After a breakout summer, Scott King put an early end to his recruitment on Monday.Two months ago Scott King’s phone was quiet.
Despite being a long, athletic, and very skilled six-foot-eight forward, King hadn’t attracted much division I attention, too often being passive and not always competing with a sense of urgency.
But that all changed rapidly this summer as King brought his game to new levels and saw his recruiting stock rise perhaps more so than any other player in New England.
“I finally got more confident on the floor,” King said. “I would usually try to force stuff or pass up open shots but I just went out there a lot more confident and tried to do more with the ball, not being afraid to take it to the hole instead of just sitting out there and shooting threes.”
King’s month began with a strong performance at Hoop Mountain’s Super Week II followed by a terrific showing at the Elite 75 and 25 points against CBC a day later at the Basketbull National Invitational. It was more of the same throughout the month as King proved himself to be the latest in a rapidly growing line of skilled big men to come out of the Rivals program.
“I knew he was a big skilled wing and once he got confident he was going to be a division I player,” said Rivals head coach Vin Pastore. “Everybody knew he had skills but he showed he was willing to sacrifice his body and play hard. I think that was the difference for him.”
Proving himself to be a division I player was just the beginning as King finished the summer with numerous scholarship offers coming from leagues as high as the Atlantic 10. He narrowed his list to four at the end of the month and visited each of those spots unofficially in the weeks that followed.
After taking his final visit this weekend, King decided to end his recruitment on Monday and made a pledge to Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell.
“I went there Friday and I just fell in love with the campus,” King said. “Talking with the coaches and some of the players I thought it was a perfect fit.”
King was also impressed by the program's steady rise up the America East standings in Piikiell's five years at the helm of the program, culminating with the conference's regular season championship last season.
“Coach Pikiell just told me he needs me to score the basketball,” King said, “and I can do that.”
