Class of 2027 five-star guard Antonio Pemberton talks summer rise, recruitment

During a live evaluation period filled with great games and moments, class of 2027 five-star prospect Antonio Pemberton may have had the shot of the week.

In the quarterfinals of the 3SSB Championships in Rock Hill, the Compton Magic hit a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left to tie the game against Pemberton’s Mass Rivals.

But the five-star point guard had the last laugh.

The shot at the buzzer gave Pemberton 29 points and lifted Mass Rivals to the semifinals of the tournament. Pemberton then dropped 19 points in the semis to advance to the championship game, where Mass Rivals fell to New Heights despite 33 points from Pemberton.

For the overall summer across 19 games, Pemberton averaged 23.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals. He also made 2.4 triples per contest.

"He's got a young bunch of guys around him and he's the leader of the group, so he's shown a lot in his development of a leader and a point guard,” Mass Rivals coach Vin Pastore said of Pemberton’s summer. “There's only a couple kids in the country in high school that can score the basketball at all three levels the way he can. He's unguardable. He can get to his spot, he raises. He's also an excellent passer. So if he wants to, he sees everything. He makes our other guys better the way he passes the basketball.

“I think he's made his case over this summer that he's been sort of disrespected where he stands on the list of point guards in the country. There aren't two other guys in the country that can do what he can do. He did it against Compton Magic, he's done it against high level teams. He's going to be able to score the ball in college, so picking the right place to go to school is going to be the next step with him so he can continue to evolve... But you got to admit, what he can do is phenomenal. Have you seen anyone else do it?”

Does Pemberton consider himself the best guard in the class?

“I'd consider myself that, but some people don't want to talk about it,” Pemberton said. “I’m a motor guard, really a 3-level scorer. I help this team win. I'm a winner. That's really it." 

Because of his play, Pemberton’s recruitment has started to heat up. Before the Adidas 3SSB championships, the five-star point guard held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, Bryant, Cincinnati, Clemson, Creighton, Florida State, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Iowa, Marquette, Maryland, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Tennessee, Utah and Xavier.

Since July 12, he’s added offers from Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, UCLA and Washington. There’s a good chance more programs try to join the fight.

Pemberton broke down some of the programs involved and dished on his overall recruitment below:

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