Paolo Banchero

Paolo Banchero (born November 12, 2002) is a dual citizen (USA/Italian) basketball player who attends O'Dea High School in Seattle, Washington. A consensus five-star recruit, he is considered a top-three player in the 2021 class. Banchero is committed to play college basketball for Duke. Listed at 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) and 235 pounds (107 kg), he plays the power forward position.

Paolo Banchero
No. 5 – O'Dea Fighting Irish
PositionPower forward
Personal information
Born (2002-11-12) November 12, 2002
Seattle, Washington
NationalityDual USA/Italian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High schoolO'Dea
(Seattle, Washington)
CollegeDuke (commit)

Early life

Banchero reached a height of 3 feet (0.91 m) at 15 months of age.[1] In his childhood, he played basketball and football and took part in track.[2] He grew up playing basketball at Rotary Boys and Girls Club of Seattle, drawing inspiration from his mother, who played professionally. In seventh grade, Banchero grew from 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m).[3] He was ranked among the top 50 eighth-graders nationally in both basketball and football.[4]

High school career

In his first year at O'Dea High School in Seattle, Banchero played football, as the backup quarterback on the state championship team, as well as basketball.[5] As a freshman on the basketball team, he averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.[6] In his sophomore season, Banchero averaged 18.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, leading O'Dea to the Class 3A state championship, where he was named most valuable player.[7] As a junior, he averaged 22.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game for the Class 3A runners-up, earning Washington Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps National Junior of the Year honors.[8][9]

Recruiting

Banchero is a consensus five-star recruit and one of the highest rated players in the 2021 class. He has received offers from top NCAA Division I programs, including Duke and Kentucky, most recruiting analysts predicted that he would commit to Washington.[10] Despite the predictions, on August 20, 2020, Banchero announced his commitment to Duke.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Paolo Banchero
PF		 Seattle, WA O'Dea (WA) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Aug 20, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2  247Sports: 3  ESPN: 3
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  • "2021 Duke Blue Devils Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 20, 2020.

    Personal life

    Banchero's mother, Rhonda (née Smith), played college basketball for Washington, leaving as the program's all-time scoring leader. She was a third-round selection in the 2000 WNBA draft and played professionally in the American Basketball League and overseas, before becoming a basketball coach at Holy Names Academy in Seattle.[1][3] Banchero's father, Mario, and his uncle played college football for Washington. His parents met while attending the University of Washington.[10]

    Banchero is of Italian descent on his father's side.[5] In February 2020, he received Italian citizenship.[11]

    References
    1. Glass, Gregg (March 2, 2004). "Flashback: Rhonda Smith Franklin, Class of 1992". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
    2. Egan, Chris (February 13, 2020). "O'Dea basketball star Paolo Banchero getting national attention". KING-TV. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
    3. Allen, Aaron (February 12, 2020). "Paolo Banchero's Humility And Leadership Has Led Him To A Stellar Season". Seattle Medium. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
    4. "Mercer Island student nationally ranked in two sports". Mercer Island Reporter. May 8, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
    5. Bennett, Brian (July 30, 2019). "He goes by Paolo (Banchero), and his game may make him a household name". The Athletic. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
    6. Divens, Jordan (April 19, 2018). "2017-18 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
    7. Divens, Jordan (April 18, 2019). "2018-19 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
    8. Joyce, Nathan (March 26, 2020). "O'Dea's Paolo Banchero named Gatorade player of the year for Washington". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
    9. Divens, Jordan (March 30, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019-20 Boys Basketball Junior All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
    10. Parrish, Gary (July 31, 2019). "Duke, Kentucky and UNC are recruiting Paolo Banchero, but family ties to Washington make his choice tough". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
    11. Evans, Jayda (March 2, 2020). "First, state for O'Dea's Paolo Banchero. Next, the world?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
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