(2024) - PF Airious "Ace" Bailey To Rutgers

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

We offered 5-star 6'8" PF Airious (Ace) Bailey after watching this past weekend's AAU action. Currently attends McEachern HS in Powder Springs, GA although I believe he may have been enrolled at Boyd-Buchanan HS in Chattanooga, TN for the 20-21 school year.  No MaxPreps.  

@AiriousB

247

Rivals

Hudl

2 months ago from Jamie Shaw - 6-8 Ace Bailey

He is raw, but boy does Ace Bailey have a ton to like. He plays with a lot of pop, with natural timing and tools around the rim. The Powder Springs (GA) McEachern High finishes high above the rim in the half-court, and he can slide his feet on defense or block shots at the top of the square. The touch is there from the free-throw line; we would like to see him extend that out consistently, beyond the three-point arc. He also has a solid base for a handle, but we would like to see him improve his reads in-game. All in all, the tools are obvious. It will be about how much he can fine-tune all that natural ability. He could be one you see sky-rocket in rankings over the next 12 months.

Claimed offers: Auburn, Tennessee, Ole Miss, etc.

[Stuhoo]

Initial observation:

Anyone whose first name is "Airious" should go by "Air" not "Ace."

 

[mamasa]

This guy?

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/iu-basketball-recruiting-hoosiers-offer-class-of-2024-5-star-wing-ace-bailey/?fbclid=IwAR3i1zYtJ7IdhcfnXhA98TBFrhr03V_vR-YJAISwklmYZcX1Hmozwij-w_Q

[Demo]

From On the Radar Hoops, which is 1 of the go to sites for Georgia HS hoops:
 

Airious “Ace” Bailey | 6-7 | SG | 2024 | AOT (McEachern)

Airious Bailey

“There haven’t frankly been too many scenarios this spring where Bailey hasn’t been the most naturally gifted player on the floor and that stems back to a pre-freshman year summer in 2020 where he was spectacular outclassing everyone in his class while still playing in Tennessee, fast forward 2 years and not only has little changed but the gap between him and a good deal of his peers has widened as his natural physical progression has only unlocked more of his arsenal as he plays a true 2 (and often handles the point) at a blistering and long 6-foot-7, it seems unlikely he’ll play a ton of PG for the Indians with young up-and-coming 2025 guards Rhys Cotton and Christian Curl both coming off strong frosh campaigns so catching it all across the floor will allow him to show the full gamut of perimeter and interior scoring ability that has universally seen him rise to the top of 2024 rankings boards for Georgia.”

Bailey is 1 of the best watches of any kid with an IU offer. Really would like to see this one go the distance.

, 

[Demo]

IU is visiting this week, per Tipton.

Hell of a talent.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Jamie Shaw - 

On Friday, the recruiting period opened, meaning college coaches from all levels, will travel all over the country to see the next wave of talent.

The recruiting period began on September 9th and will run through November 7th.

Ace Bailey, a 6-foot-9 forward in the class of 2024, is expected to have a host of programs at Powder Springs (Ga.) McEachern High over the next few days.

Kentucky, Auburn, Kansas, Alabama, Appalachian State, West Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Cincinnati, South Carolina, LSU, Arkansas, and Indiana are all expected to be in to see the rising junior.

Currently, Ace Bailey is ranked 7th nationally in his class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 1 power forward in the country and No. 2 in the state of Georgia.

Bailey on his game, what he’s looking for in a school

“I rebound, score, look for opportunities to help my team win,” Bailey said to On3 in a previous interview. “I’ve gotten stronger since the summer, which has helped with my physicality. I am rebounding better and blocking more shots. I take stuff from Kevin Durant, his mid-game is unstoppable, and that is what I am working on right now.”

What is Bailey looking for in a program?

“I’ll be looking at how I bond with the team, the coaches,” Bailey said. “I will be looking at the location, how my parents will fit in the area. I want to see how the team communicates with my family and me throughout the process.”

Bailey comes from a basketball family.

