Early Leader For Bama Big Man

After having surgery on his foot last summer, Montgomery, Alabama native Jonathan Huffman spent his junior season at Central Park Christian working on getting back to his normal self. According the 6-foot-11, 200 pound forward he’s ready to get back on the AAU road and pick up where he left off. In the process, five schools will be watching him closely.

Huffman said he played some of the summer on a fractured ankle but didn’t realize it until right before the ABCD camp and the AAU Nationals. The doctors ordered surgery, erasing his chance to really make his name amongst the high majors. Now that his regular season is complete, some schools are getting to know him anyways.

“This year was all about coming back and getting to 100%,” Huffman said. “I didn’t practice a lot and didn’t get a lot of run because coach wanted to bring me along slowly but I feel like I’m back to normal.”

As a part time starter, Huffman averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds on the year for a successful Central Park team. Not found in the stats, though, is his daily practice routine against a 7-footer and a member of the 2004 Rivals150 list.

“It helps a lot during practice to have a 7-footer like (Tomas Janusaskas) around. It’s a benefit. No doubt. He’s still working at it everyday, too. Plus, my friend Walter Sharpe lives down the road and we work out together. He helps me get better,” Huffman said.

What teams are seeing is a long and lanky 6-foot-11 player with the ability to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket from the outside in. He’s athletic and has some crafty moves around the rack but he still needs to add weight and muscle to be more effective with his back to the basket.

Because of his size and potential, Huffman said he’s had interest from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Louisville and Penn State this season. One school has already emerged as a frontrunner.

“I’m favoring Auburn right now because they are really close to home. My mom could see me play,” Huffman said. “Plus, they are recruiting me as a wing player.”

Louisville just recently saw Huffman at the NACA tournament in Dayton, Tennessee and according to the junior, the Cardinals will keep him on their ‘to-watch’ list this AAU season.

“That was my first time seeing them and they told my coach that they’d like to watch me more this summer,” Huffman said. “They’d be one of the first visits I’d take (if the opportunity is there) and then I’d go to Georgia, next.”

The slender big man will play with the Alabama Challenge this spring and summer on the AAU trail and don’t expect him to make a school decision any time soon.

“I’m probably going to wait until the middle of the AAU season to make a decision,” Huffman said. “But I’m open for more schools, too.”