MESA, Ariz. -- Jahki Howard will be the first to tell you he didn’t have the kind of summer he wanted a year ago. His effort was down, he was forcing shots and things simply didn’t seem to be going in the right direction.
Those days seem to be behind him now, however, as the four-star wing is off to a blazing start this spring and should see his once-falling ranking improve because of it.
Howard is averaging 17 PPG on 63% shooting through eight games on the Nike EYBL circuit. He’s also shooting 45% from three-point range. He’s using his elite length to shine on defense and has recorded a pair of doubles on the back of motivated rebounding efforts for a loaded New Heights Lighting Team.
Rivals recently spoke with Howard, who is currently the No. 77 prospect in the 2024 class, about his recruitment and the work that has led to his breakout start.
He was planning to visit Georgetown this week.
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 80
Transfer Portal: Latest news | Portal player ranking/transfer tracker (hoops) | Portal player ranking/transfer tracker (football)
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
ON SCHOOLS IN CONTACT:
“Recently, Georgetown, Kansas and Utah, NC State and Arkansas have been in touch. We’re talking but there’s so much going on with transfers and everything else that coaches are busy,”
ON NEW GEORGETOWN COACH ED COOLEY:
“I like him. I knew about him before because, you know, he’s from Providence and I knew some about him just from following Providence. I want to go visit and see what it’s like.”
ON WHAT HE KNOWS ABOUT THE GEORGETOWN PROGRAM:
“Not a lot yet. I don’t know a lot about the school. I just know a lot about the coaching staff and what they’ve done in the past. I’ll know more after the visit because I’ll get to see everything, you know?”
ON OTHER SCHOOLS TO WATCH CLOSELY:
“Utah, Arkansas and NC State, I’d say.”
ON HIS IMPROVEMENT:
“I felt like I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough my sophomore year. This year I felt like I needed to do that. And I also found the right team. You know there are great players on [New Heights Lightning]. Playing with Maleek [Thomas] has helped. It’s allowed me to play my game, play defense and show that I have developed my shot. I think getting to a place like Overtime really helped me get focused.”
ON A COMMITMENT TIMETABLE:
“I’m probably going to wait until around Peach Jam (In July). I’m not sure yet, though.”
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RIVALS' REACTION
Howard was a five-star prospect when the first 2024 rankings dropped two years ago and still has massive upside. He seems much more at ease recently and isn't trying to do too much from a scoring standpoint.
His jumper has clearly improved over the last year and so have both his temperament and basketball IQ. Obviously, he’s not a perfect prospect but things are once again headed in the right direction for the Overtime Elite standout.
As for his recruitment, that picture will clear in the coming months. Georgetown is obviously worth watching in the wake of Howard's official visit.
