2012 Wing Savon Goodman

2012 has a number of talented prospects at the wing position. Looking through the rankings, it’s easy to pass over a few in the class who might not get as much press as some of the other guys. One of those unheralded, but talented, guys is Savon Goodman, a 6’6″ 175 pounder out of Philadelphia, a region known for producing talented wings such as Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington.

We caught up with Savon (pronounced “Save-on”) this week and he talked about playing on a stacked Academy of the New Church High School team that boasts such talent as new Syracuse commit Rakeem Christmas, 2011′s Malcolm Gilbert, and Gilbert’s brother Marcus. “We’re good on paper, but we have to get the job done when the ball goes up.” Although Savon was just a Sophomore last year, he was tabbed as a captain, something he did not take lightly. Having talented guys on the team helped him lead. “Playing with (Rakeem) takes so much pressure off me as a captain and as his teammate because you can’t just worry about me, you have to worry about him too. It makes my job a lot easier.”

While he has been listed as a small forward his entire prep career, Savon intends to make a change in his junior season, “I’m trying to transition to the 2 this year. I want to play the 2 or the 3 in college.” This versatility is clear and the coaches who are recruiting him know they can plug him in at either spot. “Villanova would have me playing the 2. I’ve talked to Syracuse about me playing the 3.”

There has been a lot of speculation that Savon and AAU teammate Amile Jefferson would remain in the Big East when they go to college but he maintains that he’s open to playing in the “Big East or the ACC”. One school that has always been at the top of his list has been Villanova and being so close to the campus, he’s struck up a relationship with some of their players. “I’m pretty cool with Maalik Wayans, Corey Fisher, and Scottie Reynolds.”

The schools Goodman is hearing from the most reads like a book. “Syracuse, Nova, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Miami, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Temple, La Salle, St. Joe’s, Kansas, South Florida, UCLA, Texas, and Oregon.” He declined to give a Top 10, stating that he wanted to concentrate on his high school year and then may make a decision before his senior season.

One ACC school that was conspicuously absent from his list was Duke. Savon said he was hearing from the Blue Devils “A little. Not as much as I would like. I’m interested in them a lot.”

The talented rising Junior played at a number of prestigious events this Summer, including the Pangos All-American camp and the Adidas Nations event earlier this month.

Adidas Nations

Pangos

Philadelphia Super 60

Baltimore Elite Camp