"When you are one of the best players in the country, those (blue-bloods) are the types of programs that look at you."
Those were the words from Antonio Curro, the Head Coach of the Phenom University's 17U team. He was referring to the offer by Kentucky last Friday to one of his standout players, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Baldwin is a five-star prospect who is ranked No. 3 in the 2021 Class by Rivals.Curro hit the nail on the head when he alluded that his is an elite recruitment. The Wildcats joined the likes of Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA among many other Power Five programs who have offered.
He helped make Phenom one of the top programs in the country this past spring and summer no matter the shoe circuit. They were 17-0 in the EYBL before finally losing in Peach Jam bracket play. Baldwin averaged 17.4 points on a stacked roster. The sharp shooter shot 53.4 percent from the field before the final event in North Augusta, South Carolina. That went with 85.2 percent shooting from the foul line and 40 percent from deep. He also averaged 4.8 rebounds.
Corey Evans described him as a, "A 6-foot-8 forward that is one of the best shot makers in the 2021 class, Baldwin displays a tremendous IQ for the game but has become better at putting the ball on the floor and making the right play."
Baldwin Jr. admitted to Evans a few days back that the recruiting process is purposely coming along slowiy. His father is also the Head Coach at UW-Milwaukee. So there are some interesting questions on when he will amp things up and what kind of school he might favor.
Cats Illustrated spoke with Coach Curro on Tuesday afternoon, and while he couldn't clarify everything, he did discuss what type of player Baldwin is and how that might fit into things. We also chatted a day after it was announced that a recent Kentucky great is teaming with the EYBL program which will now be called Phenom University - Team Herro.
Q: Tell us about him as a player.
Curro: "I consider Patrick to be one of the best players in the country regardless of class. He's very easy to coach, obviously highly skilled, instinctive, checks all of the boxes as a player. He's only getting better. He's just kind of scratching the surface on his potential if that makes sense."
Q: These guys play so many multiple positions now. What do you see him as on the next level?
Curro: "I think Patrick is really positionless. I think it depends on the system, the sets that are run. He can handle the basketball. He can shoot the basketball. He can post up. He can score at every level. We do a lot of things creatively with him. One thing, he's not just a shooter. He can do so much more than just shoot the basketball. I think people see how good his jump shot is and it's easy to fall in love with that, but I've had him when he was the best post player in the entire weekend of the EYBL. He just does does many different things. I don't know that he has a position. Whatever you want to do offensively as a coach, whatever your lineups are I think he can play anywhere."
Q: You said it depends on the system that he is in. Is there a certain kind that he fits into better than others?
Curro: "Yeah, any system in the country (laughing). He can play for anybody in the country. What you ask him to do he will go out and do it. If you need him to make shots, he can do that. If you need him to rebound, he can do that. If you need him to pass, he can do that. If you need him to defend different positions, he can do that. I think whatever system he wants to play in he will excel in that system, as simple as that."
Q: Being one of the top players in the country, I'm sure he has had Kentucky interest for a long time, but can you tell us how that interest built into an offer?
Curro: "When you're one of the best players in the country, those are the schools that take a look at you. He held a Duke offer early. North Carolina and Kentucky are the most recent ones. He's one of those blessed few that can pick up the phone and go anywhere he wants to in the country. So at some place and time Kentucky saw him play at a high level. I think its kind of a no-brainer for Kentucky and any school for that matter. But since you asked about Kentucky, obviously he's that good."
Q: Coach Calipari is very open about Kentucky not being a place for everyone. To thrive there, a player will have to be tough and get through adversity. Is that the kind of message that appeals to Patrick?
Curro: ""I think Patrick can play anywhere in the country. He's a very unique young man in that he's been brought up. He's got a really good family, and a lot of kids have that so I don't mean that exclusively to him, but he has a father who is a college coach, a mother who played sports at a collegiate level, so the way that he functions, he can play for anybody. Tough, easy, simple, whatever you want to call it, I don't think there is anything that he will shy away from. Whatever he chooses and his family chooses that they feel is best for him."
Q: He can take five official visits now as a junior. Is he planing on doing any of that this fall?
Curro: "Not that I'm aware of. I think all of that stuff is early in the process. Again, that would be a question for the Baldwin's."
Q: About your program, I saw where Tyler Herro is becoming involved with your program. I know that will be exciting for Kentucky fans.
Curro: "Tyler grew up in front of a lot of the platforms that we run through NY2LA Sports, so it's an organic relationship. We've known him since he was a little boy, close to the family so it's just a food fit. Tyler is an ambassador for basketball and the state of Wisconsin. Obviously, he competes at a high level. He has his contract with Nike . Phenom University is also an EYBL program in the Nike family. It's a relationship that's been around for a very long time. It goes back to him being a young middle school player. That's a personal relationship which me and his family go back to the second, third, or fourth grade."
Q: Will his name be linked to the program like a Bradley Beal or is that a different scenario?
Curro: "He will be a part of it. His name will be visible inside what we do."
Q: Can we expect to see him at spring and summer EYBL tournaments?
