ALL-MET ELITE INTERVIEW: EPISCOPAL HS. 2019 GUARD/FORWARD ASA SHANNON

ALL-MET ELITE INTERVIEW EPISCOPAL HS. 

2019 GUARD/FORWARD 

ASA SHANNON

 

Episcopal HS.

Alexandria VA.

1. Age, height, weight?

17, 6’6, 190lbs

2. What school, AAU, rec, boys & girls clubs did you play for growing up?

Takoma Park B&G, KIPP DC - Will Academy, DC Premier & New World.

3. What were some of the things you learned as a JV player that helped you transition to the varsity level?

As a JV player it helped me play under control. As you move up in the different levels of basketball the pace increases so it is important to have and maintain control of your body and the basketball.

4. What schools have offered you or have shown you interest?

I recieved my first offer from Radford & I also have interest from Princeton, Georgetown, Notre Dame & East Carolina.

5. What role do you predict you will play on this years Episcopal team?

A little bit of everything. I like to hit the boards, pass/assist & and guard the best player on the opposing team. 

6. For those who may have not seen you play how would you describe your game?

My game can be described as a Swiss Army knife. I have a lot of great tools and can effect the game in a lot of different ways.

7. What were some of the basketball highlights of your summer? Episcopal doesn't play summer league so what did you work on to improve your game & how did you stay game shape for AAU?

Although EHS doesn't participate in any Spring/Summer leagues I was able to benefit from getting out of school earlier than others & getting in the gym earlier. I was in the gym at least 2x a day getting up shots and working out while other players were still in school. To improve on my game I focused on getting up at least 1000 shots before leaving the gym. During the week I would also work out with my trainer Brandon Howell. Some highlights of this summer included playing great defense against Top 50 players - shutting them down and receiving my first offer.

8. Think back to your decision to attend a boarding school & describe your transition as a boarding student at Epsicopal was it an easy transition for you or did it take awhile for you to adjust?

I've known that I wanted to attend EHS since my mom took me to the Black Student Fair in 6th grade. It's funny because they didn't talk about their athletic program. I am a A Better Chance scholar and throughout the high school application process, I was always a match to EHS and I took that as a sign. The transition to boarding school was probably harder on my mom then it was me, the first two years she was on campus so much you would think she worked or lived there. The transition for me wasn't difficult as I embraced the opportunity to be in the boarding school setting and was able to feed off of the other students around me and it feels like family.

9. You had a basketball highlight or two go viral nationally last year - can you describe what that experience was like?

Initially it was crazy! My friends were in the gym working out and saw me on ESPN and sent it to me. After a couple of days it wasn’t really a big deal. It was just cool to see myself on tv. But the goal is to make that experience a norm.

10. What do you believe Episcopal will need to do this year to win the IAC?

Defense, plain and simple. We have a lot of talent on our team. The key will be to lock in on defense and get stops.