Cains Stock Rising

Jason Cain, a mobile and athletic 6-9, 200 pound combo forward from John Bartram H.S. in Philadelphia, Penn., has seen a number of high major programs enter his recruiting picture this winter.

Cain told Rivalshoops.com that he has been offered thus far by Penn State, St. Bonaventure and UNC-Greensboro. He took a pair of official visits in the fall to Penn State and UNC-G, meaning that he has three trips left to use this winter and spring if he so chooses.

The list of schools who have either called or recently come in to see Cain reads like a who's who of college basketball programs. Indiana and Seton Hall were at his game against Simon Gratz on Thursday, while programs such as Georgia Tech, Virginia, Rutgers, Villanova, Temple, Charlotte and Utah are all seriously courting him now.

Cain has had a chance to unofficially visit Villanova for both practice and a regular season game, and his next unofficial trip will be to Virginia for the Cavaliers' home game against Duke.

This season, Cain has been averaging 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks per game.

What sets him apart from a lot of other players his size are his skill level, aggressiveness and toughness. He's not a player you should judge by his very slight build.

Cain consistently beats other big men to key spots on the floor, which allows him to get into excellent scoring position. He runs the floor like a guard, and he's an adroit passer out of the double team and also on the break.

On top of those positive aspects, he also has good athletic pop for a 6-9 player. His lack of strength and bulk don't always allow him to finish in traffic, but if he can add some size to his frame at the next level, he could develop into big-time college prospect down the road.

In a win over Chester H.S. on Saturday night at the Scholastic Play by Play Classic, Cain was all over the floor, scoring 16 points in a 71-66 Bartram victory. After the game, he was limping around like an old man and revealed an ace bandage around his thigh, which indicates that he's able to play through pain.

Aside from his upcoming unofficial to UVa, Cain isn't sure where he will take his official visits to this winter/spring. He did say that he wouldn't burn those trips on any local or nearby schools.

Cain said he has a 2.4 GPA and scored a 950 on the SAT. If true, that would make him a qualifier under current NCAA guidelines for initial freshman eligibility.

This past summer, Cain played at the adidas ABCD Camp, and Rivalshoops.com watched him quite a bit with the Hunting Park Warriors traveling team, which also featured Arizona signee Mustafa Shakur. He ended the July evaluation period at the AAU Nationals in Florida with a team called Philly Hoops.

Rivalshoops.com will keep you posted on Cain's recruitment as the winter evolves into the spring signing period, so keep it here for the best coverage of the Class of 2003 and beyond.