Tavon Sledge - PG - Iowa State Transfer - Dix Hills, NY

I can't believe we don't have a Tavon Sledge thread yet.  Got an offer from St. John's:

http://stjohns.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1094106


Tavon Sledge, from Half Hollow Hills West HS in Dix Hills, NY is arguably one of the most dynamic guards in New York and when Lavin saw the rising senior point guard play, he obviously came to that same conclusion. So much so that the Red Storm made an offer to Sledge.

The RedStormReport.com contacted Mike Moore who coaches Rich Soil, Sledges AAU team to talk about the offer. "He made an offer to Tavon," said Moore. "Lavin had a very high interest in him after he performed well at the Skills camp. I respect a coach who actually sees a player play instead of just reading stuff."

Moore says that Sledge is very excited about the offer because he believes that St. John's is going to be a "formidable program." Moore added that, "It's an honor to be recruited by a local team that's only going after the top talent."

http://rivals.yahoo.com/stjohns/basketball/recruiting/player-Tavon-Sledge-96792

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=56956&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d56956

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=3545863

http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/2009-0528/class-of-2011-intro-tavon-sledge/

http://www.gothamhoops.com/?p=2358

At 27 seconds (and Sledge is followed by a Polee dunk)

The '10 Spalding Hoophall Classic Recap; Austin Rivers, Kyrie Irving, Reggie Bullock, Many More!

Game action

Tavon Sledge HoopHall Classic

Saw Sledge last year in that Tobias Harris/ JayVaughn Pinkston matchup on TV.  Sledge needs some work but he is FAST and he is an ATHLETE.

He's ranked 99th on maxpreps

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/iyNnXlbbEd-lugAcxJTdpg/class-of-2011-basketball-top-100-.htm

Looks like a great athlete but I wonder if he has ever attempted a shot outside of 10 feet.  With that quickness he probably hasn't needed to in high school.

He's ranked 99th on maxpreps

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/iyNnXlbbEd-lugAcxJTdpg/class-of-2011-basketball-top-100-.htm

Looks like a great athlete but I wonder if he has ever attempted a shot outside of 10 feet.  With that quickness he probably hasn't needed to in high school.

That's got to be one of the crazier top 100 lists that I've seen.

Quote from: jumpinjohnny on June 16, 2010, 02:38:53 PM

He's ranked 99th on maxpreps

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/iyNnXlbbEd-lugAcxJTdpg/class-of-2011-basketball-top-100-.htm

Looks like a great athlete but I wonder if he has ever attempted a shot outside of 10 feet.  With that quickness he probably hasn't needed to in high school.

That's got to be one of the crazier top 100 lists that I've seen.

What parts do you have issues with?
Have you seen Sledge play?  Wondering if you have to give your insights on his game.

I've seen Sledge play in person a few times for HHH West. He is lightning fast and can throw down hard for a guy his size. But he never attempted any jumpers in the games I saw him play. And for a PG playing with Tobias Harris, he really didn't distribute much. The competition on LI is weak, so he made getting to the rim look really easy.

I've had the opportunity to see Sledge play a few times myself but never against any real competetion.  As been stated he's an athletic monster and a waiting highlight.  He can take over a game and score in bunches real fast.  I didn't see him really shoot at all as he didn't need to and he wasn't much of a distributor either.  I'd love to see him in a setting where he has good teammates that run vs some tough competetion and see if he's more then a 1 man band out there.  As good as Tobias is, Tavon was the best player on the Island this year (mostly because he had the ball in his hands way more).  He's just 1 of those guys that looks like he's playing at a speed above everyone else. 

I've heard from good sources that he absolutely loves Lavin and also that he is probably not going to be back at Hills West next year.  Not sure if he'd go back to St. Bens or not but as much as I enjoy watching him play he really should go to a school where he can play better opponents.

I've had the opportunity to see Sledge play a few times myself but never against any real competetion.  As been stated he's an athletic monster and a waiting highlight.  He can take over a game and score in bunches real fast.  I didn't see him really shoot at all as he didn't need to and he wasn't much of a distributor either.  I'd love to see him in a setting where he has good teammates that run vs some tough competetion and see if he's more then a 1 man band out there.  As good as Tobias is, Tavon was the best player on the Island this year (mostly because he had the ball in his hands way more).  He's just 1 of those guys that looks like he's playing at a speed above everyone else. 

