Prince Lists Eight

J.P. Prince, perhaps the top play making point guard at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis, Ind., is a long, lean point guard that can both penetrate the defense and pass over it. Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 183-pounds, and with an impressive 8-foot-7 reach, Prince, during the camp, listed the eight schools that have both offered and he is considering.

“Right now I like North Carolina State, Memphis, Arizona, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma,” said Prince, who attends White Station High School in Memphis, Tenn. “All have offered, and I plan on visiting them all.”

Insisting that he liked all the schools equally, Prince plans on taking official visits to NC State, Arizona, and Florida. He might also try to knock out Texas and Oklahoma in one road trip. The others, because of their proximity to Memphis, will get unofficial visits.

Prince did mention two schools that are presently not recruiting him but could shake things up if they did get involved with him.

“North Carolina or even Kentucky are a couple schools that would get my attention,” he said. “If they popped in things could change.”

Although he is the cousin of former Kentucky player Tayshaun Prince, Prince made it clear that Kentucky has not offered him or recruiting him.

The left handed Prince has the size and potential of an NBA point guard, but along with getting stronger, he has a good bit of work left to do on his outside jump shot. He struggled mightily in the shooting stations at Nike Camp to make shots, and the only shots outside the paint that I saw him take were at the free throw line. Both attempts missed badly to the side.

“I can shoot standing still and off the dribble,” asserted Prince, when the subject of his shooting was brought up. “I just am not very good at shooting off screens like they have us do here at camp. I do not have that type of role on my high school team, so I haven’t worked on it.”

When the conversation turned to the NBA, Prince emphasized the need for strength more than the need to hit jumpers off screens.

“I need to get bigger and more physical to play in a NBA half court game,” he said. “I have an NBA full court game in that I can run, handle the ball, and can make passes. The better players around me, the better passer I am.”

Prince is pretty much correct. He can make all the passes and will thrive with athletic finishers around him. His shot along with his strength with the ball does need to improve before he is ready to compete in the NBA.

Currently ranked No. 69 in the class of 2005, look for Prince to move up in the rankings. At the Nike Camp he was the second best long term potential prospect at point guard behind Mike Mercer.