Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/17/2010 at 9:12pm

East Poinsett County point guard Ky Madden was among the 50 or so campers attending the Arkansas Position Camp on Saturday in Bud Walton Arena.

Madden (6-foot-5, 170 pounds) is rated the No. 19 player in the nation by Rivals.com, No. 4 point guard in the nation and a 5-star recruit. Madden, as one would expect, has a long list of schools in hot pursuit. Arkansas is hoping to get him to join Arkansas Wings teammates Aaron Ross and Hunter Mickelson in Fayetteville. Madden recently helped lead the Wings to a national championship in the 17 and under division. Ross and Mickelson have committed to Arkansas.

"It meant a lot," Madden said. "We have been working hard on it for a long time since we were kids. We always wanted to win a national championship and that's what we did. So we came together as a team and went out and got it."

Madden said the Wings team made some huge strides from the spring to the conclusion of the season in Orlando, Fla., where they captured the national title.

"I think we came together as a team," Madden said. "We were always together. We practiced like three times a day, we ate together and we slept together. We did everything as a team. So, I feel like us coming together as a team really helped us out."

At one point during the AAU season, the Wings had a break from tournaments but didn't take a break from the practice court. They spent roughly 40 hours per week practicing their game and preparing for what was ahead of them.

"It helped a lot, but I really couldn't do anything," Madden said. "I was just there watching because I was hurt. As far as the team, I feel like every session we had, they went hard. Everybody went hard and everybody was hungry. That's what it takes to win [a national championship]."

Despite a star-studded team, Madden was the one who captured the most valuable player honors of the tournament in Orlando. Madden said that was a special feeling that meant a lot to him.

"I feel like I carried my team pretty good on and off the court," Madden said. "I did everything to get us there. The MVP was a great honor, but I felt like it was a team effort. The MVP means a lot, but the national championship means more."

Madden was originally a shooting guard in hoops, but now he seems to have made the transition to point guard and it appears to be a very successful move.

"Hard work has made me better," Madden said. "It has made me a better player because I got my teammates more involved. I wasn't really scoring a lot every game. The last four games I had like 15 [points] combined in both games. I felt me distributing the ball more and getting my teammates involved made me a better player and made our team a better team.

"I have always felt like I was an unselfish player. At the two guard, I guess they expected me to shoot, but I always made the extra pass. At the point guard, my job is to make my teammates better. They didn't expect me to score in the 20s and 30s, but it was like 10 [points], 6 or 7 assists and 5 or 6 rebounds. That would make our team better."

Madden knows the pressure is getting ready to get turned up even more in recruiting with schools from all over the nation trying to get him to leave the state. His sister plays for Baylor's nationally ranked women's team and the men's Bears, which made last season's NCAA Elite Eight, are one of the many schools in the mix for him.

"When I go back home, I'm going to sit down with my family and narrow it down to my five [schools]," Madden said. "Then, I'm going to take my five visits and then see after that."

Madden said among his offers are Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Baylor, UConn, Marquette, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Florida and Alabama.

Playing time and position will be the key factors in his choice of school, Madden said. "Some people want me to play the 2 [shooting guard] and some people want me to play the 1 [point guard]. I really want to play the 1. Wherever I can play the 1, that's pretty much where I'm going to narrow it down to my five."

The early signing period is in November and that's when Ross and Mickelson plan to sign with the Razorbacks.

"I'm thinking about the early signing period, but I don't know," Madden said. "I'm just going to take my time and see what's out there. When I get back home, I will make my decision [on where to visit]."

Speculation was that Arkansas might be out of the running for Madden, but the standout said Saturday for fans hold off on the rumors.

"I like Arkansas' program," Madden said. "They're a real good program. The coaching staff is real good and the environment is real well. They stand in my top one or two probably."

Madden knows with the 5-star ranking comes high expectations and thus more pressure, but Madden said he enjoys the spotlight.

"I enjoy all camps I get to go to and all the recognition people give me," Madden said. "It's fun to come out here and play basketball and be good at it."

Tagged: Rashad Ky Madden, Aaron Ross, Hunter Mickelson, Otis Kirk