DRIVE Basketball :: Player Spotlight : Eliot Rushton

“Having worked with Eliot in the past, I’ve always been impressed with how every time he steps on the floor he’s looking to get better. He finds areas he needs to work on and he’s constantly improving.”

- DRIVE Head Coach and U-17 Asssitant, Chad Clifford

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: ELIOT RUSHTON

“Shooting Sensation” - Eliot Rushton: 6’3’’ Shooting Guard Oak Bay

Eliot Rushton, the Junior from Oak Bay has been preparing all summer for the opportunity to make his mark on the high school scene this year. His strict diet of 500 jumpers a day combined with lifting and extra cardio workouts have left this shooting sensation from the Island only hungrier for more. “Having worked with Eliot in the past, I’ve always been impressed with how every time he steps on the floor he’s looking to get better. He finds areas he needs to work on and he’s constantly improving” says DRIVE’s Head Coach Chad Clifford. Last summer Eliot had the opportunity to go to LA to participate in the Full Court Press All Frosh/Soph Camp. Eliot made the most of this opportunity being selected to the Top 25 all-star game. That boost of confidence has now propelled his unquestionable work ethic and desire to be the best.

Eliot spent this past summer representing BC on the under 16 provincial team that traveled to numerous tournaments across the US. “Playing on the U-16 team this summer was a great experience for me as we had a great group of guys that had really good chemistry. We played in 4 tournaments, one in Burnaby and three in Washington, and we did very well, earning the best record in U-16 BC Team history” Eliot proclaims when asked about playing for the provincial team this summer. “Playing U-16 helped prepare me for the upcoming season because of the aggressive style the Americans would play with.” This aggressiveness and physical style suits Eliot just fine as he hopes to eventually play in America one day.

Eliot is a combo guard that has numerous ways of hurting you on the basketball court. With his outstanding perimeter skills and his great showing while playing in the States Eliot has created a lot of interest as one of the top young talents in BC. The US schools that are presently recruiting this phenom are Stanford, Pepperdine, Cal Berkeley, Mississippi State, and San Jose State. “My future plans are to play Division 1, hopefully in California. I’d like to continue to gain exposure to American schools while developing my own game. We want to repeat as Island Champs and make a run for the BC title. In doing so, I think I have to play to my full potential each night.” Eliot believes his team is going to be one of the sleeper teams this year. “Oak Bay is going to surprise a lot of people this season. We're going to be small, but in my opinion we have one of the best back-courts in the province. Jeff Cumming is probably the most underrated PG in the province, and when we're both playing we'll be hard to stop.”

This year Eliot is focused and ready to show he’s got game. Look for Eliot Rushton in INSIDE DRIVE’s top 10 Juniors in B.C., and check him at this year's AAA Provincial Championships at the PNE Agrodome.

DRIVE would like to wish Eliot and his Oak Bay teammates the best of luck during the 2005/06 season.