Relatively speaking, Darrion Sutton is new to playing basketball in a highly competitive setting.
Sutton grew up in St. Louis more enamored with the sport of boxing, often sparring with his older brother in the Dellwood community in the northern part of town. But about three years ago, Sutton said, his uncle saw Sutton on the basketball court and urged Sutton to trade in the boxing gloves for basketball sneakers.
Fast forward to December when Sutton committed to play for coach Damon Stoudamire and Georgia Tech. He’s now considered a four-star prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite, and one of the top recruits in the country.
“I’m ready to compete right away,” Sutton said Wednesday in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m really just a high-energy guy, and I really think I can do a lot for the team. I got an all-around game. Wherever (Stoudamire) wants to put me at that’s where I’ll play.”
A 6-foot-9, 200-pound forward, Sutton turned 19 two weeks ago. And while his basketball journey started only a short time ago, it already has taken him from St. Louis to Denver and now Atlanta.
Sutton was homeschooled starting in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. He began to take his basketball career seriously shortly thereafter.
On the AAU circuit Sutton was drawn to watching star prospect Baye Fall, a 6-foot-10, 200-pound forward now playing at Arkansas. So Sutton followed Fall to Accelerated Prep in Denver just for a chance to be teammates with the elite talent. Sutton said when college coaches came to watch, scout and recruit Fall, they happened to see Sutton as well.
Rutgers, Mississippi State, St. John’s, Iowa State and Tennessee were among the first to offer Sutton a scholarship. That list of suitors has grown to nearly 40 schools.
Tech assistant coach Karl Hobbs had been recruiting Sutton to come to Rutgers. When Hobbs joined the Tech staff, he, Stoudamire and assistant coach Bonzi Wells traveled to California to watch Sutton play. Sutton then took an recruiting visit to Tech in September, and it didn’t take him long to know the Jackets were the team for him.
“We got on the visit, and (Stoudamire) just shocked me. It was crazy,” Sutton said. “He just showed me how would he play me, what he sees in me, how he could help me get prepared for where I wanna play and what I wanna do in life. He was a pro, and that’s where I wanna get.”
Sutton is playing for Team RWE at Overtime Elite, also the home of Tech signee Jaeden Mustaf, a 6-foot-5 guard who plays for City Reapers. Sutton is averaging 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 58.1% from the floor. In a game Jan. 10, Sutton scored 17 points and pulled down 17 rebounds – 11 of those coming off the offensive glass.
Credit: Dale Zanine/Overtime Elite
Credit: Dale Zanine/Overtime Elite
Tech hosts Virginia at 6 p.m. Saturday, and Sutton said he plans to be in attendance at McCamish Pavilion. He has made it to most every Jackets home game this season and hopes to continue to do so the rest of the schedule.
Sutton aspires to go into real estate one day, but for now he’s looking to become the best player he can be before enrolling at Tech.
“Really I just want to get stronger. I’ve gotten a lot stronger since I’ve been here (at OTE),” he said. “I want to get stronger and just more confident shooting.”
