by Alex Schwartz

There has been some good talent in Tennessee lately, including soon-to-be Duke Blue Devil Elliot Williams '08, North Carolina commit Leslie McDonald '09, and class of 2010 stud Joe Jackson. Leslie McDonald may well be the premiere player in the Volunteer State and Jackson could be its best rising star, but that doesn't mean there aren't other players to keep an eyes on. One of those players is 6'9 Ferrakohn Hall, a class of 2009 small forward who runs with Leslie McDonald on Memphis YOMCA (TN) for AAU ball. With the future Tar Heel not in attendance at the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Florida, Hall had an opportunity to display his game without the lights shining on someone else. Ferrakohn was kind enough to take some time to talk to me at the Milk House at the Disney Wide World of Sports, the event's main building.

NB: What are you thinking about college-wise? What are some of the schools you’re thinking about?
FH: I really don’t know so far. Kentucky’s been recruiting me pretty hard, Oklahoma St., Memphis, Tennessee, and that’s it right now. That’s all I can think of.

NB: Are those your top choices?
FH: No, I don’t have a top five or top anything.

NB: Who do you have [scholarship] offers from so far?
FH: I have offers from Memphis and Oklahoma St.

NB: Are there any other schools you expect to be offering you anytime soon?
FH: Yes, Kentucky might be offering pretty soon, they should be.

NB: How do you feel you’ve been doing so far over the summer?
FH: This summer’s been kind of rough. . . . .Two weeks [ago] at LeBron James camp I hurt my ankle, so that was kind of tough, and then it carried over to the Peach Jam, so I was kind of playing stiff. I’m just now getting back [to being] okay. I still barely can life off with it [though]. . . . It’ll be alright, I’ll be okay.

NB: How’s your ankle healing so far?
FH: It’s getting better day-by-day, I just [have] got to keep icing it. I just [have] got to play through it pretty much.

NB: Is [class of 2009 guard] Leslie McDonald not playing with you guys from now on, now that he’s committed [to North Carolina]?
FH: Oh yeah, he’s playing with us. . . . It’s our last tournament, so he [is] going to come down for . . . nationals . . . . He had a deep thigh bruise, so he [is] . . . going to come down.

NB: With him not . . . being here, how does that alter the way the team’s going to play and how the roles on the team change?
FH: Oh not even, not at all. Les is just another asset to the team, but we can still play alone by ourselves. When he . . . comes, he’ll be a big help too.

NB: What do you consider to be the strongest point of your game?
FH: Oh, right now, getting to the basket, just being a bigger—a more versatile player, being able to do everything on the court.

NB: What’s the weakest point of your game?
FH: Oooh, that’s tough. Probably [my] strength, just when I get in there, having to finish on bigger guys.

NB: What are you doing to improve your strength?
FH: I [have] been on a little weight training; I’m trying to get bigger. That’s as much as I can do.

NB: What are some of your interests outside of basketball?
FH: Outside of basketball? I like to read, I like girls, a lot, that’s my favorite, and I like to play a little golf sometimes. I [am not] that good at it though, but that’s about it.

NB: What [are] going to be the factors in your college decision? What are some of the things that you’re going to take into consideration in . . . choosing what’s going to be the right school for you?
FH: I want to go somewhere where . . . they [are] good player developers, they got to develop small forwards pretty well. Oh yeah I forgot Florida St. . . . They develop . . . small forwards pretty well. [Also] . . . just the atmosphere, the people there, and what everything is going to be like, and also academics too because I want to major in sports management. They [have] got to have a sports management program.

Clearly Ferrakohn Hall wants to develop his game, and wants to do it at a program that is known for develop players at his position. Yet, the school must also have a sports management program. Yes, this will limit Hall's choices, but it will not limit his future. Luckily for Hall, though, of the five schools he mentioned, three of them have sports/fitness administration as a major according to the College Board website: Florida St., Memphis, and Tennessee. Could that put Kentucky and Oklahoma St. on the outside looking in? Time will tell, but it's good to see that Ferrakohn is looking to develop not only on the court, but also off of it in a subject that interests him.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.