ALL-MET ELITE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - VA NATIVE/FSU COMMIT - SARDAAR CALHOUN

ALL-MET ELITE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 

 VIRGINIA NATIVE & FLORIDA STATE COMMIT

SARDAAR CALHOUN

MISSOURI STATE-WEST PLAINS
 #1 JUCO SHOOTING GUARD PROSPECT
#3 NATIONALLY RANKED JUCO PLAYER
6'6 205 lbs SG

 

Take us back to your Jr. year at Essex's HS what was your college recruitment like? My junior year at Essex wasn’t enough for me, Essex is a small public school in Va and when it comes to sports it’s not that much exposure. During that time my name wasn’t buzzing on the radar yet. I knew I needed to make a sacrifice if really wanted to continue my basketball career.

 

What made you decide to transfer to Blue Ridge & reclassify? I knew I needed to reclassify if I wanted to play college basketball, my mother and I emailed a list of high schools and Blue Ridge was a school that reached out and it was a bonus because it was a boarding school and I could reclassify.

 

What was your college recruitment like after your senior year at Blue Ridge? After My Senior year at Blue Ridge I had around 5 low major offers but I wasn’t satisfied. And it wasn’t me being ungrateful, I knew how much time I spent in the gym working on my craft and I knew before anyone I had another mode I could tap into! I TRUSTED THE PROCESS.

 

You had several D-1 offers as a HS senior what made you decide to take the JUCO Route? The Juco route was kind of last minute to be honest. And also during the month of June/July time was running out to head to a 4yr school and all the offers I had were no longer on the table! By then the word had gotten out that I was going to a junior college and that summer before my freshmen year of junior college was the hardest I ever trained!!!!! I’m talking weights at 5:45am, shots at 10am-1pm, nap, 5pm swimming/Ab class, 7pm shots again. I went all out.

 

How did you learn of Missouri state West plains & why did you decide to attend school there? What were your other JUCO options? What did you hope to achieve at the JUCO level?  During that time I didn’t know many junior colleges like that or their resume, but the assistant at West Plains (Ken Moses) sounded really honest and me and my mom drove 16 hrs to Missouri to check it out and a week later the rest was history.

 

How was the transition going from living in the South to living in the Midwest was it a big adjustment or are the two regions similar in your opinion? No the adjustment was actually great I meet some great friends and new family here in Missouri! This place will always have a piece of my heart.

 

For many who may not know can you explain the AAU style JUCO jamboree events where multiple games-sometimes upto 3 games a day are played & also the individual player camp showcase events where college coaches attend for recruiting purposes? The Jamborees are nice, excellent exposure! And the Camp I got invited to was an invite only top 45 camp (Juco Advocate 45) and I left that camp with at least 20 offers! From then on out I knew I had a chance to not only become a high major player but a Pro some day! And the people I met at the camp were amazing. God really played a huge part in that man!

 

At the JUCO level you saw your college recruitment explode where you started to receive multiple HM offers including Alabama, Seton Hall, Georgia & Texas - ultimately you chose Florida State - what was it about Florida State that made you want to finish your academic & athletic career there? FSU! I can’t even describe the juice behind that university and all the pros that Coach Ham and the staff have developed. I’ve always been a huge fan of Dwayne Bacon and when he hit the game winner at UVA I was in attendance and I got to meet him and the assistant at the time (Dennis Gates) and the assistant said “I’ll remember you Calhoun, I ain’t going forget about you boss” 3yrs go by and Coach Gates was at the JA45 camp watching! Crazy how God works baby.

 

McDonald's AA & 5 star guard Scottie Barnes of Montverde academy will be joining you next year at Florida State as a freshmen PG have you two connected yet and discussed teaming up next season? Scottie Is the truth man! Haven’t spoken much with him but I’m excited to play with him next year tho, he’s got that swag.

 

You recently went head to head with projected NBA lottery pick/Louisville commit & JUCO AA Jay Scrubb where you more than held your own - tell us about that matchup & how motivated are you to play in the ACC next season? Jay Scrubb is family I love everything about his game, he’ll be a all-star one day mark my words! That matchup was everything I expected. Jay was going crazy in the first half and once I hit my first shot I knew I could pick it up from there and get it rolling. My main man Tyon Foster was in the crowd going crazy for me and that really got me going after hearing him I didn’t miss a shot! Me, Jay Scrubb, and Tyon Foster are brothers we literally text everyday in the group chat, Juco bound is different man blessed to meet those guys!

 

Last season as a frosh you shot 42% from 3 on 200+ attempts & this season you have improved to shoot 47% & again you are on pace to shoot 200 attempts - what is your shooting practice routine like & how have you been able to improve your shooting this season?  Form shooting is my go to but my confidence is out the roof and as a shooter you can’t lose confidence. Also I feel like I’m in a mode where the game is slower for me and I know I can be dominant going into every game and I’m big on film! I watch a lot of Bradley Beal, Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown and etc.

 

Shooting is a highly valued skill set at the NBA level do you give much thought to playing in the NBA or do you more so focus on the next step that is in front of you? The NBA is a goal of mine but I’m just excited for what is next at FSU! I’m tryna bring a National Championship home to Tallahassee. But everyday I have to get better because ACC basketball ain’t for kids. Every ACC game is down to the wire and I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it! But I can’t thank God Enough for blessing me with this journey! #GodIsGood