Curro: "He's playing for the Miami Heat so that relates to his schedule. He is a part of what we are doing. He wants to give back to kids. The thing about Tyler is he is an extremely hard worker, and one thing he does is he doesn't forget where he comes from. He's making sure that he's positively impacting kids. I don't know what his visibility will be in terms of that, but I think it is relative to his schedule." :
Those were the words from Antonio Curro, the Head Coach of the Phenom University's 17U team. He was referring to the offer by Kentucky last Friday to one of his standout players, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
Baldwin is a five-star prospect who is ranked No. 3 in the 2021 Class by Rivals.Curro hit the nail on the head when he alluded that his is an elite recruitment. The Wildcats joined the likes of Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA among many other Power Five programs who have offered.
He helped make Phenom one of the top programs in the country this past spring and summer no matter the shoe circuit. They were 17-0 in the EYBL before finally losing in Peach Jam bracket play. Baldwin averaged 17.4 points on a stacked roster. The sharp shooter shot 53.4 percent from the field before the final event in North Augusta, South Carolina. That went with 85.2 percent shooting from the foul line and 40 percent from deep. He also averaged 4.8 rebounds.
Corey Evans described him as a, "A 6-foot-8 forward that is one of the best shot makers in the 2021 class, Baldwin displays a tremendous IQ for the game but has become better at putting the ball on the floor and making the right play."
Baldwin Jr. admitted to Evans a few days back that the recruiting process is purposely coming along slowiy. His father is also the Head Coach at UW-Milwaukee. So there are some interesting questions on when he will amp things up and what kind of school he might favor.
Cats Illustrated spoke with Coach Curro on Tuesday afternoon, and while he couldn't clarify everything, he did discuss what type of player Baldwin is and how that might fit into things. We also chatted a day after it was announced that a recent Kentucky great is teaming with the EYBL program which will now be called Phenom University - Team Herro.
Q: Tell us about him as a player.
Curro: "I consider Patrick to be one of the best players in the country regardless of class. He's very easy to coach, obviously highly skilled, instinctive, checks all of the boxes as a player. He's only getting better. He's just kind of scratching the surface on his potential if that makes sense."
Q: These guys play so many multiple positions now. What do you see him as on the next level?
Curro: "I think Patrick is really positionless. I think it depends on the system, the sets that are run. He can handle the basketball. He can shoot the basketball. He can post up. He can score at every level. We do a lot of things creatively with him. One thing, he's not just a shooter. He can do so much more than just shoot the basketball. I think people see how good his jump shot is and it's easy to fall in love with that, but I've had him when he was the best post player in the entire weekend of the EYBL. He just does does many different things. I don't know that he has a position. Whatever you want to do offensively as a coach, whatever your lineups are I think he can play anywhere."
Q: You said it depends on the system that he is in. Is there a certain kind that he fits into better than others?
Curro: "Yeah, any system in the country (laughing). He can play for anybody in the country. What you ask him to do he will go out and do it. If you need him to make shots, he can do that. If you need him to rebound, he can do that. If you need him to pass, he can do that. If you need him to defend different positions, he can do that. I think whatever system he wants to play in he will excel in that system, as simple as that."
Q: Being one of the top players in the country, I'm sure he has had Kentucky interest for a long time, but can you tell us how that interest built into an offer?
Curro: "When you're one of the best players in the country, those are the schools that take a look at you. He held a Duke offer early. North Carolina and Kentucky are the most recent ones. He's one of those blessed few that can pick up the phone and go anywhere he wants to in the country. So at some place and time Kentucky saw him play at a high level. I think its kind of a no-brainer for Kentucky and any school for that matter. But since you asked about Kentucky, obviously he's that good."
Q: Coach Calipari is very open about Kentucky not being a place for everyone. To thrive there, a player will have to be tough and get through adversity. Is that the kind of message that appeals to Patrick?
Curro: ""I think Patrick can play anywhere in the country. He's a very unique young man in that he's been brought up. He's got a really good family, and a lot of kids have that so I don't mean that exclusively to him, but he has a father who is a college coach, a mother who played sports at a collegiate level, so the way that he functions, he can play for anybody. Tough, easy, simple, whatever you want to call it, I don't think there is anything that he will shy away from. Whatever he chooses and his family chooses that they feel is best for him."
Q: He can take five official visits now as a junior. Is he planing on doing any of that this fall?
Curro: "Not that I'm aware of. I think all of that stuff is early in the process. Again, that would be a question for the Baldwin's."
Q: About your program, I saw where Tyler Herro is becoming involved with your program. I know that will be exciting for Kentucky fans.
Curro: "Tyler grew up in front of a lot of the platforms that we run through NY2LA Sports, so it's an organic relationship. We've known him since he was a little boy, close to the family so it's just a food fit. Tyler is an ambassador for basketball and the state of Wisconsin. Obviously, he competes at a high level. He has his contract with Nike . Phenom University is also an EYBL program in the Nike family. It's a relationship that's been around for a very long time. It goes back to him being a young middle school player. That's a personal relationship which me and his family go back to the second, third, or fourth grade."
Q: Will his name be linked to the program like a Bradley Beal or is that a different scenario?
Curro: "He will be a part of it. His name will be visible inside what we do."
Q: Can we expect to see him at spring and summer EYBL tournaments?
Curro: "He's playing for the Miami Heat so that relates to his schedule. He is a part of what we are doing. He wants to give back to kids. The thing about Tyler is he is an extremely hard worker, and one thing he does is he doesn't forget where he comes from. He's making sure that he's positively impacting kids. I don't know what his visibility will be in terms of that, but I think it is relative to his schedule." :
