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CLASS OF 2011 INTRO: TAVON SLEDGE

Speedy point guard takes game to Long Island Lutheran next year

There is a popular saying in sports: Speed Kills. Tavon Sledge is a basketball player with speed to burn. As a sophomore with the powerful St. Benedict’s program, NBE saw this speed first hand on several occasions in the past season, leaving us more impressed each time.

The 5-foot-9, 158-pound speedball also showed that his athleticism and competitive streak gives him the confidence to ‘slam on you’ as witnessed at the DC Assault ‘Take Your Best Shot’ AAU event back in April.

“I feel that my athleticism and my ability to score and run a team as a guard is the strongest part of my game,” Sledge shared with NBE earlier this week.

Earlier this season at the Spalding HoopHall Invitational Sledge was paired in the backcourt with fellow speedster classmate Myck Kabongo. Despite his smallish size, Sledge impressed NBE with his play off the ball, attacking the basket fearlessly against a strong Wheeler (GA) High School team. His trademark quickness allowed him to beat his defender off the dribble with ease and his athletic ability allowed him to play bigger than he is.

While the speed and ball-handling ability that Sledge possesses might be enough to get him into a high-major program, the class of 2011 prospect is not going to rely solely on those strengths. The need to develop more strength and improve the consistency of his perimeter shooting touch is not a fact lost on this astute youngster.

“All year I’ve been going to my shooting coach Kent Culuko twice a week to work on my shooting, which I think is something that I need to work on for the next level,” said Sledge.

He continued, “I have a tight workout schedule [as] I’m in the weight room 10:00 in the morning everyday with my older brother Kwame, who just got out the air force, so I can get stronger. And that’s usually for 2 hours then at 5:00pm I’m in the gym with my shooting trainer. I occasionally go to workout with Jerry Powell on the weekends on my whole game. And this [is] what I will be doing all summer.”

Sledge also shared with NBE that he will not be returning to St. Benedict’s in the fall, instead he will be attending Long Island Lutheran in Brookville (NY).

“I believe that St. Benedict’s is a good academic school and they also have great athletic teams there,” said Sledge. “My biggest positive about St. Benedicts was the tradition that the school carried. It taught me how to be responsible and how to carry myself around people that I don’t know. A Community of people who cares about their students is what St. Ben’s really is and it was a great experience for me being there.”

Now, it is time for a new chapter as Sledge will suit up for coach Brian Carey at Long Island Lutheran, the current New York State Class B champions from 2008-2009.

“The reason why I wanted to choose [Long Island] Lutheran high is because they have a great academic school system and they have a great environment of students who are heading down the successful road,” Tavon told NBE today when asked about his decision. “I figured if I put myself around an environment like that, I will be successful myself.”

Sledge continued, “My decision had nothing to do with basketball because if that was the case I would stay at benedicts. Although leaving Benedict’s was hard for me because of their great basketball schedule”

At LI Lutheran, Sledge will team with AAU teammate Ashcraf Yacoubou in trying to defend their state title next season.

“I’m totally looking towards my junior year,” added Sledge.

One thing is for certain, college coaches will certainly be finding Sledge at his new location and will certainly take notice of him this summer playing on the AAU trail with team Odom/Rich Soil. Colleges have already made him very aware that they are monitoring him.

“Well, just to name a few schools that are recruiting me are Seton Hall, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Rutgers, Oregon and Marquette,” Sledge informed NBE.

Sledge has no intention to rush into his decision at this point. The well-spoken and intelligent point guard will be very thorough in his thought process. While the athletic aspect of his decision will play a large role, naturally, Sledge is going to go into the decision process with a plan as a prospective student-athlete with a picture of what he wants after college in mind.

“Academics is the biggest factor for me as a student athlete,” Sledge indicated when asked by NBE what factors will play a large role in his college decision. “Another factor that will mean a lot to me was if any of these schools that are recruiting me had a culinary arts class because I plan on being a chef if basketball doesn’t work for me.”

When first seeing Tavon Sledge, the speed and athleticism grabs your attention quickly and you know he is a player in the class of 2011 to follow. Learning of his desire to improve and also possessing a maturity beyond his years with a plan of action to be the best student-athlete he can be, he is a player we will follow very closely as his career moves towards college.

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