2011 KFHS grad goes to Florida

Fred Scott of Suffolk did not take the traditional route to attending a university and playing college basketball. However, thanks to his ability and his father’s desire to help him, he signed with Florida Memorial University on Friday at a ceremony hosted by Mike Duman Auto Sales.

Scott graduated from King’s Fork High School in 2011 after having played five years of basketball, including two on head coach Josh Worrell’s varsity team.

A good college situation had not worked out for him until some major developments this month.

“To be honest, it just came up,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get in school other places, but it was a blessing.”

His father, Angelo Scott, also attended Florida Memorial University, which is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

“He talked to the coach for me, and then the coach came down to see me play,” Scott said.

Florida Memorial head coach Kenny Bellinger played alongside Angelo Scott in college, and they developed mutual respect and a lasting friendship.

“You don’t overlook your friends,” Bellinger said.

Bellinger described the phone call with Angelo Scott from a little over a week ago.

“I told him, I said, ‘Listen, I’m looking for a shooter,’” Bellinger said. “And we just got on the subject and he said, ‘Well, come look at my son.’”

Bellinger remembered having been in Virginia years before and having passed up an opportunity to see Fred Scott while he was a Bulldog.

After hearing Angelo Scott’s invitation, Bellinger said, “I wasn’t going to miss the chance this time to come back here and look at him.”

He watched Scott play this past Thursday in a pick-up game at the YMCA, and he saw what he needed to see. He said Scott’s addition to the Florida Memorial Lions “really brings a different kind of chemistry to what we do. He’s a shooter, he’s a scorer. He has a lot of ability that I’m looking for right now. And sometimes I have to go to places to get what we need to play, and he’s going to fit right in.”

Josh Worrell was present along with Bellinger at Friday’s signing and said Scott’s strengths bear similarities to those of 2013 graduate Byron Taylor in that both can play outside and inside.

“He has a really good stroke shooting the ball outside, works hard, can defend two through four,” he said. “He’s going to be a good asset for them.”

It has been a couple years since he played for Worrell, but Scott has not been idle.

“He’s just been continually working, working, and he’s got a good family support of wanting to see their kid be successful. This opportunity arose, and it’s a great situation,” Worrell said.

Scott was clear in acknowledging that family support when citing what helped him get to this point.

“I’ve got to praise my dad,” he said.

Angelo Scott expressed his gratitude for his son’s circumstance by deflecting the praise.

“All I can say — ‘I thank God,’” he said.

His mother, Sherri Scott, said, “It’s definitely a blessing and it’s good too that he had a couple of years that he had to kind of find himself, and so now he’s going in more stable-minded, more set on goals, and he can use this time wisely.”

Fred said determining his academic concentration is a work in progress.

“Basically, I want to find out my major while I’m there, and just try to find something that I like to do,” he said.

Bellinger aims to be instrumental in helping Scott succeed both on and off the court.

“My job is to get him the education, the degree, and I think we’re going to be proud of that more than anything,” he said.