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June 26, 2024. NBA Draft Night time. We’re in NYC, the place else? AJ Storr is on a Zoom from… Athens, Greece!?! We’ll clarify all that in a second. Extra importantly, he is aware of the that means of tonight as a prelude to his future.
“Actually one 12 months from tonight, is it loopy to suppose you’ll be up on the stage…” we are saying earlier than Storr interjects excitedly, “…in a go well with and tie!”
Ten factors for honesty with this one. Storr, now a rising junior for the world-famous Kansas Jayhawks and a projected 2025 NBA Draft choose, is just not dancing round a subject many faculty gamers with eligibility remaining play sizzling potato with. “Sure,” Storr confirms, “I’m planning to be within the draft subsequent 12 months.”
Now that we now have that very logical enterprise choice lined, let’s backtrack and share some of the distinctive and totally fashionable basketball journeys of any high-profile participant on the earth.
We’ll begin with the world enterprise. Storr is in Greece in the meanwhile as a result of the Bahamian nationwide group, of which he not too long ago made the roster (pending some lingering paperwork), is taking part in a few exhibition video games earlier than an Olympic qualifying event in Spain that can decide if the small island nation with the more and more outsized basketball expertise advances to Paris.
The 6-7 Storr, a smooth-shooting, scoring guard tied to The Bahamas as a result of his father was born there, is worked up to be in Greece. Partly for the expertise of what he calls his “world tour,” however much more so for the prospect to play with people who’ve gotten the place he desires to go. Bahamas basketball has quietly constructed an explosive roster that includes present NBA gamers Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, Buddy Hield, Kai Jones and Isaiah Mobley, in addition to different proficient faculty and professional gamers. The squad is coached by longtime Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco.
“It’s a actually nice expertise to be on the market with all these execs,” Storr says, a day after scoring 15 factors (on 7-9 taking pictures) in a 93-80 loss to Montenegro. “I performed a few video games with them final summer season after which we had coaching camp in Houston earlier this month, and now I’m taking part in actual video games with them. It’s nice to be round all this expertise.”
Every time The Bahamas’ run ends, the world is on discover that it’s a program to be careful for sooner or later, after which Storr may have extra time to spend in his newest “house”—Lawrence, KS. And what a house it’s. Maybe essentially the most storied program in all of school basketball—“I hadn’t recognized that James Naismith based this system right here. That’s who based basketball!” Storr exclaims—and a program with usually excessive expectations for the ’24-25 season. As ESPN’s Jeff Borzello put it in his latest “Manner-Too-Early High 25,” the Jayhawks are No. 1 after Invoice Self responded to a disappointing ’23-24 “with essentially the most loaded roster within the nation. He went into the portal and landed AJ Storr (Wisconsin), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama); then, All-American huge man Hunter Dickinson opted to return for an additional 12 months.”
It says right here that Storr, with a taking pictures contact that the Jayhawks sorely missed final season, would be the greatest piece of the puzzle. As for all of the locations he’s been earlier than Kansas, that unfolds like a little bit of a puzzle in its personal manner.
This younger man is within the candy spot for a correct SLAM profile as a result of he’s “huge” sufficient—due to taking part in one 12 months in New York Metropolis and one other 12 months going viral because the athletic main scorer for B1G energy Wisconsin—to be heard of however with out his full story being recognized as a result of he was not a brilliant high-profile recruit. We’ll let you know the story now so that you’ll be within the know when he blows up much more at Kansas after which flies into the NBA in 12 months.
Storr grew up in Rockford, IL, a metropolis of practically 150,000 about 90 minutes west of Chicago. It’s most related in fashionable hoops as the house of present Houston Rocket Fred VanVleet. AJ got here up alongside one older sister, Ambranette, who scored greater than 2,900 factors in her highschool profession earlier than taking part in in faculty, and 5 youthful brothers, raised primarily by his mom, Annette Brandy—a former Chicago highschool star who performed in faculty as properly—and his stepfather.