I've heard from good sources that he absolutely loves Lavin and also that he is probably not going to be back at Hills West next year.  Not sure if he'd go back to St. Bens or not but as much as I enjoy watching him play he really should go to a school where he can play better opponents.

Any idea why he left St. Benedicts in the first place?

Quote from: scoobydoo on June 17, 2010, 10:14:20 AM

I've had the opportunity to see Sledge play a few times myself but never against any real competetion.  As been stated he's an athletic monster and a waiting highlight.  He can take over a game and score in bunches real fast.  I didn't see him really shoot at all as he didn't need to and he wasn't much of a distributor either.  I'd love to see him in a setting where he has good teammates that run vs some tough competetion and see if he's more then a 1 man band out there.  As good as Tobias is, Tavon was the best player on the Island this year (mostly because he had the ball in his hands way more).  He's just 1 of those guys that looks like he's playing at a speed above everyone else. 

I've heard from good sources that he absolutely loves Lavin and also that he is probably not going to be back at Hills West next year.  Not sure if he'd go back to St. Bens or not but as much as I enjoy watching him play he really should go to a school where he can play better opponents.

Any idea why he left St. Benedicts in the first place?

Nope, sorry.  If I had to guess had something to do with Mr. Harris but really not sure.  I know there were complaints and questions around Suffolk County about his elgibility and bringing in this random stud along with Tobias and Tyler (who were at LUHI the year before).  Feel like KOB or someone like that would have a better answer though.

get him. i have been a fan of his since 6th grade. he is gonna be a great get

get him. i have been a fan of his since 6th grade. he is gonna be a great get

Can he pass? The video, the game I've seen, and all reports talk about his quickness... but can he pass or is he more of a scoring point?

Forget pass...can he shoot?  It looks like he has no interest in taking an outside shot in those videos.

Quote from: kob24 on June 18, 2010, 10:55:44 AM

get him. i have been a fan of his since 6th grade. he is gonna be a great get

Can he pass? The video, the game I've seen, and all reports talk about his quickness... but can he pass or is he more of a scoring point?

i saw reports that said he averaged over ten dimes a game last year

Forget pass...can he shoot?  It looks like he has no interest in taking an outside shot in those videos.

I'll say that personally - and I know a number of people on the site disagree (when talking about Malik Boothe) - I think a team can work with a point guard who is reluctant to/ inconsistent at shooting.  I mean, they have to be good enough for the defense to worry about, but speed and passing/ IQ can really make an effective point guard.

Tavon is not as good as Kemba Walker, but Kemba plays like that - his jump shooting is the weakest part of his game, but he's still effective.  (It only works with a good team around the guard of course.)

A team can be effective but only if you have a couple of studs that can create their own shot.  Watching 4 on 5 offense is no fun.  Ask the Celtics if they wish they had a point guard that could shoot.

The PG doesn't have to be a prolific shooter but he has to be a threat that can knock down the open shot.

he can pass. but he is a scoring pg who plays defense. he cant shoot but he can. meaning dont look for him to be some outside threat but if he is on one of his runs he can knock down a three

I picked this one off via SJUhoopNUT on Redmen.com

From Zach Braziller of the NY Post:

-- Early in the spring, there were rumors flying that Tavon Sledge was headed for Lincoln. Unfortunately for the Railsplitters – and fortunately for the rest of the PSAL – they didn’t have legs. His AAU coach and mentor, Michael Moore, confirmed Sledge plans to return to Half Hollows Hills West on Long Island.

I don’t root for any teams, but I was disappointed with the news. Sledge is one of my favorites players to watch. Athletically gifted and blessed with sprinter’s speed, the 5-foot-6 point guard enjoyed a solid AAU Super Showcase, leading Team Next to the quarterfinals, where it fell to Team Takeover (Washington, D.C.), the Nike Peach Jam champions. He ended one game by blocking a 6-foot-9 center and wowed a number of major college coaches with a dunk in traffic.

Sledge has drawn significant interest from St. John’s, Virginia, West Virginia, and Iowa State. After this week, that list should double – at least. He plans on committing sometime in August, he said.

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/zach_braziller/braziller_news_notes_from_aau_super_JYvztOmKfABIS7zB5Mfx5M


**I edited this. Hate those stupid ? that redmen.com has when you copy paste something. Looks so sloppy.

Looks like he still has a long list of suitors. Theres really no heavy hitters besides W.Virginia on his list so we should have a good shot.
http://www.zagsblog.com/2010/08/17/tavon-sledge-has-a-long-list/#more-38423