Jamesville-Dewitts’ Own Jafar Kinsey Raises Our Eyebrows and Deserves an Interview

 

One of the most successful programs over the last several years in Upstate New York has been Syracuse area’s Jamesville-Dewitt, the multiple winner of Class A state championships, as well as the producer of many Division One players, including current S.U.  players Brandon Triche and DeJuan Coleman.

The next Division One player to come out of Jamesville-Dewitt will undoubtedly be 2014 grad Jafar Kinsey, who will be the team’s superstar since Coleman graduated, along with Tyler Cavanaugh, who committed to Wake Forest.

Upstate Scouting spoke with Jafar in a recent interview, to find out more about this outstanding recruit.

USS:  What would you say are some of your best assets as a player?

Jafar:  Attacking the basket, my pull up game is pretty good, and I think I pass the ball pretty well.

USS:  How do you think your role with the team will change next season?

Jafar:  It will change a lot, because without Dejuan Coleman and Tyler Cavanaugh, I will have to try and fill their shoes, become more of a leader, score some more points, and really do a little of everything.

USS:  Jamesville-Dewitt has been a dominant and storied program the last several years. What have you learned from some of the players you observed, such as Dajuan Coleman and Tyler Cavanaugh?

Jafar:  I learned to just always be positive. As one of the best players at the school, a lot of people look up to you.  They are gonna look at what you do, and stuff like that, and,  if you stay positive, it will keep them positive.

USS:  Although it’s still early on, what has the recruiting process been like for you?

Jafar:  It has been really great.

USS:  What schools have contacted you? Are you leaning in any direction?

Jafar:  Vermont, Colgate, Notre Dame, NC State, Virginia, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, a lot of Big East and ACC schools.
I am still looking at all my options, taking a lot of unofficial visits, seeing a lot of places, to see how they are.

USS:   What  was your summer like basketball-wise?

Jafar:   I went to a lot of exposure camps. I also went down to the Florida nationals with my AAU team.   I played pretty well down there, so it’s been great.

USS:   What are some focus areas you have been looking to improve upon going into this upcoming season?

Jafar:   Mostly my three-point jump shot, and my ballhandling ability.

USS:   What has playing for Jamesville-Dewitt been like?  How has it been playing for Coach Bob McKinney?

Jafar:   It’s a great experience-  going to practice every day,  having him teach me more stuff to help me improve my game.

USS:   What are some of your goals and some of the teams’  goals for next season?

Jafar:   One of my goals is to just go out and have fun, prove a lot of people wrong, because right now a lot of people think we won’t be as good as in previous years. The team goals are just to go out and have fun, compete, and win some games.

Upstate Scouting thanks Jafar for taking the time to answer our questions, and wishes him and Jamesville-Dewitt the best of luck this season.

Ross Bentley-Staff writer