Prince Mulling over his Top Four

Last night J.P. Prince, the No. 23 ranked player in the Rivals150, had what he described as one of the best in-home visit he has ever had. Tomorrow the 6-foot-5, 183-pound point guard from White Station High School in Memphis, Tenn., will fly across the country for an official visit. Down to four schools, Prince has only positive things to say about all the schools on his list.

“Coach Donovan just left the house,” said Prince about his in-home visit with Florida, whom he will visit on October 8. “I had a great time talking with him. It was one of the best home visits I have ever had. We just agreed about so many things. He talked about what it would be like to play for him and how he would push me and make me a better player.”

Along with Florida, Prince is also down to Arizona, North Carolina State, and Vanderbilt. On Thursday Prince will fly to Tucson for his official visit to Arizona.

“I am looking forward to it,” he said about his visit to Arizona. “I have never been to Arizona, and they have such good coaching and a great tradition.”

Fortunately for Arizona, distance from home will play no bearing on Prince’s decision.

“I am going to do what is best for me basketball and education wise,” he said. “It does not matter how far away from home I have to go to find that situation.”

Prince has already had very positive experiences on his official visits to North Carolina State and Vanderbilt.

“I really enjoyed North Carolina State,” he said. “I like the offense and can see how I could thrive in it. Similar to Julius Hodge, but I am more of a point guard and passer who can score, while Hodge is more of a scoring small forward.

“Vanderbilt is a program on the rise. I could make the difference in them reaching the Final Four level instead of being at the Sweet Sixteen level. That is very intriguing to me. They have some great young guys that I enjoy playing with, and I have a great relationship with the coaches.”

Prince will have to lead the storied program at White Station, who has won three consecutive state championships in Tennessee’s highest classification, through a transitional period with the loss of longtime head coach Terry Tippett and many top players.

“We have the potential to play at the same level that we have in the past,” said Prince, who averaged 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals per game last season. “I will not have the luxury to pass to a bunch of division one players. Instead, I will be passing mainly to underclassmen, so I will have to score more this year.

“I have been working on my shooting the ball, and we will see if I can shoot the ball this year. It is all about confidence as a shooter. When you have been told that you can’t shoot, it is tough to shoot well. I have been working on it, though, and I’m going to surprise some people this year. I want to prove that I am a McDonald’s All-American type player.”

Prince is a long, lean left handed point guard. He is very tough defensively with his 8-foot-7 reach and anticipation. Offensively, he excels at penetrating the defense and passing over the defense. His shot does need a lot of work and he needs strength, but he has NBA potential, as well as McDonald’s All-American potential.