South's Armon Bassett unanimous choice for Valley Player of the Year
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Hang on:</B. The high-flying play Terre Haute South's Armon Bassett has garnered attention of colleges across the nation. (Tribune-Star Joseph C. Garza) < span> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The boys high school basketball Player of the Year on the all-Wabash Valley team still has some unfinished business before he plays college basketball, he said last week.
Armon Bassett of Terre Haute South, a unanimous choice by Tribune-Star sportswriters for the Player of the Year honor, will spend next winter in the mountains of Virginia at Hargrave Military Academy.
"I'm going to work on basketball, the weights and prepare for the [Scholastic Aptitude Test]," said Bassett, who should qualify for a college scholarship as soon as his final grades from South are issued later this spring. "I'm just going to get a higher test score and polish my game up a little bit more."
Ironically, prep school was first recommended to Bassett by Ohio State, one of his recruiting suitors, when it wasn't certain the South senior would be an academic qualifier.
Whether that suggestion will now help the Buckeyes is questionable. Bassett, who felt somewhat left out of the recruiting process because of those grade questions, would like another year to see just how much interest he can draw.
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After Ohio State suggested it, I went on my own two feet [to check out Hargrave], and they offered me a scholarship,"
Bassett explained. "They've been a powerhouse the last two years - 60-2, with all their players getting Division I scholarships.
"I felt I couldn't get recruited fairly because of my grades, and I just want to see what's out there," he concluded.
Bassett's senior season with the Braves, who finished 22-6 and reached the Class 4A Final Four, was certainly worthy of interest.
"As far as scoring and making other players better, he's as good as anybody who has played in Terre Haute in the past 30 years or so," said Coach Mike Saylor, who has watched the city's basketball since the early 1970s. "He has the ability to manufacture his own shot, and he could lead any team in assists."
Saylor knew the success of his first year as a head coach might depend on how well Bassett could lead his team, and said last week, "As far as meeting my expectations, everything was super.
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Sharp shooter: Terre Haute South's Armon Bassett hopes to be selected to the Indiana All-Star team later this year. (Tribune-Star/file photo)</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
"[Bassett] needs to get better off the ball, offensively and defensively, but that's something he realizes," Saylor added. "He's really a great kid, and prep school is a real blessing for him; it gives him an extra year of maturity [before playing college basketball]."
Speaking of his Player of the Year Award, Bassett said, "It's a great honor. I worked hard to get where I am right now, and this is a stepping stone to where I want to be."
Bassett too entered his senior year with high goals, and is still in line to become an Indiana All-Star when that team is announced soon. The year has come close to meeting his expectations, he said.
"I'm right on track for everything," he said, "except winning the semistate and the state [tournament]."
