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Justin Mitchell (2014) Feature

Fort Wayne's Justin Mitchell has seen his stock really rise this spring. His recruitment is set to explode after his recent play. Here is a complete breakdown of Mitchell.

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Mitchell has great size for a point guard at a true 6-4. He is also very athletic. He has a great first step off the dribble. He moves very well laterally, and he can explode off the floor around the basket. During the high school season he is more of a scorer, but, with Spiece Indy Heat, he has bought into his role of being a true point guard. “In high school my job is to score, rebound, do it all really. Then this team, I'm really just looking to pass it. There are a lot of scorers on this team,” said Mitchell.

 

He did a great job of defending Devin Booker of Alabama Challenge. Booker is ranked 23rd in the county by Rivals. Booker started with 7 quick points against Spiece before Mitchell was switched onto him. Mitchell then held him scoreless for a large potion of the game. It allowed Spiece to open up a lead after being down early. He is very active on the defensive end. He gets his hand on the ball often. He plays the passing lanes well without over-extending himself.

 

Spiece Indy Heat coach Reynardo Bluiett has high praise for Mitchell's play. “He has been great. Whatever we ask him to do; defend, running the point, he's been great,” said Bluiett. Coach Bluiett has also been impressed with the way Mitchell has adjusted to playing with Trey Lyles, Trevon Bluiett and James Blackmon Jr. “ For him to take on the challenge to come into a group like this has been great,” said Bluiett. Mitchell's play has been a bit of a surprise to Bluiett. “He probably played 10 minutes his first game out. The more he played, I couldn't pull him off the court. That's when I was like 'this kid can play,' said Bluiett

 

Mitchell's biggest weakness is his outside shooting. He does not force shots but will take outside shots when left open. In 18 Nike EYBL games, Mitchell has only shot 14 three-pointers. He is 4-14. He does score well at the basket though. He finishes over and around defenders at the rim very well. When he is outside of the lane, he has a tough time scoring consistently.

 

Mitchell's recruiting will surely take off after his performance at the Spiece Run N Slam and in EYBL. He currently only has a scholarship offer from D2 Northwood University in Michigan. “I don't know why that guy doesn't have offers, Division 1 offers, on the table. I don't know what is going on with that but he has been great,” said Reynardo Bluiett.

 

Although Justin Mitchell does not have any D1 scholarship offers right now, he does have interest from Ball State, Butler, Southern Illinois University, Eastern Kentucky, Indiana State and Lehigh. He has not had a chance to visit any schools yet but plans to take visits in June. “I'm going to Butler camp (college prep camp aka elite camp) June 1st,” said Mitchell. Speaking of Butler, Mitchell says that he has a great relationship with Butler assistant coach Terry Johnson.

 

He will have no problem qualifying for college. “I had a 3.3 this past semester. My overall grade point average was 3.6 before that,” said Mitchell. So grades will not hold his recruitment back.

 

Mitchell's athleticism will allow him to easily play at the mid-major level. He also handles the ball and distributes well enough to play at that level. If he can improve his outside shot then he is a no brainer for high-level mid-major programs. Right now, he is closer to the low-major level until he proves that he can score outside of the lane.  His play has been extremely impressive recently. Mitchell could see a lot of attention in July. {/iACL}

 

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