Recruiting Report: Tre Baumgardner (2018)

<span style="font-weight: 400;">After a summer spent playing with one of the Midwest’s best grassroots programs, <strong>Tre Baumgardner</strong> has seen his recruitment start to spike. </span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">The 6-foot Africentric Central point guard recently returned from a Valparaiso camp, where he says he played well; they’re interested, and a slew of others </span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">“I talked on the phone to Valparaiso, they really, really like me and I just got back from their camp. I’ve talked to Wright State and went to their elite camp. And then Northwood from Michigan, I talk to their coach a lot and he really likes me. And University of Tennessee-Martin wants me to come to their camp,” said Baumgardner.</span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">“That’s it who I’ve talked to -- my coaches have talked to several, I know.”</span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">While playing on the 16U circuit with Indiana’s Team Blaze Select, Baumgardner saw plenty of talented point guards, many of them with Division I offers already. </span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">And though he felt discouraged at times knowing his peers are receiving offers and not him, he’s remaining patient, and staying optimistic. </span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">“I am kind of young still, but I saw a lot of point guards this summer that have a lot of offers and I feel like I’m just as good,” said Baumgartner. “So I’m just trying to stay patient and not get down on myself. I’m just working to get better everyday so the offers will start coming.” </span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">Of course, playing with a team as talented and with as much exposure as Team Blaze Select certainly helps. And Baumgartner says he’s pleased with how he played this summer. </span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">“I think I played really well. When I started playing with Team Blaze I shot the ball really well, and my turnover-to-assist ratio was really good. My job was to facilitate a lot, we had a team full of shooters, and my job was to just get them the ball.” said Baumgartner, who now shifts his focus to his junior season at Columbus Africentric.</span> &nbsp; <span style="font-weight: 400;">“Last year I played behind three senior guards who had been there for a long time. This year my coach says it’s going to be my team mainly, so I’m just going to have to play smart and make the right decisions.”</span>