California junior likes five

THE RIVALS150: Class of 2014 - Class of 2015

Nationally speaking, the class of 2015 is considered a bit thin when it comes to point guards. On the West Coast, though, it is the opposite as there is an abundance of quality floor generals. Four-star Kendall Small is certainly in that group.

For his junior year, the six-foot point guard transferred to Lakewood (Calif.) Mayfair, and the results have been great both on and off the floor.

"He's doing well and he's having a great time," Small's father Don said. "We made the change socially pretty much because he wasn't enjoying high school. He's going to football games and doing things he hadn't done for two years. On the floor, the season is going well and he's trying to lead his team to a CIF championship."

Athletic and tough, the 175-pound Small is very quick with the ball. He can get into the lane and finish through contact. His ability to create off the bounce translates to the next level. Small is scoring just over 22 points per game on a team where he is relied upon to score, and he's trying to get his jump shooting on the same level as his off-the-dribble game.

"We're working on his mid-range game and being more consistent with the three-ball," said Small. "He's shooting it well this year at about 39 percent from three and 56 percent overall. He can score the ball, but we want him to be a knockdown shooter.

"This team is a little different. It actually calls for him to score, but when he plays with other top-level talent his assists will double."

Currently, Small has offers from Gonzaga, San Diego State, Oregon, Arizona State and Portland. Creighton has come on strong of late and UCLA, USC and Butler are also involved at one level or another.

For now, the plan is to sign early and Small will take a visit to Eugene later this month. The Ducks are part of group of five that stands out as Small moves to figure out where he will spend his college years.

"We're almost at the end," said the elder Small. "His five is pretty much going to be San Diego State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Creighton and University of Portland because they offered him first."

Eric Bossi is the national basketball recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.

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