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Point guard Chris Chiozza emerges as hot name on the recruiting trail

chrischiozza

Kelly Kline/Under Armour

FORT WAYNE, In. -- Part of the reason the NCAA re-instituted the April live evaluation weekends was for college coaches to get a better grasp on the upcoming recruiting classes that they’ll evaluate extensively in the summer. The live evaluation weekends are also of great benefit to prospective recruits that have greatly improved since the previous summer or the end of the high school season and one such player that took full advantage was Memphis native Chris Chiozza.

A 5-10 point guard that has already drawn some comparison to Missouri point guard Phil Pressey, Chiozza is electric with the ball in his hands, pushing tempo at breakneck speeds while displaying tight ball-handling ability and a toughness seldom seen in smaller guards. With AAU and White Station High School teammate Leron Black nursing an ankle injury during much of the two evaluation weekends, Chiozza continued to lead his AAU team, Team Thad, to tremendous success and college coaches have begun to notice. Chiozza is currently regarded as the No. 90 overall player in the 2014 class according to Rivals.

“The spring has been great, my recruitment really picked up and I’m helping my team every weekend even though we’ve been shorthanded without Leron Black,” Chiozza told NBC Sports. “College coaches have been noticing my play and it’s a good feeling for them to recognize that I can play at any level.”

Chiozza claimed scholarship offers from Florida, Butler, Ohio State, Murray State, Memphis, USC, Ole Miss, Auburn, Richmond and UMass and he also said that Kansas has regularly been in touch, although the Jayhawks have yet to offer.

Hometown Memphis has offered Chiozza a scholarship, but the point guard seems torn on staying home or going away for school.

“I have a good relationship with Coach Pastner. They offered (a scholarship) and staying in my hometown is something I’ve been wanting to do since I was little,” Chiozza said. “But as I got older I started thinking about if it would be best for me to stay or would going away be best for me. I’ve been (in Memphis) my whole life, so I want to stay, but I kind of want to get out and see other parts (of the country).”

Chiozza will have a decision to make whether to represent the hometown Tigers or go away for school, but he already has a few things in mind when selecting a future school and he also has a few programs that are turning up the heat in his recruitment.

“The style of play of course (is important to me); an uptempo, defensive and athletic team and I have to have a good relationship with the coaches,” Chiozza said. “I’ve been developing good relationships with many of the coaches every day. Florida, USC and Butler, those coaches have been talking to me and calling me and asking me how my day was and talking to me about anything really.”

While the comparisons to Phil Pressey are strong, Chiozza has attempted to model his game after a few guards he admires the most.

“I used to try to emulate after Allen Iverson, but I figured I wouldn’t be that predominate of a scorer so I found more guys that I could play like, guys like Chris Paul, Steve Nash, or (Rajon) Rondo,” Chiozza said.

Scott also writes for NY2LA Sports and can be followed on Twitter @sphillipshoops