Playaz program director Jimmy Salmon was all smiles yesterday after talking about the game of Rashad Bishop, the 6-foot-5, 212-pound swingman out of Paterson, New Jersey. As Bishop told us on October 15th, he had a terrific trip to Cincinnati. On October 20th, he made his verbal commitment to the Big East program.
Bishop played frequently for Salmon's Playaz Basketball Club of New Jersey AAU program over the past year. Rashad displayed the ability to go inside and outside with his offensive game. He is likely to be an impact player for the Cincinnati program since his game has continued to progress over the past year.
Bishop said the key for him was his relationship with the coaching staff at Cincinnati. And as Bishop competes this winter at St. Benedict's in Newark, New Jersey under Danny Hurley, it's likely that Bishop will continue to work on his perimeter game. "I think I can play either forward position," he said.
Rashad previously played at Kennedy High School in New Jersey where he averaged 22 points a game last season. At IS8, Bishop showed the skill of dropping in jumpers from the outside. If his consistency improves to go along with his active body, Rashad should be a player diversified enough offensively to make an impact in the scoring column.