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RJ Hampton Q&A: 'Guys come at me, and ... that is a compliment'

RJ Hampton
RJ Hampton (Courtesy of USA Basketball)

INDIANAPOLISRJ Hampton is the cream of the crop in the 2020 class. He is the top- ranked point guard prospect in the nation, and he is already leading a blueblood recruitment. Following his time in Indianapolis at the Under Armour Association stop, where he was the leading scorer, Hampton discussed how the spring as gone so far, the recent Duke offer he received, others involved in his recruitment, and - if the one-and-done rule is erased - the idea of jumping directly into the NBA.

MORE FROM LIVE PERIODS: Who stood out in Indy? | Who shined in Atlanta?

RANKINGS: 2018 Rivals150 | 2019 Rivals150 | 2020 Rivals150 | 2018 Team | 2018 Position

Corey Evans (CE): How have the live periods been going for you?

RJ Hampton (RH): I think things have gone very well. I feel like, as a team, we could have played better. But as an individual, I feel like I showed what the hype was about and that I am for real.

CE: You are making the slide over to the point guard spot. How has that gone for you?

RH: It has been great. I take pride in being a point guard and bringing the ball down the floor. But if I need to go to the two or come off the ball, I will.

CE: What is your mentality out there? Things have gotten a little chippy this weekend. Guys are coming at you, so what’s the mindset?

RH: Guys are coming at me, seeing the rankings, which don’t really mean much, but guys come at me, and I just feel like that is a compliment. If you are getting double-teamed and having two or three guys coming at you, that is just a compliment.

CE: On the recruiting front, what does the recent Duke offer mean for you?

RH: I was just blessed whenever Coach K offered me. He is like the godfather of college basketball. When he offered me, that was one of my best moments. Duke, the brotherhood, is something I will always be interested in, so they are definitely a top school on my list.

CE: Duke has had a lot of success down in Texas recently. Is that in your mind at all?

RH: It definitely is in my mind. I am close with Matt Jones, Marques Bolden and even on the girls side, Jade Williams. She goes to Duke, so I have just been asking them about the university and how they like it with the coaching staff and the trainers.

CE: Next one is Texas, the in-state school. Shaka (Smart) saw you last week at an open gym. What do they mean to you?

RH: Texas means a lot to me. That is my home state. I love Texas schools in general; Texas and TCU. Those are the main two that I am looking into. Texas and Coach Smart, he is really involved and he comes to a bunch of my games. Coach (Jai) Lucas is there at almost all of my games so just having them recruit me is big.

CE: You said TCU, too. They are up and coming in the state. What are your thoughts about them?

RH: TCU, Corey Baker, the assistant coach, he has been on me hard since I was a freshman. Him and my dad are real close. They have known each other for practically forever and TCU is definitely a school I am looking into.

CE: Who else would you say is heavily involved?

RH: Those three programs, but also Kansas, definitely Kansas.

CE: Outside of the obvious with Kansas, what else about them stands out?

RH: Coach (Bill) Self really just lets his guys play. He is not really like a coach-player relationship there, but more of a friend-friend relationship. He gets along with guys well and he still gets on them and coaches them, but you can see that they might struggle during the season but once it gets down that final part of the year, they win.

CE: There has been talk of late about you reclassifying into the 2019 class. Where are you with that?

RH: I mean, reclassifying would be great. You go to college early and I feel like as of right now, I need to get stronger, get my IQ sharper, and get my tools back. That is definitely an opportunity that me and my family are considering.

CE: What is your timetable with that before you make your final decision?

RH: I will probably make that decision this time next year, or a little before. If I get all of the offers that I want, I am definitely going to look into that a lot.

CE: There is a lot of talk about the 2020 NBA Draft being the first year that the one-and-done rule wouldn't exist. What are your thoughts about that, and maybe staying in high school before making the direct leap into the NBA?

RH: That is one of the best things that I have seen come along in basketball since I have been around basketball. With all of the NCAA scandals and all of that, I just feel like, why shouldn’t high school kids get the chance to go right to the NBA? I mean, you have 19 year olds doing it one year out of college, and it is just one year of difference.

CE: If you get to where you think you should be by the time you’re a senior in high school, is that something that would do: Make the direct leap into the NBA?

RH: Oh, most definitely. If that is what I have to do, I am most likely going to go.

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