Few outside of Orlando knew much about Deloran “Niko”
Oliver. That is until the mid-season tournament at Montverde Academy. The well-built
6-foot-4, 200-pound guard scored 28 points and created matchup difficulties all night, earning credibility across Montverde's sparkling, college-esque arena.
Oliver decimated the defense on the full plate of deep 3-pointers, hard drives, step-backs, and rapid, catch-and-stick corner jumpers. He got into the teeth of the defense and never relented, scoring with contact and embracing the brutal at-the-rim hits.
Oliver decimated the defense on the full plate of deep 3-pointers, hard drives, step-backs, and rapid, catch-and-stick corner jumpers. He got into the teeth of the defense and never relented, scoring with contact and embracing the brutal at-the-rim hits.
It's no secret around Orlando, Oliver plays with a natural tenacity and toughness very few at the prep level can mirror. He possesses considerable elevation on his jumper and range, attributes which rendered him multi-layered en route to an 18 PPG scoring average this past season. In applying a steady pull-up game, Oliver seized the scoring mantle alongside point guard and Arkansas-Little Rock signee Cam Corcoran.
You’ll
likely see the athletic combination guard two feet above the floor before his
shot release. Oliver also has the football-basketball mentality, upping the
physicality during tense moments. Adapting to rugged, in-your-chest defense
and applying pressure all over the court vaulted him into a leadership position
under coach Brad Traina at Conrad Academy (FL).
“First and foremost as a player, I pride myself on
my impact on the defensive end,” said Oliver, who will prolong his career on
the JUCO level at Ridgewater College in Willmar, MN.
“If I can stop my opponent from scoring, if I can
change his shot selection and negate him, at the end of the day I’m winning. Second off, I really
look to make my teammates a beneficiary of my presence out there on the court. I always try to make
those around me better. I try to find them at their spots, known where they
are on the court and kick in the right pass at the opportune time.”
This team guy mentality ingrained in Oliver will certainly have special resonance next season. All signs point to Oliver attaining the keys to Ridgewater’s offense and keying a souped-up, go-go attack.
Partially
due to his innate feel for the game and partially because he heads into his
collegiate career as a muscle-bound guard, conventional wisdom tells us
Oliver will compete for the starting position.
It will be a transition from the score-first roles
the 6-foot-4 guard shouldered at Oak Ridge and The Conrad Academy in Florida.
As a tangible source of pure athleticism and sneaky bounce, Oliver has the potential to get easy buckets just hanging around the rim.
As a tangible source of pure athleticism and sneaky bounce, Oliver has the potential to get easy buckets just hanging around the rim.
During his stay at Oak Ridge, Oliver’s presence was a necessity in
accelerating Michael Devoe’s development. Devoe, a 6-foot-3 combo guard, has
offers from Florida, LSU, Miami and a bevy of others.
“We really had a great relationship as teammates, especially because we were able
to constantly make each other better and work harder because of the level we
brought it to in practice,” Oliver said.
“As a defensive guy above all, me guarding Mike
basically helped me learn how to work against an elite scorer. Mike guarding me,
it helped him a lot because he was only a sophomore at the time. So, it kind of gave him a chance
to guard a bigger guard who on paper has the size advantage on him. We helped
each other in that way and we as a team reaped the rewards of it.”
Down the road, Oliver has the strength and
athleticism to become a high-major player. Just how much his game grows this
season will be a major barometer of this.