Prospect Spotlight: Jeff Pedro (2018)
After tearing his patellar tendon last season, Jeff Pedro returned for the end of the year for Sarasota Riverview. He said it was hard on him because he trained so hard the summer and fall prior to the start of the season.
The 2018 forward is back healthy and will be finishing up his high school career at Booker. He decided to make the move since he’s known most of the players and the coach [Markus Black] since he was in middle school.
“I played AAU with most of them in 7th and 8th grade,” Pedro told Prep Hoops Florida. “I also feel that the way that Booker plays better fits my style of play. At Booker, a large part of my role would be rebounding, because we’re basically a team full of guards and I’m one of the tallest players on the team. Besides that, they just need me to be a good defender and play hard.”
At 6’5″, 195 lbs., Pedro is long and athletic enough to make plays on the offensive end. He’s getting stronger to hold his on defensively more.
He is spending his third summer with Team Speights where he says he’s focused on improving his game and staying healthy.
“I get in the gym pretty much every day, sometimes two times a day, getting shots up and working on my handles,” he said.
Pedro started his basketball career in 6th grade and says he first became serious about the game in 7th grade with AAU ball.
He pointed to his biggest strengths as his defense, driving to the basket and overall hard play.
“I feel like I’m a pretty solid defender, I’m good at staying in front of my man and I play good help defense which allows me to get a lot of blocks,” Pedro said. “Some things that I think that I need to improve on is my ball handling and my shooting. My handle is decent, however, it’s definitely not where I’d like it to be.”
Health is super important for Pedro’s chances. He has no offers or interest as of yet, but he certainly has upside with wing span and high basketball IQ. He’s an intriguing 2018 forward who is currently under the radar.