I will be the first to tell you, I pay very little attention to college hoops before we get to March. But these are the kinds of stories we quickly fall in love with, especially when they're local.
Jason Preston is a guard for Ohio, they have an opportunity to upset Tony Bennett's Virginia team in Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament (13 vs 4 seed). Jason is a product of Boone High School in Orlando!
Here's a breakdown of Jason's story:
- He's led Ohio to their first NCAA Tourney since 2012
- As a Senior in HS, Preston was 6 feet and weighed 140 pounds, averaging just 2 points per game.
- He attended UCF but DID NOT pursue basketball.
- However, he did play in some AAU games in the summer, he attended prep school at the Believe Sports Academy in Tennessee. He was placed on the C team, but his performances got him up to the A team.
- Stats weren't consistent, he wanted more minutes, went down to the C team, and put together a highlight reel to share on social media.
- He got two offers, one of which was from Ohio.
- He is now 6'4 and 187 and averaged 22ppg in the MAC tournament and was named Tournament MVP.
Great story. Best of luck Preston.
photo: getty images