“We are a basketball family, no doubt about it. My mom, Ramika McGee, went to West Virginia. My dad, Richard Bailey, went to U of H, my aunt, Venus Lacy, played in the WNBA. We are all like 6-foot-5 and above.”

Scouting Summary

Airius Bailey is a lengthy and explosive forward prospect in the 2024 class. He has a lot of natural tools to work with, and it is easy to see why the college coaches are already lining to track his progress. At the same time, Bailey is far from a finished product, his ability to handle and shoot the ball in the half-court intrigues. What stood out the most in this game was the 13 rebounds he had. He played with a go-get-the-ball mentality, which translates while you sharpen everything else. With his bloodlines and athletic genes, make sure to earmark this name and look for Bailey to track as a national-level recruit. – On3’s Jamie Shaw, National Recruiting Analyst

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

pUKe offered

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

McEachern ranked #2 in the 7A pre-season poll.  For reference, Gicarri Harris plays for Grayson; Jakai Newton is at Newton; Akai Fleming is at Osborne.  As @Demo has mentioned more than once, the talent level in Georgia is insane.

 

 

[Demo]

20 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

McEachern ranked #2 in the 7A pre-season poll.  For reference, Gicarri Harris plays for Grayson; Jakai Newton is at Newton; Akai Fleming is at Osborne.  As @Demo has mentioned more than once, the talent level in Georgia is insane.

 

 

Newton has 4 D1 guards, including a possible McDonald’s All American,  and are ranked FIFTH in the state. That is stone nuts.

[GloryDays]

21 hours ago, Demo said:

Newton has 4 D1 guards, including a possible McDonald’s All American,  and are ranked FIFTH in the state. That is stone nuts.

The kid going to UConn is a beast.

[Demo]

22 minutes ago, Woodson1980 said:

The kid going to UConn is a beast.

Yeah, Castle’s a monster. They also have a kid named Marcus Whitlock. Might want to keep his name in the back of your mind. Small scoring guard with mid-major offers because he’s not real projectable. But, he is a wired multi-level scorer and the best shooter on the roster.  Exactly the kind of player who ends up at an under the radar school and then in a couple of years drops about 30 in 2-15 game in the tournament and scares the hell out of a name brand and then becomes a big deal in the portal.

[GloryDays]

22 hours ago, Demo said:

Yeah, Castle’s a monster. They also have a kid named Marcus Whitlock. Might want to keep his name in the back of your mind. Small scoring guard with mid-major offers because he’s not real projectable. But, he is a wired multi-level scorer and the best shooter on the roster.  Exactly the kind of player who ends up at an under the radar school and then in a couple of years drops about 30 in 2-15 game in the tournament and scares the hell out of a name brand and then becomes a big deal in the portal.

I've watched a few of their games and Whitlock stood out.That roster is loaded.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

In a match-up against Grovetown (Derrion Reid) McEachern won 88-80.  Bailey 16p.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Commentary from the McEachern - Grovetown game from Josh Tec - 

When Grovetown and McEachern met on Saturday night, the marquee matchup saw a headlining battle between two top-75 players in the 2024 class. 

No. 5 Ace Bailey (McEachern) and No. 57 Derrion Reid (Grovetown) went head-to-head and neither disappointed. In fact, both proved that their current HoopSeen rankings are likely too low.

Starting with Bailey, the 6-foot-9 forward impressed with his first-quarter scoring barrage. Right off the bat, Bailey showed improvement on his already good jumper with back-to-back 3-pointers. He’s been a killer from mid-range with his ability to rise over defenders, and his ability to create separation and consistently hit on fadeaways and stepbacks. 

When McEachern’s guards took over, Bailey’s scoring slowed, but his impact on the game didn’t. He has a great motor and uses his length well on the glass. Even more impressive to me, Bailey made some tremendous skip passes to open shooters when he drew help defenders. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Fallen off the IU radar but quite a stat line tonight.

 

[Demo]

Officially out on this one. Only B1G school on his top 12 list is, weirdly enough, Rutgers. That would seem like a very odd fit.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Commits to Rutgers.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

Oh my


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[Demo]

5 minutes ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Commits to Rutgers.

Damn, that kid will be a problem.