Recruiting report: Dante Scroggins (2016)
SEDALIA — One of the state’s top “stretch 4s” in the Class of 2016 is off the board as Smith-Cotton big man Dante Scroggins has made a verbal commitment to MidAmerica Nazarene. At 6-foot-7 Scroggins has the ability to play…
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Continue ReadingSEDALIA — One of the state’s top “stretch 4s” in the Class of 2016 is off the board as Smith-Cotton big man Dante Scroggins has made a verbal commitment to MidAmerica Nazarene.
At 6-foot-7 Scroggins has the ability to play above the rim, or step out to the 3-point line where he made 60 3-pointers this season and shot 35-percent from long distance. Scroggins helped his squad go 18-9 overall, averaging 19.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He posted 14 doubles-doubles, including a season-high 38 points on Dec. 15 against Clinton.
Scroggins is an athletic big man that can run the floor in transition and get open 3’s, or penetrate to the basket who is a willing and able passer and an unselfish teammate.
The last player to make his seventh-grade team, Scroggins has since used a hard-work attitude to turn himself into a scholarship player.
“I think that speaks for itself — hard work pays off,” Scroggins said. “God, he has show me the path, it was just if I was going to work for what I wanted or sit around and do nothing. So I took the right path.”
Scroggins said his favorite player is the Cleveland Cavs Lebron James.
“He is a proven winner and he is hungry to continue to win and I look up to people like that,” Scroggins said. “And he’s also the best player in the NBA.”
Scroggins said he had full scholarship offers from Evangel and Missouri Southern and also drew interest from Central Missouri, Missouri-St. Louis, Lindenwood, Trinidad State, Lincoln, Central Methodist and Maryville.
But in the end, Scroggins said MidAmerica, an NAIA school located in Olathe, Kan., just felt right. The Pioneers are led by longtime head coach Rocky Lamar and were 28-9 last season, advancing to the Division I semifinals where they fell to top ranked Georgetown. MidAmerica will be looking to replace six seniors from this year’s team.
“The family atmosphere when I first stepped on campus, a winning program, and the team. …” Scroggins said. “There was just all positives leaving that place that I could see myself being a Pioneer.”