Another flashy Flenory is developing deep in the heart of Texas.
And it’s reverberating all the way back to Pittsburgh.
Grandpap is majorly excited about the future of his grandson, and if you’re familiar with Baron “B.B” Flenory’s enthusiasm for the sport of basketball, you get what it means.
In Dallas, Dad too is proud of his son, B.B.’s grandson. But Baron “B.J.” Flenory Jr., B.B.’s son, appears a bit more reserved.
Something they both recognize about Baron “Tre” Flenory III, B.B’s grandson and B.J.’s son, is 14-year-old Tre’s natural instincts on the hardwood.
It’s hard to ignore, they say.
“I’ve watched him play, and I’m hard to please. I don’t give out accolades too easily, especially to family members,” B.B. Flenory, the former Valley High School and Duquesne great, said. “But, he’s going to be one heck of a player.”
Said B.J. Flenory, a former all-conference football player at New Hampshire: “He’s a very, very good basketball player. He’s not searching for too many answers. He’s already starting to get what it’s all about.”
Young Tre Flenory, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Dallas — to be certain, B.B.’s grandson and B.J.’s son — hopes to live up to all the early praise.
Still a junior high student, Tre Flenory already has a Division I offer from Marshall.
“It’s not Kentucky, but he’s only in eighth grade,” B.B. Flenory said. “I’m sure there will be more, including my Duquesne Dukes.”
For Tre Flenory, ranked as high as sixth among all Texas prospects for the Class of 2030, the future, uncertain as it can be, is the place he strives to arrive.
“There’s way more to come,” Tre Flenory said. “I’m going to just keep working.”
When Tre comes to visit his grandparents in New Kensington, he doesn’t think a whole lot about anything but basketball.
You know, it’s a 24-hours-a-day thing.
“The first thing he wants to do is take me out in the driveway,” B.B. Flenory said. “I have a basketball hoop out there. I show him some things to help him enhance his game.”
What’s that like for impressionable Tre?
“Everybody says he was a great player,” Tre Flenory said of his grandpap. “He’s still pretty good.”
From time spent attending junior high to his travels around the AAU circuit to training with his dad, Tre Flenory gives off the feeling of being a natural.
His family members see it, and those outside that circle recognize it as well.
“You can see the IQ at an early age. He’s very mature,” Steven Luckey said.
The founder and CEO of Dallas-based iBallNation, Luckey leads a scouting service specializing in talent recognition at an early age.
It’s not always about scoring points, he said.
“I’ve seen him in different scenarios,” Luckey said of Tre Flenory. “I’ve seen him as a scorer and as a pure point guard. And I’ve seen him play at a high level on both ends. He’s a two-way player.”
Luckey, a former point guard at Division III McMurry (Texas), didn’t stop there.
“Tre’s competitiveness is his No. 1 attribute. But his ability to be coachable and communicate with his teammates and coaches also sets him apart. Being able to be an extension of the coach is very important. He’s a vocal kid. He’s literally a quarterback on the basketball court.”
All the way back to Charles Flenory Jr., B.B.’s 88-year-old dad, B.J.’s grandpap and Tre’s great-grandpap, athleticism — more often on the basketball court — came natural.
Tre, it seems, is gifted with that bloodline.
“Baron Flenory III is the best point guard in his class in this region and even in this state,” Luckey said. “I can’t say in the country because we’re a regional firm. We have some dealings with players outside Texas, players in places like Louisiana and Arkansas.
“But, when he starts going on these college visits, every coach is going to be floored.”
Much like Marshall’s staff was when witnessing Tre Flenory playing for Dallas-based Texas Impact at a recent AAU youth tournament in Memphis, Tenn.
So much so that the coaches offered him a scholarship on the spot.
“It really gives me confidence for what’s to come in the future, that I can really do this,” Tre Flenory said.
His dad, B.J. Flenory, said the offer “was kind of an eye-opening experience.
“For him, it was like, ‘OK, this is real. I can do this.’ It’s a confidence-builder and motivation to keep going. But it’s a long time between now and when he enters college. His work ethic will determine how far it goes. Some things — certain situations, such as luck and politics — are out of his control.”
B.B. Flenory said B.J., his son, quite often sends him video clips of Tre, B.B.’s grandson and B.J.’s son.
“And then, I’ll call Tre and offer my thoughts,” B.B. Flenory said.
A point guard himself, the once-flashy B.B. Flenory averaged 15.7 points while shooting 49% during a four-year career at Duquesne from 1976-80. He led the Eastern 8 (now the Atlantic 10) in scoring with a 20.4 average during his junior season.
A part of him roots for his grandson to one day take a chance on his alma mater.
“It would be great for him to play at Duquesne,” B.B. Flenory said. “That’s what I would like to see. I wouldn’t pressure him, but certainly I’d tell him all the advantages of attending Duquesne. You would be going to a school where the alumni base knows who you are.”
Other than a handful of postseason appearances in the past several decades, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2024, the Dukes haven’t done much to consistently succeed since those Eastern 8 years.
“I’d like to see him in a Duquesne uniform some day,” B.B. Flenory said. “I’d love to see him be part of lifting up a program. Look at what Kaitlin Clark did for Iowa. She didn’t want to go to a UConn. She picked a mediocre team and turned it into a championship one. If it was me, I would rather take the mediocre one.”