Recruiting Report: Jamison Battle (2019)
Six-foot-7 small forward Jamison Battle put together an outstanding eight months of basketball. He led BSM in scoring as a sophomore and was a key part of the nationally ranked D1 Minnesota 16u club.
The D1 Minnesota 16s finished ranked number one in 16u in Minnesota with a 33-9 record as well as 11th nationally (third among 16u Adidas teams). Battle was a key piece to the unit that played some of the best team basketball on the 16U Midwestern circuit.
“Overall I think my AAU season went great,” Jamison told Prep Hoops. “I love playing with my team. We all trust each other and we all enjoy playing with one another. We had something special going this year and I’m glad I was a part of it.”
The teamwork of this group was outstanding. The competition level was also outstanding which led to Battle learning of things that he must do better going forward.
“My biggest take away is that I still need to get stronger, and I need to attack the hoop more and not rely on my shot as much,” Battle said. “Also, I think I need to improve my defense, with me transferring to DeLaSalle my defense is already improving.”
Jamison wants to board more, he wants to defend better now that he’s transferred to DeLaSalle, and Battle’s plan is to become more than a shooter with feet set or one dribble. Jamison definitely was more versatile in his offensive approach this July.
“I think I need to improve on my confidence when I’m attacking the hoop, and also, like I said, I need to work on my defense,” Battle said. “My defense is good at times, but for me to make an impact I need to be consistent on the defensive end of the floor.”
So now Battle is an Islander. What’s it like playing for the six time defending state champs so far?
“The team has been working hard hitting the weight room and continuing skill development all summer,” Jamison said. “With a core group of key players back in Tyrell Terry, Christian Dickson, Sage Booker, Gabe Kalscheur and other players who contributed last year in winning the state championship we should be a top team again. The ultimate goal is to win a state championship.”
Battle earned offers from North Dakota and Drake this off-season plus interest from many other places.
“I’ve heard a lot form Drake, Northern Iowa, Denver, Nebraska-Omaha, Miami of Ohio, and North Dakota,” Battle said. “Harvard has expressed interest and is supposed to be calling sometime this week.
“I was grateful and excited to receive scholarship offers because I have worked hard with the hope of getting an offer but also needed to stay humble and continue to focus on improving my game and doing well in school.”
Battle is in a new environment. He’s playing with a group of guys that just won a championship. Now he has a set group of goals for what he wants to accomplish with this new team.
“I think my biggest goal is to get about six plus rebounds a game,” Battle said about the upcoming winter season. “I think if I get rebounds for the team it will help tremendously and it will open up a variety of options on offense for the team.
“We are a little undersized, so if I get rebounds it will help. My ultimate goal is also to win state. It would be a benchmark showing that we played the best we could and we accomplished our goal that we set in summer.
“I also want to enjoy this season and have fun playing with the seniors. I also want to improve on not just rebounding but improve on all aspects of my game too.”