Once strictly a catch-and-shoot threat, Elev8's Kobe Eubanks' new-found knack for putting the ball on the deck, creating off the dribble, and ambidextrous passing ability has rendered the well-built 6-foot-5 guard one of the nation's most hotly-pursued guards.
Eubanks scored 15 points in under 13 minutes last night, as Elev8 coasted to a wire-to-wire 85-48 throttling of Virginia Tech's J.V.
Elev8 overcame a lackluster start, hiking up the defensive pressure en route to the sloppy blowout.
Eubanks said he was appreciative of Oregon head coach Dana Altman's appearance. Currently, he's considering all five potential destinations one at a time.
"The love is pretty good from Oregon," Eubanks said.
"Everyone there is cool. It's a good set up. It's a good situation, but it's not the only option. They have a need for my position in every program I'm considering right now. I'm just trying to evaluate these schools as I go along."
Since de-committing from Baylor, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native has narrowed his choices down to Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Oregon, and UCLA.
"I plan on a visit next week to Georgia and maybe the following week to UCLA," said Eubanks, whose deft long-range shooting and slashing has improved his scoring pace significantly.
Elev8's roster is rich with Division-I talent such as Jamall Gregory (VCU, Maryland, South Florida), Ole Miss-commit J.T. Escobar, Rhode Island-commit LeRoy Butts, former Floyd County (Va.) scoring cyborg and Radford-commit Caleb Tanner and a high-major target in electrifying guard Nick Rodgers, Eubanks has been the most consistent scorer under coaches Chad Meyers and Cody Toppert.
"He's carried us during spells where some of our other high-level players have had off-nights," said Toppert, Elev8'S lead trainer and NBA Pre-Draft recruiter.
"Kobe likes accountability. He likes to be held accountable on the floor. He doesn't want anyone to blow smoke as far as how good he is. He wants to be coached hard. I really think this year has benefited him greatly in regards to skill aspects as well as with killer instinct, poise, and the ability to accept criticism in a positive manner, which is huge at the next level."
For Eubanks, where will that next level be?
"I'd say Kobe's trying to figure out which program really wants him," Toppert said.
"It's important to go somewhere where you're wanted. It's not important to go somewhere based on the name in front of the jersey. Oregon has been putting in a lot of effort, UCLA has been putting in tremendous effort, and Georgia and Missouri are moving at a similar pace. Texas is coming on strong here at the very end, so we'll see what happens."
Eubanks, who trained religiously with Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight over the scorching South Florida summer, has the physical capabilities to author quick-hit impact at the highest level.
With a Big East body and propensity for scoring on all three levels, he's adapted to a formidable role in one of the nation's top-shelf prep programs.
Altman couldn't take much from last night's performance, especially with bench players eating up so many minutes. Elev8 has scored resume wins over Oak Hill Academy and New Hampton.
"(Kobe) can score it off the catch, he can score it off the bounce," Toppert said.
"He shoots it at a high rate from the foul line and he's very good at maneuvering around screens and getting his shot off."