REDDITCH basketball ace Luke Rankin has returned from his season playing at Atlanta Sports Academy Prep in Georgia with plenty of exciting offers under his belt.
Rankin, from Enfield, enjoyed an excellent campaign. A starter throughout the season, he averaged 15 points, three assists and six rebounds, with a season-high 24 points against Alabama Prep in which Rankin top scored.
Shortly after arriving back in England, the rising star was invited to an elite basketball camp in London hosted by Phil Knight, the assistant coach for NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers who has worked with NBA stars including Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
Rankin explained: “This season at ASA Prep was an amazing experience on and off the basketball court. I got to meet some great people and travel to some amazing places in the US such as Orlando and Tampa in Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.
“We got to play against top competition all season long. We played in big tournaments against top prep schools from other States and also played against third ranked junior college in the nation, Georgia Highlands College, and also NCAA D2 schools.
“While I was in the US I got the chance to go to some NBA games. I got to watch Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic and Portland Trailblazers and also went to a lot of Georgia State University (NCAA D1) games and got to see the campus.”
Since returning home, Rankin has received numerous college offers for next season to return to the US including Lassen Community College (Susanville, California), Moberly Area Community College (Missouri), Lawson State Community College (Birmingham, Alabama), Albany Technical College (Georgia), Olive-Harvey Community College (Chicago, Illinois) and Waubonsee Community College (Chicago, Illinois).
Rankin added: “As well as the college offers from the States, I have been talking to a few British Basketball League teams in the UK, so the option to stay home and play professional might also be possible for me as the summer progresses.
“At the moment I’m still deciding what’s best for me and my future, but it’s nice to be back in my home country and enjoy spending time with my family.
“My two seasons in the US have been an amazing experience. I have to give a big thank you to B3 Academy in Atlanta for guiding me in my basketball career since I was 17, from Brent Benson being my mentor when he was playing professionally in the UK to taking me into his home and family when I was living in Atlanta.
“He’s like family to me now and his staff who work for him are amazing people too. Alem Peljto is another guy at B3 who really helped me progress in my time in the States. I wouldn’t even have a second season in the States or have college offers if it wasn’t for those guys.
“Also the coaching staff at ASA Prep have been great to me. It was great learning from them on and off the court, all season they gave me the best experience I could have at prep school level.
“I feel very blessed to have experienced what I have through basketball since I left high school and I hope it shows the younger generation in the area that if you have a dream and work hard anything is possible.”
