Westwind Prep Academy 6-foot-2 junior point guard prospect Tate De Laveaga is coming off an excellent showing for himself this spring and summer, as he raised his level of play a great deal this off-season. De Laveaga's performance this spring helped his club team, the Arizona Magic Pump N' Run-2014, to receive consideration among the nation's elite 16U teams in the country, while his performance this summer raised his own recruiting stock considerably.
On Saturday, as a result of his performance this summer, Tate received his first official scholarship offer from a Big Sky program, as Northern Arizona head coach Jack Murphy extended an offer to him.
Tate's father and high school head coach at Westwind Prep Academy, Jeff De Laveaga, advised me that his son was very excited to get the offer and that NAU is definitely a program that his son will consider a great deal for his future college plans.
Tate is also currently receiving serious division-I interest from Harvard, Colgate, UC-Santa Barbara, Utah State, UC-Riverside, Liberty, Pepperdine, San Diego, San Francisco, Montana and Idaho State.
After spending his first two seasons of high school at Horizon HS, Tate and his older brother Kye will now play for their father at Westwind Prep Academy on a national high school team this season that will compete against other top-rated national high school teams, prep schools and local junior colleges. Jeff De Laveaga recently accepted a Director of Operations position at Westwind Prep Academy, and is looking to rebuild the basketball program at the school.
Tate De Laveaga looks to be following in the footsteps of his father now as a player. Jeff De Laveaga played professionally for numerous seasons and averaged better than 40+ points per/game in Australia. This young man has his father's fire as a player and also looks to have similar skill level, as Tate was among the top individual scorers this summer in the 16U division. This De Laveaga is as tough as they come as a player his size and age, and he does not back down from any match-up.
Tate scored 18 first-half points in his club team's victory over the Oakland Soldiers in the spring - one of the biggest club victories in Arizona history.
De Laveaga will continue to attract many more college programs over the next year, as he will continue to develop and will face very tough competition while playing for Westwind Prep.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: De Laveaga is a tough, combo-guard prospect that is a winner and has always played at a high level amidst his age group and even older. Tate is capable of playing both guard positions on the floor, but is at this best from the shooting guard position where he is able to score the basketball at a high rate. Tate is also a deadly shooter with nice range on his shot, and is able to create his own shot off the dribble against defensive pressure. He has a quick release on his shot. A tenacious penetrator, Tate drives the basketball hard to the basket and is an excellent finisher for his size. Has a nice mid-range game, which sets up his drives to the basket and scoring opportunities for his teammates. An aggressive defender that forces turnovers. A good passer that sees the floor. More focus on making players around him better will allow for him to continue to develop as a point guard. A very good ball handler that can get to anywhere he wants on the floor. A very good looking combo-guard prospect for the mid-major division-I level.
