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Staten excels in class, on court at Oak Hill

Rural setting helps Dayton native and his talented teammates focus on basketball.

Contributed photo UD recruit Juwan Staten at Oak Hill Academy, fall 2009.

Photos: UD men's basketball photos

By Doug Harris, Staff Writer Updated 8:32 PM Saturday, November 7, 2009

Juwan Staten was ready for the Oak Hill Academy regimen — strict dress code, no messy dorm rooms and even limited access to cell phones — but the sociable Dayton native experienced a little culture shock after moving to rural Mouth of Wilson, Va.

The small town tucked in the southwest corner of the state lost the last of its retail businesses about 25 years ago, leaving behind mostly vacant buildings. There are no stop lights and few diversions.

“At first, it was different. We’re literally out in the middle of nowhere,” Staten said last week. “There’s no movie theaters, no mall. You’re on campus 24/7. There’s no one to hang out with except your teammates. You have to make your own fun.

“And it was an adjustment being away from my mom and dad, but I’ve done well with that since the beginning.”

A quick study

Actually, Staten is flourishing both on and off the court. He was just named Oak Hill’s student of the week, an award that takes into account academic performance, attitude and work ethic. And he’s drawing raves from basketball coach Steve Smith, whose program has produced numerous NBA players, including point guards Rod Strickland, Rajon Rondo, Ty Lawson and Brandon Jennings.

Staten, who is rated as the 44th-best prospect nationally by Rivals.com, had 15 points and eight assists in the team’s season opener, a 100-55 win over Central Carolina Academy.

“I don’t like to compare guards, but he’s as quick as any guard I’ve had except Ty Lawson (the 18th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft),” Smith said. “He really pushes the ball. Brandon Jennings (chosen No. 10 overall) was quick. But Ty and Juwan are the quickest point guards I’ve had.

“(Staten) puts lots of pressure on the defense. It makes it tough for them to set up.”

Smith has been working with Staten on his outside jumper — the 5-foot-11 senior can be streaky and doesn’t have textbook form — but the longtime Oak Hill coach knows better than to tinker with Staten’s ability to break down a defense with his dribble and scoring inside.

“That’s stuff you really don’t coach,” Smith said. “He hits those little floaters and runners in the lane. And from 12-15 feet, he shoots those at a high rate. We’ve just got to get his jumper a little more consistent. But for a small guy, he can really take contact in the lane.”

Dave Telep, the national recruiting director for Scout.com, believes Staten’s speed from baseline to baseline is what sets him apart.

“He has an extra gear,” Telep said. “He’s becoming a multi-threat, get-to-the-basket, play-behind-the-(3-point)-line kind of guy. And when you have that extra gear of speed like he has, it will become noticeable very quickly in the Atlantic 10.

“When you have that (speed) attribute, and you start mixing it around good players, it becomes a very, very dangerous scenario for opponents.”

Talented team

Oak Hill has finished as the top-ranked high school team nationally eight times. The Warriors were 40-1 last season, losing in the National High School Invitational finals to Findlay College Prep in Henderson, Nev.

Oak Hill has several blue-chip prospects this season, including 6-4 guard Deron Lamb (ranked 21st by Rivals), 6-7 forward Roscoe Smith (31st) and several more players who either have committed to or are being recruited by marquee programs.

Asked what it’s like to play on such a talent-rich roster, Staten said: “It’s a relief. It’s like AAU basketball during the high school season. You never have to worry about having to do too much. You just play.”

Staten plans to put his commitment to UD in writing during the early signing period, Nov. 11-18. He will be back in Dayton on Nov. 21 for Thanksgiving break and will have several days to reunite with family and visit with his future teammates.

And he might even take in a movie.

ontact this reporter  at (937) 225-2125 or  dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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Rosie, when has any big school backed off any recruit for "off court issues"? Nice try :)

Ccc
1:18 PM, 11/8/2009

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I'm getting this bad feeling that Juwan is going to set his sights on signing with a big school from a better conference. Hopefully he'll be loyal to his word.

brandon
8:56 AM, 11/8/2009

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