2014 Cliff Alexander (Curie - IL) has Early Leader

Written By: Drew Brucker

Email: dbruck3@gmail.com

At this time last year, 2014 PF Cliff Alexander was a relative unknown outside of the Chicago area where he plays ball for Curie HS (IL).  Now?  He's not only one of the most talked about prospects in the talent-infused Chicago-area but in the nation as well.  Most scouting services alike regard Alexander as a Top 20 talent on a national level for the 2014 class.

Cliff was magnificent throughout the summer and shot up the national player rankings in a blink of an eye thereafter.  

Alexander's trademark is without a doubt his defensive capabilities.  He's an absolute terror for opponents blocking shots and controlling the glass. His game's intimidating demeanor is downright scary as he displays authority even onlookers can atest.

One source that can vouch for this high praise are brothers Roy & Harv Schmidt who operate a scouting service for Illinois at ILprepbullseye.com.  

"Alexander is your prototypical 4 man--he dominates on the glass, is a consistent finisher, intimidates defensively & can face up & knock down shots." said ILprepbullseye.  

"He may have as much up side as anybody in 2014 including Jahlil Okafor. It's scary to think how much better he may get." 

Offensively, Alexander is currently a work in progress. However he is developing his arsenal rather quickly.  It pales in comparison to his defensive prowess but he's closing the gap.  He's developing inside pivots and hooks to complement his powerful dunks.  Alexander absolutely attacks rims when he dunks as each one carries its own exclamation point.

Once Cliff is able to perfect this portion of his play, you will see him climb the national rankings even further.  Alexander is truly an elite talent any Division-1 team would be grateful to place in their frontcourt.

Evan Flood of Badger247 tells me after speaking with the 6-9 sophomore he learned that Alexander has stated that Michigan State is his current leader. Flood also pointed out Alexander's affinity and attraction to Coach Izzo as a future mentor.  

When discussing his previous visit to East Lansing, Alexander said, “I loved it.  I loved it up there. I like (Tom) Izzo a lot. I like the players. They got a great basketball program. I loved it."

“He (Tom Izzo) just said keep working hard and he’s looking forward to me being a Spartan one day.”

The Spartans are the leader in a crowd filled with over 14 known offers including Illinois, DePaul, Bradley, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Mizzou, Providence, UConn, Tennessee, Ohio State, Louisville, Florida State, & Kansas.  The MSU lean is confirmation to some who assumed that was in fact the case.

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