If you were going to try to build the ideal athlete to play basketball at Cincinnati under Mick Cronin, you'd likely choose a guy with plenty of length and aggressive defensive instincts with the hope that he could develop his offensive game. Not all recruits fit the mold, something I'll call the Justin Jackson framework, but those that do can excel early on. Just look at what Gary Clark was able to accomplish in his first season with the Bearcats. The 6-foot-7 forward was a key piece because of his ability to defend the paint and crash the boards. He averaged 7.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Is it fair to put that kind of expectation on Tre Scott? Absolutely not. First of all, the Bearcats roster is replete with experienced players, so it's pretty likely he will be riding the pine most of the year, barring any injuries. Second of all, Scott's game isn't the same as Clark's, who developed into a low-post guy, while Scott projects as a wing thrasher in the mold of Shaq Thomas or maybe even a smaller Octavius Ellis. Living up to that type of comparison will be even more difficult. Until we see how Cronin uses Scott as a freshman and until we see him in a Cincinnati uniform in general, it is impossible to say what Scott's ceiling and role will be.
However, there is still plenty we do know about him. A 6-foot-7 wing from Darien, Georgia, Scott clearly has the height to be a force, but he already has added bulk to his frame, as he weighs in at 220 pounds. That puts him 10 pounds heavier than Thomas and, with more work in the gym plus the natural progression players make from high school to college, he should be an impressive athlete for a team that values athleticism over everything.
Of course, the raw athlete narrative is a tired one, but it continues to be one that floats around Cincinnati basketball. Watching Scott's highlights from playing at McIntosh County Academy, it is clear that he has the physical gifts and talent to be a big time player for Cincinnati. It is also clear that he still has a lot of polish to put on his game.
As you can see from the highlights above, he can leap and dunk like crazy, but he is all elbows when driving and could use some more touch on his jumper. That didn't really matter in high school, as he was named the Georgia Region 2A Player of the Year as a junior and senior, averaging 21.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 3.5 blocks per game as a senior. He just has to make his game translate to the next level, when competition will be tight every single night.
His showing in high school made him a three-star prospect in the 2015 class and the 225th overall player in the country, 59th player at his position and 15th overall player in Georgia, according to 247Sports. He (correctly) chose Cincinnati over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Florida Atlantic and several schools from his home state including Georgia.
