Anyone who knows high school basketball is familiar with powerhouse Dematha out of Maryland. The Stags are loaded with talent every year and 2010-2011 was no exception. One of the talented young players on the team is super sophomore Jairus Lyles. The 6'1 combo guard started every game last season and averaged over 10 points, 4 assists and 3 steals per game.
"Last year was a great experience for me", said Lyles. "I learned a lot from guys like Quinn Cook and James Robinson. Overall, we won a lot of games last season. It was successful".
Lyles is in his first season with Team Takeover and so far this AAU season he is more than holding his own.
"AAU is going good for me so far. This is my first year with Team Takeover. I wanted more of a challenge this year. I think my game is going to a new level so far. I am learning a lot about playing the point guard position and I love it".
Lyles may be playing a lot of point guard but he is also a fantastic scorer.
"Driving to the basket and scoring the ball is one of my real strengths. I also take a lot of pride in my defense".
Lyles participated in the prestigious Nike Elite 100 camp last weekend and enjoyed the challenge of playing against top flight competition.
"It was a great experience. We did a lot of skill work at Nike camp. I liked going against all of the players out there and I felt I was as good as any of them".
Lyles is currently getting recruiting interest from Georgetown, West Virginia, Maryland, N.C. State, Oklahoma State and many others including Wake Forest.
"I have grown up a Wake Forest fan. I used to want to go to Wake and play football. I stopped playing football and focused on basketball. That is when I started watching Chris Paul, Jeff Teague and the other Wake guards. I also know Wake Forest offers a great education as well. They are my favorite school right now".
Jairus Lyles has a chance to be the next great Dematha guard. With continuing hard work and dedication, the sky is the limit for Jairus.