Published Feb 23, 2020
Rivals150 junior K.J. Simpson becomes a West Coast priority
Dan McDonald
Rivals.com Basketball

K.J. Simpson has been a popular target on the west coast for a while now with scholarship offers coming from several west coast programs along with some outside the region. But it was a 41-point outing recently that sparked a couple new offers, Arizona and USC.

Those two join a list that includes schools such as Arizona State, California, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington State. He’s been on campus already Arizona and USC, and plans to see more schools after the season.

Advertisement

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Arizona: “I love Arizona. I’ve been there multiple times for camps and other things. I know Ira Lee and Brandon Williams because I played against them, but I’m familiar with Nico Mannion and Josh Green through West Coast Elite. They are a really good program with a great coaching staff as well.”

California: “They have come in pretty hard. I know [assistant coach] Marty Wilson well. He flew out to one of my games recently, which I really appreciated.”

Georgia Tech: “They offered and are on me hard. I really like their program. The coach seems like a very energetic guy. He’s always calling and checking on me. He called me before one of my games to make sure I’m good and then asked me to call him after the game to let him know how I did.”

USC: “I’ve followed them for a long time. I really enjoy the coaching staff. They are very welcoming. The way they check up on me, and sometimes it’s not even about basketball, it makes me feel really good.”

Washington State: “I like the coaching staff there. I like how they have come in and approached me. They made it seem like I really fit what they need instead of just wanting me, which I really like. They are a good program.”

RIVALS' REACTION

Simpson said his focus right now is completely on his high school season and making sure he takes care of business for his team. Once that’s over, he’ll look a little more towards the recruiting process. Relationships are the most important aspect of his recruitment. Right now, he says no schools have an edge over the others. However, new offers from Arizona and USC have definitely caught his attention.