By CHARLIE PARENT
Jake Sussberg, a 6-foot-6 guard out of NY Wiz Kids AAU, has torn up the Adidas 3SSB circuit this summer, averaging 14 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2 assists as he looks to carry that momentum into this week’s upcoming live period with around 20 Division I coaches checking out his game in South Carolina.
The Scarsdale High School (NY.) product only made the switch to a Sneaker Circuit this past year, but has not faltered in the face of tougher competition.
“It’s been awesome, Wiz Kids has been really crucial for me,” he told ZAGSBLOG in an exclusive interview. “I’ve become a much better basketball player playing against the talent on the circuit and practicing against the guys. We go hard in practice, sometimes going 3-4 hours at a time with two-a-days, which I love.”
“When you’re playing on the Adidas circuit you’re playing against the best basketball players in the country,” he continued. “You have to score on them, and the go on the other end and defend. Doing that makes you better at everything. Playing defense, guarding the best players and going against them, is going to make way more fit for what’s to come this year at Scarsdale and at the next level.”
Sussberg is known for his elite shooting, hitting on 51% of his attempts for Scarsdale last season and 90% from the charity stripe.
“Jake’s game translates really well to the college level regardless of conference,” Scarsdale head coach Joe Amelio said. “He has a really good niche in terms of shooting. Every team needs shooting and Jake can shoot at a high level. He’s got a quick release and no dip in his shot. I tell him and sort of joke with him that his shot is similar to Klay Thompson: wherever the ball hits his hands he can go up, no dip, and make a shot. But, his game truly translates well. He’s somebody that can play right away in college. Obviously there’s some things to improve on because college is a different beast but he’s held his own in play this summer with guys who are already at the mid and high major level.”
Sussberg knows that it’s his intangibles, beyond the shooting, that will stick out to coaches more than anything. He’s a proven rebounder in high school and on the circuit, striving to do the dirty work, while continuing to shoot the ball at a high clip.
“I think I’m a really good rebounder for a guard,” he said. “As a kid in Scarsdale, I used to play the big man a little bit and learned how to rebound. I’m from New York so I’m a pretty gritty guy, diving on loose balls, talking and just a hustle guy. I’m pretty versatile on defense as well and I’m not scared of anything on the court.”
Amelio, who formally coached at the Bronx’s coveted St. Raymond’s program, handles a lot of Sussberg’s recruitment. He says he hears from NJIT, Iona, Princeton, Cornell, Lehigh, Loyola, Colombia and Stonybrook the most.
“We’re really looking for a great education along with a great style of play that matches Jake’s strengths,” Amelio said. “We want a program where Jake will have an opportunity to play, where Jake will have a great relationship with the staff and [that] has a great culture and family environment away from home. He wants to play in the NCAA Tournament and compete for that. It’s not like he’s only looking for one specific place, he just wants a great mix of all entities, so we’re doing our due diligence.”
Sussberg visited Cornell and NJIT in the past month and broke down each trip:
Cornell: “Cornell was great, I really liked it. I’m looking forward to having them watch me play and learning more about the school. My mom went there actually, so there is a connection. They tell me to keep grinding and that they’re excited to see me play. That’s been a lot of schools’ message and I’m betting on myself to play well and I believe I will.”
NJIT: “NJIT was awesome. Their facilities are really, really, nice. Their court is awesome, they have a great weight room and a whole building that has all their facilities which was great. I have an offer from there and I’m looking forward to learning more about that school and they’ll be out to see me play.”
“With all the schools at this point it’s just finding where I fit best,” he concluded. “Visiting more schools and learning about them will show me that specific thing that makes me feel like this is the place I want to be. Right now, I’m pretty wide open and I’m just looking to impact winning and for a school that can challenge academically.
In terms of his mentality, Sussberg is a high character player who heads into this third year as a captain at Scarsdale. He’s stuck loyal to the New York Section 1 program, even with neighboring leagues like the CHSAA and NEPSAC offering tougher competition.
“Jake is one of the highest character players I’ve come across,” Amelio said. “He truly leads by example. If we describe what a captain is, Jake fits that perfectly: he’s vocal in the locker room, he’s the first one in the gym and last to leave, he’s working two-a-days. I think of the quote ‘when you’re best player is your hardest worker, it really goes a long way’ and that’s the case with Jake. He holds everyone accountable and wants to play at the highest level of Division I and win a Section Championship, while getting his teammates involved, so it’s really been exciting for the program to have a player like him.”
“Jake came in as a freshman and played varsity as a freshman,” Amelio finished. “He blew up after sophomore year and a whole lot more after last year. He could’ve transferred four time. He could’ve gone to NEPSAC or CHSAA and I think we’ve been loyal to him, we’ve developed him, and he’s seen that and been loyal to us. We expect the same exact thing at the next level, he’s a loyal kid and his family loyal, and they believe in everyone that believes in him. So, that’s the best way to put it in terms of his loyalty to the next level.”
Sussberg and Amelio attributes his success this summer to Scarsdale’s assistant coach Jordan Griffith, as well as Wiz Kids head man Coach Mugsy.
He and the Wiz Kids get set to play Wednesday at 5:15 p.m., while the live period starts Thursday with the schedule yet to be determined.
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