Zack Bruno and Khalil Rhodes had options when it came to AAU teams the Xaverian duo could play with.
But they had done this before, crisscrossing the country in the spring and summer, going from one tournament to the next. And as fun as that was, the two rising seniors, who helped lead the Clippers to a city championship in March, felt there was something missing. They weren’t getting better by playing multiple games a day.
And they were sold after hearing Xaverian assistant coach Chris Alesi talk about how much bypassing AAU helped former Clippers star and Hofstra sharpshooter Brian Bernardi when he was in high school.
So instead of joining a program, the two Brooklyn natives did the unthinkable: They stayed at home, spending their free time working out, focused on individual development, getting bigger and stronger and faster.
“I felt like I needed to work on my game,” said Bruno, a 6-foot-4 guard who averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds as a junior. “I know it’s going to help in my future. It’s going to be what I need for college.
“We believed crafting our skills and training every day would be the best option.”
Bruno dedicated himself to improving his jump shot — his most glaring weakness — putting up 400 to 500 shots per day. Rhodes, a 5-foot-10 point guard, focused on adding strength to his slim frame and improving his decision making.
The workouts at Xaverian began at 7 a.m. and would include weight-lifting session and cardio work, but most of it was predicated on fine-tuning their skills.
“What these kids did for last three months was pretty different,” Alesi said.
They spent time with former Xaverian and University of Pittsburgh star Levance Fields, new Xaverian head coach Tom Burns, Alesi and fellow Xavieran assistant Clyde Chapman, and felt better prepared once they finally got out in front of college coaches this week at The Hoop Group Elite Camp in Reading, Pa.
This weekend they will play with the Jersey Force and continue on with them for the final live recruiting period next week. Both performed well at Hoop Group, and Bruno was named the MVP of the Senior All-Star Game. That figures to help both of them when it comes to their college looks. At the moment, a host of Ivy League and Patriot League programs are interested in the duo.
“I know that I’m a better basketball player now than I was at the end of the high school season,” Bruno said.
While college coaches use the allotted time in the spring and summer to evaluate prospective recruits, one assistant applauded the move by Bruno and Rhodes. They are getting out at the end of July in front of coaches, and they are probably better suited to do so after spending so much time working on improving rather than playing multiple games per day.
“It’s better to work on your game now, when you’re young,” the coach said. “The way social media is, if you can play, people can find you.
“It’s a good thing, and it shows they’re different.”
Of course, they also lost time in front of college coaches, which is the other side of the story. But Rhodes and Bruno believe their method will work out in the long run.
“I think it will pay off for them,” Alesi said.
Since opting to reclassify to the class of 2018 and transfer to prep powerhouse Brewster Academy in New Hampshire last week, Bronx forward Sidney Wilson has picked up scholarship offers from SMU, St. John’s, Seton Hall, UNLV, Memphis and USC.
Andre Rafus Jr., a rising senior forward at Roselle (N.J.) Catholic and consensus four-star recruit, announced a final seven of Seton Hall, Kentucky, North Carolina State, Kansas, TCU, Georgetown and Butler on Wednesday.
Manhattan announced the signings of a five-man recruiting class: Queens guard Aaron Walker, junior college duo Ahmed Ismail, a 7-foot-2 center, and forward Zavier Peart, Pennsylvania guard Na’Quan Council, and Oliver Ehrnvall from Sweden.
