Coach: 2019 PF Tre Mitchell Has "Special Feel" For Game
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The more you see and get to know Tre Mitchell, the more it seems like the 2019 forward/center would be a pretty good fit for Notre Dame and the Irish basketball program.
The 6-foot-9, 245-pounder from Woodstock Academy in Connecticut has steadily stacked up the scholarship offers over the past several months and his current list includes Notre Dame along with schools like Pitt, Louisville, Illinois, Xavier, UConn, Wake Forest Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Vanderbilt among several others.
Last week, Mitchell and his Elite Expressions EYBL teammates participated in a combine along with City Rocks from New York here at Western New England University.
Elite Expressions director Todd Quarles isn’t surprised to see Mitchell being recognized and recruited by some of the nation’s top programs.
“For one, he’s a high-character kid,” Quarles said of Mitchell. “He’s a great student. I think he’s only had one B in his life. He’s just a good kid.”
Mitchell hasn’t allowed the increased attention to change him.
“He’s handled it well,” said Quarles. “He keeps his head down, stays focused. He doesn’t get too high or too low, he’s never big-headed or things like that. I think the main thing is he starts to see this and wants to work harder.”
That work has allowed him the chance to maximize his potential.
“He’s transformed his body,” Quarles continued. “He’s working hard. He can play inside-out. He’s got a special feel for the game; great hands, great footwork and a great feel. He’s a tremendous passer. He doesn’t get enough credit for how well he passes it, whether in the high post or low post.
“He’s tough to guard and he can shoot the three-ball.”
Playing with Quarles’ program has helped Mitchell raise his game, but so has Woodstock Academy.
“It’s not just the EYBL,” Quarles explained. “I think he’s played at a high-level prep school. I think that started it all and made the transition a lot easier for him with the intensity and the urgency of being able to get up and down, switch back and forth and run the floor.
“I think he sees that type of intensity and it helps prepare him for the next level.”
While Mitchell’s game, dedication to education and personality would seem to be a good fit at Notre Dame, those things would likely make him a fit at most programs. Still, it’s obvious the Irish have his attention.
“I think that would be a good look,” Quarles said of Notre Dame. “For one, he’s a high-academic kid and high-IQ kid. I think from that standpoint, he would fit in. It’s just a matter of fit and who else they have behind him and what their roster looks like and things like that. I know he likes the school an awful lot.”