a good on ball defender and seldom gives up penetration into the lane. He does a great job of keeping his distance from the offensive player but he is still close enough to make the ball handler feel his presence. He plays hard and competes at all times.

July, 2008: Very strong and physical and a good scorer. Runs the lane in transition and can get to the rim. Can score through contact. Shoots the 3 off the catch or the pull up jumper, but his strength is attacking off the dribble. Can start a scoring drive with either hand to get to the rim but seemed to favor going right when he had to make a play under stress. Uses the crossover, between-the-legs and hesitation dribbles to get by his defender. Can get into the lane against taller defenders because of his strength. Also played the point during camp but we're not convinced he is a point guard. Didn't show great breakaway speed or escapability and looks to score first although he can penetrate and kick. Did a great job on the offensive glass with a couple put-back baskets and keeping the ball alive in a crowd. Decent defender because he understands distances from the ball handler and uses his strength to keep ball handlers in front of him by using his chest. Must continue to develop as a point guard if he wants it to be a position he plays consistently in college.

June, 2008: Howard is a combo-guard whose biggest attribute is his ability to shoot the basketball. He has a very smooth stroke and is equally effective when spotting up or coming off of screens. His handle is solid enough so that he can bring the ball up the floor without being rattled by pressure, but he lacks the type of explosive first step to be able to create off the dribble. And while he makes the high percentage play on most occasions, he can get into trouble when putting the ball on the floor and getting too deep in the paint. Defensively, he works hard to guard the ball, although his lack of lateral quickness can be occasionally exploited by more explosive athletes.

http://w3.nbebasketball.com/2009/07/18/reebok-all-american-camp-review-part-ii/

Pe’Shon Howard, 6-3, Oak Hill Academy (Va.), 2010: Howard, a very strong, physical player with excellent size and build for the point guard position, had a solid game. He defends well because of his physicality and is tough to keep out of the lane because of his strength. Howard can hit perimeter shots and is also a very good passer.

Pe’Shon was seeing a lot of South Florida head coach Stan Heath who was been present at just about all his games at RBK. St. John’s, Rutgers and Marquette are also on his list from the Big East with Harvard, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Arkansas.

http://w3.nbebasketball.com/2009/08/28/recruiting-notebook-jerian-grant-sets-visits-peshon-howard-update/

With more and more players committing well before their senior seasons, it is always interesting to see a recruit taking his time to make his decision.

That is the case with Pe’Shon Howard, a 6-foot-2 guard from Los Angeles who attends Oak Hill Academy (Va.).

“I’m still weighing my options and I probably won’t decide until the spring,” Howard said earlier Thursday.

When NBE spoke to Howard at the Reebok U All-American Camp in Philadelphia in early July, Howard gave a school list of South Florida, St. John’s, Rutgers, Marquette, Harvard, Stanford, Virginia Tech and Arkansas.

Since then, he has picked up more interest from both coasts.

“UCLA, USC, Arizona, Virginia, Alabama,” Howard responded when asked if there were any new schools in the mix. He also later added that he believes Tennessee has offered him as well.

Out of the 14 schools on his list, only UCLA and Arizona have not offered the rising senior.

So far, Howard has been to Stanford, UCLA, USC, St. John’s, Rutgers, Arkansas and Arizona, but does plan on taking all five official visits in the coming months. Howard is unsure of which schools he wants to take his officials too, other than Harvard.

For a player who is from California but plays his high school ball in Virginia, it is not surprising that Howard said “not really” when asked if location would be a factor.

As for what he was going to be looking for on his visits, said Howard: “An environment I’m comfortable in, how the team and coaches are during practice or games and just a place I would fit in and enjoy.”