High majors want McLaughlin
GIG HARBOR, Wash. -- As his teammates played pickup and worked on fine tuning their shots Thursday, all four-star junior point guard JaQuori McLaughlin could do was watch and bark out some occasional encouragement.
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Despite being sidelined by a broken wrist -- he just got cleared to shoot and should return to live action soon -- the 6-foot-3 floor general at Gig Harbor (Wash.) Peninsula who ranks No. 91 in the class of 2016 hasn't seen his recruitment slow down at all. There has been a steady stream of college coaches coming by to speak to him and watch him lead from the sidelines.
A year ago, McLaughlin was off the market early. After catching Oregon State's eye at the Beavers elite camp. He made a commitment as a sophomore before re-opening things when Craig Robinson was let go. He has used that situation as a learning experience as his recruitment moves forward.
"I've learned that you have to be able to build a relationship with the coach," McLaughlin told Rivals.com. "That's the one reason I committed to Coach Robinson because I had a relationship with him. So i just want to do that with other coaches and see how they feel about me and how I feel about them."
McLaughlin is certainly looking forward to getting back on the court. He had a big summer that catapulted him into the national rankings because he showcased his size, skill and a natural feel for the game which allows things to look easy for him.
"My strength I need to work on it obviously," said McLaughlin. "My strengths are passing and being able to shoot as a point guard. My size helps me because I can get tips or get my shot off on most guys.
"My athleticism, I think people have overlooked that some because I'm more smooth when I play."
Even though he hasn't really been able to play, head coaches from Boise State, Gonzaga, Washington State, Washington, Oregon and California have been by. Oregon State has had an assistant up twice, Arizona has been by and Vanderbilt, Arizona State and Stanford all have plans to be out soon.
On Wednesday, McLaughlin stopped by Washington to watch the Huskies practice.
"I've been to Washington about four times in the last four or five months," said McLaughlin. "They just want to have the local kids play for the city and have pride for the city playing together in the Pac 12."
Last week, he was down in Corvallis meeting with the Beavers new staff and they made it clear that they still want to try and get him despite the staff changeover.
"If I was to go there they want me to run the team," said McLaughlin. "They think I could knock down shots. They still want me."
McLaughlin has also been over to visit Gonzaga, Boise State and Washington State. The Cougars new coach Ernie Kent's energy stood out.
"I love Coach Kent, he's awesome," said McLaughlin. "He's excited about me and he treated his players real well when I was down there on a visit."
With his full return to the floor only a few more weeks away, McLaughlin is looking forward to a big junior season and he says that he is anxious to lead his team with more than just the words he's had to use while sidelined. After his junior season, he's hoping to get his college decision out of the way sometime before the summer starts.
The relationship he is able to develop with his future coach will be most important, but McLaughlin is also going to be looking carefully at each program's system and the role he could play.
"My role on the team and the system they play will be important," said McLaughlin. "I like an uptempo system with a lot of pick and roll and ball screens."
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