Recruiting Report: Sam Beskind
One of the toughest things to assess about point guards at the high school level is how their stats will translate to the college level. Many guards can put up solid numbers at the high school level but struggle with the length and athleticism when they get to college. However, Sam Beskind, a 6’3 2018 PG out of Catalina Foothills, is one of my favorite guards because of how his game translates to the next level.
Beskind was crucial to the success of Catalina Foothills this past season. He will have to be even better for his team to continue to have success as the top teams in 4A are really solid. Catalina Foothills is definitely in that category due to the number of returners that they have and the skill set of Beskind.
College Interest
In addition to being a talented basketball player, Beskind is remarkable in the classroom. He enters his senior year with a “4.18 GPA and 1450 SAT”. His GPA and ability to play this game at a high level have contributed greatly to the amount of interest he has received at the college level.
As far as scholarship offers are concerned, Beskind stated that “Montana State has offered”. However, that is his only offer. With that said, he has interest from multiple schools. Some of those schools include “Yale, Bucknell, Colgate, Air Force, Rice, Navy, Central Connecticut State”.
Beskind takes academics seriously and wants to “go to a school that offers both a great fit for me academically and athletically”. Moreover, he is a winner and has a winner’s mentality. He wants to go to a school where “everyone is bought into doing whatever it takes to win”. Beskind is not sure what he wants to do as far as a major is concerned, but that it would entail “something to do with math or science”.
Beskind will most likely finish his club basketball career this weekend with PowerHouse Hoops. Overall, he stated that “It has been great. I really love all of my teammates both on and off of the court”. In addition, he appreciates his coaches and understands how important they are. He noted that they do a great job of putting him in a position to be successful.
High School
Beskind is special at the high school level. He can shoot the basketball well and forces defenses to guard him along the perimeter. Furthermore, he has a good first step, and he is very strong. When he puts his shoulder down and decides to go, he is able to move bodies. His size and length also enables him to take smaller guards on the block.
As mentioned earlier, Catalina Foothills should be viewed as one of the top 4A teams in the state coming into the year. With that said, Estrella Foothills, Shadow Mountain, and Salpointe have added talented transfers and to their solid rosters. Beskind is the key that makes this Foothills team run. His ability to manage the game, score, and put his teammates in the right spots will be huge this season.
Despite having some very talented teams at the top of 4A, Beskind does not plan to back down. In fact, he stated his goal quite simply, “Win a state championship. Period”. In order to accomplish this, he acknowledged that hewould need to be a “leader” who “sets the bar high and brings an intensity and focus each day to practice”.
Projection
At this point, I would list Beskind as a mid to low major NCAA Division I prospect. His interest level seems to insinuate that a number of colleges agree. The biggest upside for him is that his game seems to transfer to the college level. His strength, length, and explosiveness will translate well. His skill set that goes with those, make him a valuable candidate.
Defensively, he is able to guard 1-3 at the high school level. At the NCAA Division I level, he is most likely able to guard most 1s and 2s. He is stout on the ball, and I do not see him struggling to defend at the college level.