Dylan Angel can surely breathe easy these days.
The Tampa product is sifting through a bevy of offers. It is not an advantage every prep player has the privilege of doing.
For one reason or the other, an injury or a shaky decision or the lack of the required SAT score at the right time, players tend to fall victim to the inexact science/pressure cooker that is recruiting.
Some are running out of options as we enter the mid-way mark of June. Some are frustrated and impatiently waiting in the wings for that elusive first offer.
Others are already hitting the panic button or pursuing alternate routes. Angel has several potential NCAA destinations to pursue.
“I think because he incorporated new tools to his game, because he took it upon himself to come out of his shell a bit, that’s why he’s going to find the right fit that will enable him to thrive as a productive four-year player,” said NTSI head coach Chris Chaney, who alongside player development ace/assistant coach Sullivan Brown propelled Angel’s development.
“He can affect the game in a variety of ways. He really bought into our team-first culture here and that’s what helped him win over the respect of his teammates and mesh so quickly. He bought into our team-first culture.
Dylan just being a competitive kid and having the work ethic he possesses, those are aspects which allowed him to master the transition. Some may have trouble with transition and adapting right away, but for Dylan it was nothing.”
Angel also registered his presence on elite stages, in heavy-exposure events. The combination guard kicked in six assists during an upset victory over Mount Zion (Baltimore, Md.), operating offense and engineering a souped-up attack.
Against Masters Academy (CT) at the National Prep Invitational in Rhode Island, Angel’s timely and deep 3-pointers provided necessary separation.
“He stepped up in opportune moments. He was just able to make some winning plays for us,” said Chaney, who has cultivated a torrent of backcourt talent such as Shawne Williams (Memphis/New York Knicks) Dwight Hardy (St. John’s) and Jeremy “The Cab Driver” Hazell (Seton Hall) when he catapulted to the upper percentile of North Carolina's prep ranks and high school basketball history books.
“I think he’s a very tough defender, which is an attribute of his game that he doesn’t get enough credit for. He always took it upon himself to guard the opponent’s top scorer and minimize him."
Angel most recently visited Husson University in Maine. The Eagles went 21-7 in 2016-17 and captured the program’s 25th NAC championship with an 89-67 thumping of Thomas. The team earned a berth in the NCAA tournament and have a history of making the tournament, an extremely appealing factor for the win-first Angel.
“Really it was a great visit overall,” said Angel of his time in Bangor, ME. “They have a strong program and have made the tournament and it’s definitely an exciting place to be and play. They really have a competitive team and a tradition out there.”
Lydon State, Green Mountain, Alderson Broaddus, King, Notre Dame de Namur, and several NAIA programs have upped their pursuit of Angel.
Perhaps his most memorable aspect of NTSI was rectifying any noted flaws of his game. By putting the time in and taking advantage of the gym at all hours of the night and day, Angel finely tuned himself as a multi-faceted threat.
He kicked the tendency of settling for feathery jumpers, opting to attack the rim and unveil a new nifty floater.
Angel grasped and embraced the concept of slithering into the nooks and crannies of the defense and finish with hard contact. He became more adept at creating his shot off the dribble and finding space for his shot on the fly. These were essential elements necessary in bettering his game for the ensuing stages.
“I became a more diverse player and I really buckled down and focused during my time (at NTSI),” he explained.
“I really invested energy into becoming more of a slashing threat. This was a great environment to work at this component of my game, because everyone surrounding had the ability to get to the rim with ease. With all of the competition from my teammates here, it made it easier to adjust. We fed off of our competitive juices."