Too short. Too small. A nice little mid-major prospect, perhaps.
So went the recruiting rap on point guard Dominic Artis of Vallejo, California. Until recently, that is.
Now fast forward.
A phenomenal summer playing for the Oakland Soldiers on the national AAU circuit has the 6-1 rising senior scaling the rankings quicker than his whiplash-inducing crossover dribble. Unranked this time last year, Artis now checks in as the No. 81 overall prospect in Rivals.com’s 2012 rankings as he makes a push toward top ten status at his position.
"No point guard is moving up the charts faster than Artis," Rivals national recruiting analyst Jerry Meyer said recently. "He can do a lot of positive things at the point of attack."
Artis has spent much of the spring and summer torturing Soldiers' opponents in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL). He just lit up the New Jersey Playaz for 26 points -– while shooting 6 of 9 from deep -- to lead his squad into today's EYBL semifinals. His quickness, solid jumper and marionette handle keep defenders guessing. And, despite a baby face, Artis possesses the wizened poise of a classic floor general, controlling the ball and distributing it to the Soldiers' stable of talented wings and posts.
-- For the full story on Dominic Artis, click here.
