LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas assistant coach T.J. Cleveland’s ability to relate to prospects and a former teammate’s good words have junior point guard Chris Chiozza highly interested in the Razorbacks.
Chiozza, 5-11, 160 pounds, plays for Memphis White Station and is drawing interest from Arkansas and several other schools. He already has scholarship offers from Virginia Tech, Missouri, Richmond, Massachusetts, Virginia Commonwealth, Central Florida, Kansas State and Ole Miss.
Chiozza said he enjoys his conversations with Cleveland.
“He really knows how to talk to the people he’s recruiting,” Chiozza said. “He kind of relates to younger people and he understands what we’re talking about, I guess, when we use slang terms.
“I guess because he’s on the younger side he really gets along with us, and he’s real interesting to talk to on the phone.”
Arkansas freshman shooting guard Anthlon Bell played with Chiozza last year at Bartlett High School and the two remain close.
“That’s a good reason for me to go there, too,” Chiozza said. “He said it’s a really good school and it’s a nice atmosphere. He said it’s a real good athletic program with good fans and it’s a real good environment and I would love it over there. I think I would, too.”
Van Coleman, national director of basketball for XOFan.com network and Hot100hoops.com scouting service, said Chiozza is a good passer and a top 200 type player.
“He’s a pass-first [guard] who can knock down the three to keep the defense honest. He’s a quick, good ball defender.”
Chiozza said he and Cleveland have been discussing a visit to Fayetteville.
“I’ve talked to him about coming for a football game on an unofficial visit,” Chiozza said. “I was going to the game a couple weeks ago but I ended up going with my AAU coach to the Ole Miss game when they played Texas. “
Chiozza plays for Team Thad, which is sponsored by Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, during the spring and summer and played in the Real Deal in the Rock in April in Little Rock.
Arkansas’ up-tempo style of play and full-court defensive pressure suits him well, Chiozza said.
“That’s what my AAU team played and it worked out for us because we were undersized,” Chiozza said. “We were really fast. We were the fastest team in AAU and with the best defense, and we just pressed the whole game.”
Chiozza said his shooting range extends a couple of feet beyond the three-point line.
“My coach after the season had me on the shooting gun every night, working on shooting it up high,” Chiozza said. “He made me start out far out and work my way in, working on my arc.
“The farther away I get, the better I shoot it.”
Chiozza and White Station will play Dec. 1 in the Battle of the Border, a tournament that features five central Arkansas teams matched up against five Memphis teams at Little Rock Hall.
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Sports, Pages 30 on 10/07/2012