Dribbling from the left wing, Blue Cain slashed to the basket in aggressive but controlled steps.
Playing with his B. Maze Elite AAU team at the LakePoint Sports complex in Cartersville on Thursday night, Cain drove across the lane and laid a soft reverse layup off the backboard. Standing a few yards away from the B. Maze Elite bench, Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner watched with approval.
Cain’s score was representative of his well-crafted and athletic game and also part of an impressive set of recent performances that has caught the attention of the recruiting world and undoubtedly excited Pastner and his staff. Cain announced his commitment to be a part of Tech’s 2023 class June 9.
“He’s a high-major 2-guard,” another observer of note on Friday, ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after Cain’s game.
Cain’s participation in the LakePoint event, an AAU tournament bringing together teams from across the country affiliated with Under Armour, followed his elevated play at the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 camp in Orlando, Fla., June 27-July 2.
While not a collection of literally every top high-school prospect, it had most of them. Of the top 50 prospects in the 2023 class ranked by 247Sports Composite, no fewer than 32 were in Orlando, including prospects committed to Duke, North Carolina and Kentucky.
And in that setting, Cain was named one of 10 all-stars at the end of his seven games, averaging 10.6 points (16th), 6.3 rebounds (13th) , 3.3 assists (second) and 1.4 steals (tied for 12th) while shooting 53.4% from the field (13th). His Phoenix Suns team won the tournament.
“It felt good,” Cain said. “I work hard a lot, so it was just good that the work showed. It just was a good feeling. It’s not finished. Got to keep working.”
Biancardi, who observed the camp, said that Cain played with confidence and showed smarts.
“He knows when he’s open, he knows when he’s not,” BIancardi said. “I like how he doesn’t force and hunt. I’d like to see him be a better defender. He plays with good focus and aggressiveness. So at that NBA camp, with all this talent, he wasn’t intimidated. I thought he played with really good offensive confidence.”
The attention gained at the top 100 camp is notoriety that few, if any, prospects have gained on their way to Tech during Pastner’s tenure. Only two of Pastner’s high-school signees, guards Michael Devoe (51st) and Deebo Coleman (67th), finished their high-school careers ranked in the 247Sports Composite top 100.
Biancardi, who compiles his own top-100 list for ESPN, said that Cain “is in the conversation. He’s being studied for it. He’s improved that much.” Curiously, Cain was ranked as high as 64th by 247Sports Composite in April, but fell to 186th in the most recent ranking, posted June 24. It would not be a surprise if he were to rise again when the performance in Orlando is included.
Cain has made considerable progress from his freshman year at Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic High, when he said he was 6-foot-1 and pushing 140 pounds. Since then, he has added about three inches and about 45 pounds but also sharpened his game, particularly in the realm of going with force to the basket.
“That’s just how I’ve always played,” Cain said. “I just always went hard and went fast, and as I’ve gotten older and my game has matured, it became more polished. I used to get so many charges, now I don’t. I know how to be under control.”
In Thursday night’s game, a 74-54 loss for the Knoxville-based B. Maze Elite to the Middlesex (Mass.) Magic, Cain showed off a range of attributes. He hit three 3-pointers, one from well beyond the high-school arc, was explosive off the dribble, scored through contact and showed court vision in finding open teammates. While he can improve defensively, he took a charge, a rarity in AAU play. Pastner, at the end of a busy day for observing prospects, watched Cain’s game close by his team’s bench, the coach’s show of the importance that he places on Cain.
“He’s just a guy that’s locked in and laser-focused,” said Cain’s AAU coach, Bobby Maze. “Guys like that normally are very, very successful when they have the ability to lock in on school and basketball.”
Cain picked Tech over offers from Tennessee, Houston, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, among others. Besides Tech, he took an official visit to Yale. After playing his first three seasons at Knoxville Catholic, he will play his senior season at IMG Academy, where he’ll train with some of the top talent in the country.
“I committed early for my class, and so everybody knows I’m locked in,” Cain said. “I’m a big believer in Georgia Tech, so I’m going to rock with them.”
Biancardi, a former college coach, called Cain “a perfect fit” for Tech’s Princeton-style offense with his ability to read the floor, shoot and cut to the basket.
“Georgia Tech, it’s a high academic school, you’ve got to read and react on offense,” he said. “I think they nailed the evaluation. And now this kid’s on the uptick.”
Credit: Ken Sugiura
Credit: Ken Sugiura
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