AJ attended Rockford Lutheran as a highschool freshman, displaying promise as a hooper who was nonetheless simply 6-1. After that, a trip began that has but to finish. The household moved to the South Chicago suburb of Kankakee when his mother, a instructor, received a greater job supply, and AJ spent his sophomore and most of his junior 12 months at Kankakee Excessive. Then Covid hit. As Brandy explains, it was time to make some choices. “The entire state of Illinois shut down. He had some affords—Chicago State, IUPUI—however he nonetheless hadn’t gotten main seems. We knew he was a Energy 5 child, he simply hadn’t been seen,” she says. “His dad lived in Vegas, and AJ was hesitant about it, however I satisfied him to go. Construct a relationship together with your dad and put your self on the market with basketball.”
It labored. Storr began taking part in for Vegas Elite and Bishop Gorman Excessive College and his publicity—and rating—skyrocketed. He was set to play his senior season for Bishop Gorman after which…Clark County, NV (which incorporates Las Vegas) introduced there could be no winter sports activities on account of Covid. “After Vegas shut down, he transferred to AZ Compass and so they made all of it the best way to the GEICO Nationals,” his mother says. “By then he had gotten a whole lot of affords, however I assumed he wanted to mature a bit.”
So it was off to famend IMG Academy in Florida for a post-grad 12 months that went nice. In the long run, AJ had attended 5 excessive faculties in 5 years, albeit for causes that have been exterior his management. When the time got here to make his official faculty selection, Storr enrolled at St. John’s, firmly hitting the (admittedly biased) radar of the #SLAMfam’s faculty followers by placing collectively a Huge East All-Freshman marketing campaign highlighted by 40 p.c taking pictures from three-point vary, 9 ppg and an thrilling model of play. Alas, the Johnnies fired Mike Anderson and Storr determined to switch again to the Midwest, placing collectively an All-B1G Second Staff season (17 ppg, 4 rpg, 1 apg) in Madison and establishing himself as a future professional. Storr flirted with getting into this 12 months’s draft earlier than as an alternative deciding to switch yet another time. To one of the best group within the county.
“Taking part in for all of the completely different groups has actually helped my IQ. I’ve discovered completely different performs, completely different coaches, completely different cultures,” Storr says, explaining the advantages of his journey. “Off the court docket, each faculty has welcomed me and made it like a household. I’ve received buddies from each faculty.”
In Storr’s thoughts, the ascension from unknown excessive schooler to possible first-round NBA choose is just not as a result of he not too long ago received good on the sport. For higher or worse, publicity nonetheless issues. “I’ve been fairly good at basketball my complete life, however I needed to get round the fitting platform and coaches and reap the benefits of the alternatives,” he says. “St John’s is in a fantastic convention. Then I went to the Huge Ten and the Badgers, who’ve made Ultimate 4 runs and are recognized worldwide. Being there helped me so much. Now I’m trying ahead to taking my recreation to a different stage at Kansas.”
Storr describes himself as very coachable and has discovered bits and items from all of the coaches he’s performed for, however none of them have been round him constantly sufficient to have developed a deep mentorship. For each day assist as he pursues his dream, Storr factors to the individuals who have been across the longest. “I’ve received a group with my mother, my sister, my administration,” he says. “It takes a group to perform your dream. You will be essentially the most proficient participant, however in the event you don’t have the fitting folks round you, you’re not going to make it.”
For her half, Mother couldn’t be prouder. “I’m so excited for him,” says Brandy, who not too long ago received a brand new job—and acquired a home—again in Rockford. “He has put in a lot work to get right here.”
And to reiterate, Storr himself views his diverse experiences as a constructive. “My recreation interprets to a whole lot of completely different locations,” he says. “I understand how to purchase right into a program. I respect all my coaches. I’m a fantastic teammate. When you step on that court docket or within the weight room, you develop into brothers. The place I’m making an attempt to go, you gotta be ready. Within the NBA, guys get traded on a regular basis. So this may very well be a bonus.”
Portraits through Missy Minear Kansas Athletics.
