Trey Mourning is ready to step outside of his father’s shadow. Whether or not that will require him to leave the state where his last name became legendary is still in question.
Mourning, the son of former Miami Heat player, seven-time All-Star and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Alonzo Mourning, will have to make a difficult decision.
The 6-foot-9, 210-pound power forward from Miami Ransom Everglades School has received offers from each of his top three schools: UF, Duke and Georgetown — his father’s alma mater.
Mourning, 17, said he narrowed down the list based on his desire to attend a university that would challenge him both on the court and in the classroom.
During an official visit to UF on March 8, the Rivals.com 2014 three-star recruit took a campus tour to learn more about the school’s international business program. He also enjoyed a halibut dinner at coach Billy Donovan’s house — complete with ice cream pie prepared by Donovan’s wife, Christine — and spent time with the players and watched them beat Kentucky.
“I just want … to be with a group of guys who I’m going to grow with,” Mourning said. “(I want) to build a relationship like Florida has with those four seniors.”
Claude Grubair, Mourning’s coach of five years, said Mourning’s skill and IQ on the court set him apart from other athletes.
“He has a very fast brain,” Grubair said. “He’s the kind of kid that only needs to see things once to understand and absorb them.”
Mourning said he hopes his future team will give him the chance to learn and improve on all areas of his game, including outside shooting — his strong suit.
“I’m coming in to work,” he said. “If you’re not getting better every single day, then you’re just wasting your time.”
Mourning plans to visit Georgetown this week and Duke shortly afterwards before deciding where to sign in early April.
Mourning said his father having attended Georgetown has always been a factor in his decision-making process, but it’s not the only one.
“I have great respect for Georgetown University,” he said. “I wouldn’t have the life I have, and my family wouldn’t have the life they have, if my father wouldn’t have gone there. But at the end of the day, it’s my decision to make.”
Mourning said he will base his final decision on which program needs him and makes him feel most wanted.
And when that time comes, the school that adds Mourning’s name to its roster will enjoy a player who brings a strong skillset to the court, Grubair said.
“He is the antithesis of what a superstar typically is,” he said. “He is not self-centered. He is a guy that loves to defer all the credit to the people around him.”
