Ace Bailey: The Making of a Future Basketball Star in High School

By Justin Rubin August 02, 2024 07:36

Photo by 247Sports

Airious "Ace" Bailey of Tennessee was a standout prep star at McEachern High School powered Springs. Ace loved sports, and having been born into a family of active parents, he began early on in life with an introduction to basketball.

Since the beginning, Ace showed a rare blend of size and skill that put him above his counterparts. At 6'9", he had the height of a center with the ball handling and skill set of your average guard. Those attributes enabled him to succeed in scoring and play at a high level both ways. While his family offered nothing but encouragement regarding basketball, they finally started questioning how much success he might realistically have in the sport after enrolling at McEachern.

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High School Basketball Career

McEachern was fast making a name for himself as one of the competition's leading scorers, rebounders, and defenders. In junior year, he averaged 22 PPG to go with an amazing 14RPG. His showing helped him become nationally recognized and eventually No. 2 on the class of 2024 lists from various scouting services.

Top Performances and Milestones

Looking to cement his status as a top recruit further, he achieved one of his biggest honors in 2023 when he was voted MVP by the Underclassman All-American Game. He also played in high-profile events like the USA U19 Minicamp and SLAM Summer Classic, going head-to-head with top talent nationwide.

Style & Development

Versatile is the best way to describe Ace. He's a versatile defender capable of defending 2 to 5 positions. He has a smooth shooting stroke and can hit pull-up jumpers as well, but he thrives on attacking the rim for monster dunks.

Defensively, Bailey can be a shot-blocker and is both long enough to contest shots and swift-footed enough to track down rebounds. This is a big part of his game, with Bailey's high-level two-way potential allows him to affect both ends of the floor. He's been working hard to become a more consistent shooter and learn the ins and outs of basketball.

Scouting and Recruitment

As Bailey continued through his high school career, he began to garner the interest of college scouts and recruiters. His talent shone on center stage in some of the sport's signature battles, and he became one of college football's most wanted prospects after offers from power programs from coast to coast. Eventually, he ended up at Rutgers University as the highest-ranked recruit to commit to that program.

Future Outlook and Potential

Ace Bailey is set for a promising basketball career after college. He has the size, skill, and athleticism needed to succeed at the next level and then some. With the NCAA granting immediate eligibility for all first-time transfers this offseason as part of widespread pandemic-related changes to policy, he has a full four years ahead in which to forge his potential at Rutgers with experienced coaches and within a strong conference.