The month of July has been very good to Jermaine Sanders in part because the Rice rising senior swingman has been good to himself.
The 6-foot-5 Far Rockaway native has elevated his game during this critical live recruiting period, drawing a host of Big East coaches every time he steps on the court for the New Heights 17U team.
That was again the case Saturday afternoon at the steamy Lombardi Center on the campus of Fordham University in The Bronx for New Heights’ NYC Summer Classic.
“I’ve done better getting to the line, which opens up my game,” Sanders told The Post. “My jump shot feels more comfortable.”
“He absolutely has [raised his game this month] and it’s for one reason, he’s in better shape,” he said. “I’ve spoken to his parents and they’ve made a concerted effort to change his diet around the house, he’s made a concerted effort to run around the track. The skill level was always there with Jermaine, it was never an issue, a great shooter, great scorer.”
If anyone should know its Leone, who has coached Sanders on the AAU level for four years. He’s seen Sanders game, and now his frame, take shape.
“He’s changed his body, redistributed some weight and he has legs now,” Leone said. “He’s changed his approach to get in better shape with his eye on the next level.”
Leone said the moment of Zen occurred on a fairly innocuous ride across the Whitestone Bridge in the spring. Leone promptly phoned Sanders’ mother, Lisa Stallings, and offered an ultimatum. Now was the time for a change, he said.
“The ability is there, but there was a game when he just looked like he couldn’t get up and down, his shot was flat, he wasn’t shooting well,” Leone said. “He wasn’t our best player in the spring. Shamel Williams from Jefferson was. This summer, Jermaine has been our best player.”
And the college coaches have noticed. Sanders, who averaged 15.5 points per game and was a Post second-team All-City selection last year, already had interest from numerous Big East schools, including offers from Villanova, St. John’s, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Providence.
But this month, Cincinnati has been all over Sanders, with head coach Mick Cronin and newly-signed assistant Darren Savino making a point of being everywhere he’s played this month – including Fordham on Saturday. And there’s new interest from Louisville, whose head coach Rick Pitino had a front row seat during New Heights semifinal game against Expressions Elite.
“He can play for anyone,” said one Division I assistant coach speaking under condition of anonymity. “He can score the ball in so many ways. He’s very tough to stop.”
Sanders said he has a visit to Cincinnati scheduled for next week and will likely see more schools in August. He’s in no hurry to make his college choice and has no plans on attending a prep school next year.
“It should be late,” Sanders said, when asked when he’d likely decide. “I’m going to see what everybody else does before I decide.”
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