Pilots’ star at ease making court decisions

As a point guard, Cory Joseph must survey his surroundings, process information quickly and make proper decisions on the run. He handles it all with ease.

The hardest part for him comes off the basketball court, where he becomes a recruiting prospect who’s courted by countless college coaches. That’s when he deals with information overload.

“All this stuff is confusing,” he said. “It’s crazy. But I like it.”

Joseph, going into his senior year at Findlay Prep, is ranked by Rivals.com as the No. 12 player in the class of 2010. What that means is he has a long list of schools to choose from, and narrowing it to one is no simple task.

He said his list stands at “more than 10 right now” and includes UNLV, Arizona, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisville, Memphis, Minnesota, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA and Villanova.

Joseph starred for Grassroots Canada Elite this past week in the adidas Super 64 tournament at Rancho High School, but his stay ended sooner than expected after his team was eliminated Saturday.

Despite 20 points from Joseph, defending champion Grassroots fell 70-69 to New Heights (N.Y.). Earlier in the day, he scored eight points in a 90-60 victory over the Compton Magic Elite (Calif.).

With the tournament over, Joseph said he can turn his attention to college recruiting.

“I’m going to cut down the list, sit down with my mom and my coaches and figure all that stuff out. I’ve got to get all the input I can get,” he said. “I’m pretty much open. I don’t even know right now, to tell you the truth.”

He said he expects UNLV to make the cut, but the race to get his signature on a letter of intent is too close to call.

The 6-foot-3-inch Joseph grew up in Ontario, Canada, and attended Findlay Prep last year, helping the Pilots to a 33-0 record and a National High School Invitational title.

Developing into a highly acclaimed recruit was not exactly something he planned when he moved to Las Vegas. “Everything happened quickly,” he said.

One of his teammates at Findlay Prep, 6-9 forward Tristan Thompson, also played on the Grassroots team. Thompson has committed to Texas. UNLV’s Carlos Lopez also played with Joseph at Findlay last season.

His brother, Devoe Joseph, is a guard at Minnesota.

Joseph said media and fans quiz him almost daily about his college decision. “Everybody asks me,” he said. “But I don’t get tired of it. It’s kind of our job to answer the questions.”