by Alex Schwartz

Dominic Cheek '09 of St. Anthony's (NJ) put on a show at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Classic at Rucker Park in Harlem, New York. Cheek teamed with John Wall '09 to lead the Blue squad to victory, dropping 23 points along the way. After the contest ended and just before Cheek went to receive his basketball as a co-MVP, I had the chance to speak with the 6'5 shooting guard. He cleared up some things about his recruitment and made a bold prediction for the upcoming high school season which will help to keep one of the Garden State's major rivalries as intense as ever.

NB: What schools are you currently considering?
DC: Memphis, Indiana, Tennessee, UConn, Kansas, Wake Forest, and Villanova.

NB: Which would you say are your top three?
DC: I don’t even know right about now. Oh yeah, and Rutgers and Seton Hall . . . [are] in it too.

NB: [Do you have scholarship] offers from . . . all of them?
DC: Yes, I have offers from all of them.

NB: You had a nice one-on-one matchup with Lance Stephenson for a while there. What was that like for you?
DC: I guess, [Pause] . . . I’m used to doing stuff like this, but Lance, since he’s like the king of New York or something, I guess the crowd wanted it, so . . . Lance [and I] just did what we had to do.

NB: It seemed like at first you were taking it more in a relaxed way, smiling and all that [Cheek: Yeah], and as it progressed you seemed to get more intense. What was [the story] with that?
DC: Yeah, I couldn’t keep on smiling forever since he kept on trying to go back at me, so I had to just put that serious face on.

NB: When they announced your name as . . . [an] MVP, what was that like for you?
DC: [Pause] I was happy because not too many people get MVP at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 [Classic].

NB: What was better, winning the game or getting MVP?
DC: Both, I can’t decide that.

NB: What are some of the factors that [are going to] . . . go into your college decision?
DC: A coach that can get me to the next level, and a . . . school  with great education.

NB: Who’s going to win the St. Anthony’s/St. Patrick’s game next year?
DC: St. Anthony’s, no doubt.

It's clear that Cheek is not lacking in confidence, as he not only took on Lance "Born Ready" Stephenson '09 of Lincoln (NY) on his own turf, but made a brash statement by predicting a win over St. Patrick's, the Friars' main rival. It is quite possible that much of Cheek's game stems from his confidence. The gifted long range shooter has been in the spotlight for a while, and has continued to be one of America's best players. Whichever school ends up with Dominic Cheek will be getting a big-time baller.

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