BARRINGTON -- He’s taken sneak peaks to what his future may hold, which is no small feet considering we’re talking about a 15-year-old on the verge of wrapping up his sophomore year - of high school.

Yet when you’re a teenage hoopster with potential coming out the seams, the sky’s the limit regarding where you can play college basketball. Just ask Rakim Sanders.

For the past month, Sanders, a Pawtucket native, has watched college recruiters come from near and far to St. Andrew’s Academy. They’ve come to lay their eyes on what just might be the next big thing to come out of head coach Mike Hart’s basketball factory.

One day, it’s Florida coach Billy Donovan paying a visit. The next day, it’s Boston College and URI. The list has grown to around 19-20 schools, including Division 1 programs such as Providence, Syracuse, Ohio State, Georgia, Florida State, St. John’s and UMass.

Just the other day, another school entered the Sanders Sweepstakes, this after Hart got a call from Miami of Florida. By the time September rolls around and Sanders enters his junior year, the schools chasing him could approach four times the present total.

Welcome to the world of college basketball recruiting, where there’s no time like the present to strike up acquaintances with an up-and-comer like Sanders. It’s a world that’s foreign to most teenagers, but the more Sanders plunges into it, the more he understands why the likes of Donovan and Al Skinner are taking time from their busy schedules to come and size him up.

"I’m a newcomer to this whole process, I never expected (all this attention) so soon," said Sanders earlier this week prior to taking part in an off-season conditioning program under Hart’s watchful eye, "but now I’m starting to understand that aspect."

Maybe the most impressive visit thus far, in Hart’s eyes, is the one done by Skinner. "He basically lived at St. Andrew’s when he came to see Rakim," said Hart.

Like most coaches who have ventured to St. Andrew’s, Skinner sat in the stands while Sanders went through a repertoire of basketball motions. It’s when the session concluded that Skinner, who played four seasons in the NBA, may have struck a cord with Sanders.

"(Coach Skinner) told me about Magic Johnson and what a successful playing career he had," recalled Sanders about the conversation. "He also talked about what Magic has done outside of basketball with all the things he’s gotten involved with such as restaurants, movie theaters and being on television (as a NBA analyst for TNT)."

Maybe the subliminal message within Skinner’s words was for Sanders to start thinking about hitting something besides jump shots, and that currently for him is text books. Right now, Sanders has the talent to write his ticket to any Division 1 college or university. It’s his work in the classroom that needs some tinkering with, however.

Sanders, according to Hart, has come a long way scholastically in the two years he’s been at St. Andrew’s, mainly the result of the school’s small class sizes, along with the personal attention he receives from teachers. But there’s still room for improvement, something which the coach stresses to the youngster on almost a daily basis.

The goal for both Hart and Sanders is have Sanders’ college decision all wrapped up in a short 12 months. The logistics behind the move is to give Sanders some peace of mind heading into his senior season and not to let him sweat it out.

In the 11 seasons he’s piloted the Eagles, Hart hasn’t seen too many players walk across the graduation stage without a college basketball destination in place, but there’s been one instant which the head coach has related to Sanders.

"We had a player, Gouty Gaye, who graduated from St. Andrew’s in 2000 only to learn a short time later he’d be playing at Bryant (University)," recalled Hart. "Today, he’s a salesman in Connecticut and is probably making more money than me."

School will soon be out at St. Andrew’s, meaning the only item Sanders has to concern himself with is basketball. Besides playing AAU hoops for the R.I. Breakers, Sanders will attend several basketball camps during the summer months, highlighted by the ABCD Camp on July 7-11 in New Jersey. This particular camp, which Hart attends every year, is expected to house 120 of the top high schoolers in the country.

For the Breakers, Sanders has lined up at the small forward slot after holding down the two-guard position for Hart’s crew over the winter, a winter which saw him shoot 43 percent from three-point range.

"Playing different positions allows you to showcase your skills," said Sanders about the positives of AAU ball. "I’m just going to out there and keep working hard."

One stipulation that Hart has in terms of Sanders’ decision is that he must know his collegiate head coach. That shouldn’t be a stretch considering Hart has contacts ranging across the United States. The St. Andrew’s mentor also believes that by the end of the summer, Sanders has a chance to become a top-50 prospect - a recognition that should come if he continues to dedicate himself.

"Right now, everything’s a bit hectic, but in the end it will be all worth it," said Sanders who recently dropped 33 points on Worcester Academy in an AAU contest. "In the end I’ll be a better person for what I’m going through right now."

"That kid has potential," said Zerimer Ramirez, a senior at St. Andrew’s who gives rides to Sanders and his eighth grade brother, Nyheen, each day to Barrington. "Everyday in the morning I remind him not let this opportunity go by and to stay focused."