By Zach Smart
As a 6-foot-6 combination guard, one of the main assessments of Class of 2025 Thurgood Marshall Academy (NY) prospect Ahmad Torrence’s game is so glaringly obvious it nearly leaks off the page: Smooth.
Torrence is a consistent catch-and-shoot threat. He’s developed range and a fluid perimeter touch. He’s become a stabilizing influence as an ambidextrous and crafty around the rim finisher, adjusting amid rim protectors and relishing at the rim contact.
The Harlem native possesses a rare purity of vision at his size, an adeptness for quarterbacking a team. This enabled him to average 5.2 assists this past season.
Torrence, who averaged 18.5 points and 6.3 boards throughout his junior season, authored several performances in which he took game-changing matters into his own hands.
There was a 28-point eruption against Curtis HS during the embryonic phase of the season.
While averaging 22.5 points during the Viking Invitational, Torrence morphed into the mad flame thrower, showing his augmented range and consistency. He stuck five consecutive 3-pointers during a 25-point performance against John F. Kennedy HS.
In today’s crazed NYC high school hoops environment, where student-athletes seemingly have their own personal fan base backing them and highlights splash across social media hourly, Torrence has gone without the hype, hearsay, high expectations, and buzz.
As Division-I programs continue to express appreciation for his multi-positional game and polish, Torrence continues to go unsung and underrated.
“The media and the hype doesn’t always show who is better than who,” said Torrence. “We are just under the radar and at times counted out (at TMA). That doesn’t matter. Our goal is to show that TMA isn’t just the best team in Manhattan, but the best team in the city. That’s what we are working for.”
TMA culminated the 2023-24 season with a 20-8 overall record, a Manhattan Borough Championship and a berth in the Sweet 16. Torrence has treated the off-season with the same focus he would the day to day grind of a long winter.
Rankings don’t faze him or elicit much of a reaction from him at all.
He keeps distractions far away.
A Muslim who believes that his “body is a Temple,” Torrence avoids alcohol and smoking at all costs. His diet minimizes sugar as much as possible, as he devours water by the gallons.
It is Torrence’s maturation process and attention to detail, his father/TMA head coach Abdu-Allah Torrence said, which now has him on the Division I-radar.
Cornell, Norfolk State, St. Peter’s, Towson, and several others have been in consistent contact with him.
“Ahmad motivates himself a lot of times,” Torrence Sr. explained.
“As he has gotten older, his focus has always been to keep your eyes on the prize, which is to get a college scholarship. Set your sights as high you want, but know the work you put in will determine your success. He worked on transforming his body and takes pride to do more, which is what I admire about him. One thing I have stated with him is to play the right way and play to win.”
A rising senior, Torrence improved in all facets of his game. He circumvents any thought of individual totals or accolades.
He doesn’t demand a certain number of touches. He wants to be remembered as the ultimate buy-in guy.
He realized the game was a livelihood and made sure his commitment would be one of highest order. Being a coach’s son and being around the right people helped ingrain in Ahmad an insatiable desire to be one of the best players in the city, as his father noted.
“I think the people I have trusted to have him around and the relations he has built has a lot to do with it,” Torrence Sr. said.
“Coaches outside of myself such as Dwayne Mitchell, Maxwell “Bingo” Cole, Melvin “Kay” Croslan and Shane “Dribble Machine” Woney are men who I not only trusted to assist to with Ahmad’s development as he grew up, but also respect as basketball minds.”
Few aspects have been able to faze Torrence and his unwavering drive to leave an indelible footprint on New York City basketball this coming season.
He sustained the workload amid the limitations of Covid. The big guard’s affinity for the game has been evident for a long time now. Next season, his senior year, will be the culmination of a pre-collegiate life consumed by the game.
“Steel sharpens steel, so Ahmad starting out in Baby Ballers–a training group which was started when he was three– with Tai Turnage, Boogie Fland, Nas Simmons (and later added Taj Bryant and Danny Carbuccia) gave him and the others a platform to learn from each other,” Torrence Sr. explained.
“In a low stakes environment. And then, they were able to go out and compete two-three age groups up in tournaments at the ages of five and six.”
Of course, an around the clock schedule criss-crossing the city and beyond, Torrence has no time to reminisce and hark back on what got him here.
Priding himself on being a mismatch and backing down on smaller guards and also sitting down on guards and being defensively versatility, Torrence feels he would fit multiple systems at the next level. He absolutely detests losing. He doesn’t want to leave TMA with any regrets or lingering, wistful thoughts of what could have been.
“I would say everybody played their role last year,” Ahmad Torrence said.
“Unfortunately, due to a lot of injuries during the season, it didn’t end how we would’ve liked it too. Really, it felt like a family being around those guys. They really put in the work day in and day out. On and off the court. They created a lot of unforgettable memories for me and everyone involved.”
