Q&A with LaQuinton Ross @ adidas Nations
Words. Austin Burton
LaQuinton Ross (photo. Rick Guy)
If LaQuinton Ross is going to be the next Mississippi product to blow up on the national scene, he’s already following in the right footsteps. After a stellar freshman year at Callaway H.S., the 6-7 wing played his sophomore year at Murrah H.S. (Jackson, Miss.), former home of Mo Williams, Lindsey Hunter and Othella Harrington. And in the offseason, Ross regularly trains with Williams, Monta Ellis, and other D-1 and former pro Crooked Letter natives.
This past season, Ross averaged 23 points, nine rebounds and just under four blocks per game. Having dealt with an ankle injury most of the summer, he still participated in the adidas Nations tournament in Dallas last weekend, but sat out the final day when the United States’ Class of 2011 team won the third-place game against Europe. We caught up with LaQuinton during the tourney…
High School Hoop: To somebody who’s never seen you play, how would you describe your game?
LaQuinton Ross: Real laid-back, real smooth. That’s my style of play. If I had to compare it to somebody in the NBA, it’d probably be like ‘Melo or Kevin Durant.
HSH: How much has the ankle injury set you back this summer?
LR: I think I started out real good before the ankle slowed me down a little bit. I hurt it back in April when school was still in.
HSH: Which players from the 2011 class have you seen making big improvements over the summer?
LR: I’d say LeBryan Nash (Lincoln H.S., Dallas), Tony Wroten (Garfield H.S., Seattle), Marquis Teague (Pike H.S., Indianapolis) … a lot of guys came up. And there’s lot of names I’d never heard of before, like Quincy Miller (Quality Education Academy, North Carolina), who I got to see and they’re playing real well.
HSH: Which player guards you the toughest at the high school level?
LR: Probably Tony. We played each other up at Rose City, and he guarded me tough.
HSH: Who’s the hardest player for you to guard?
LR: LB (Nash). I played him in Arkansas and at RBKU. He’s just so strong and athletic.
HSH: Where are you at with recruiting?
LR: I’m not committed anywhere. I don’t have a Top-5 or anything. I’m wide open. I’ll probably wait until the end of my junior year, beginning of my senior year before making a decision.
HSH: You’ve worked out with Monta Ellis before. Have you seen him this summer?
LR: I’ve seen him, but he didn’t play. He comes home every summer, but you know he had that ankle injury he’s coming off of. I did play against Mo Williams — he came back and worked out and played pickup with us.
HSH: When you’re on the court with NBA guys like that, do you judge your game against theirs?
LR: Yeah. I know they’re gonna be tough to guard, but I try to prove myself by playing against them.