Recruiting Report: Jamiel Goliday (2018)

Jamiel Goliday (2018), an unsigned 6’0” point guard, is averaging 12 points in Reynoldsburg’s 3-1 start to the season. Heading into back-to-back games against Grove City and Dublin Coffman this weekend, we caught up with Goliday to discuss the early season and his recruitment. Goliday is without a scholarship offer currently, but five schools have shown interest. “Anderson University out of South Carolina, they came out during the summer and liked me a little bit. UC San Diego sent me a couple of letters and [camp] invites. Asbury University, an NAIA out of Kentucky, is probably the most interested in me right now. And then Otterbein and Capital have texted me a few days ago,” Goliday said. Asbury is the only school Goliday has taken a visit to, as he stayed on-campus overnight during July. In the months following the visit, Asbury’s staff continues to make a good impression on the Central Ohio senior. “After every game, they text me and ask me how I did. They have a really good staff,” Goliday said. Otterbein and Capital, being Division III programs, are at a disadvantage if Goliday can land a scholarship offer this season. “As long as the main coverage of my tuition and things like that are covered then I’ll give everyone an equal chance as far as that. But I definitely want to go D-II, or some NAIAs give a full-ride,” Goliday said. The locations of Anderson and UC San Diego raises another question: Is Goliday willing to travel for college? “I don’t mind going out that far. My mother has cancer, so being close is a little bit of a priority. But, at the end of the day, the biggest opportunity matters,” he said. Besides location and tuition, he’s also prioritizing academics, telling us that business management and computer science are programs he’ll do research on before committing to a university. He currently carries a 3.5 GPA and scored a 21 on the ACT. Goliday’s role for Reynoldsburg has expanded this season, taking on more scoring responsibilities in his high school finale. However, as the point guard, leadership and decision making are always important. “We’re a very deep team. So of course if I can’t get it done, there’s people like Tre [Williams] and other guys on the team ... I do whatever it takes to win. If I can see that my man is hot, my teammate is hot, I’m okay with distributing. But if I catch myself getting into something, I’ll start being more aggressive,” Goliday said. Aggressiveness seems to be the goal for Reynoldsburg this season. Goliday pointed to their collective athleticism as the reason they apply defensive pressure. He believes they can “go as far as the District Title or even farther.” Goliday pointed towards leadership, defense, and ball-handling as areas he’s looking to improve on this season. This weekend, both of Reynoldsburg’s games start at 7:30p.m. and are at home.