HAMPTON, Va. – The shoe circuit events were off for a week but the Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest did an excellent job of stepping up in their place. Friday evening, during the first-round of bracket play, a number of under the radar names emerged while five-star Immanuel Quickley had an impressive start to his three-day stay in Virginia.
Quickley, one of the top faces of the adidas circuit this summer, has been tremendous shooting the basketball, but has also developed into one of the top on-ball defenders in America.
Already a priority recruit, Quickley has narrowed his list of schools down to a group of seven consisting of Virginia, Kentucky, Duke, Kansas, Miami, Maryland and Providence.
“I am at seven schools now with Washington off the list,” Quickley said due to the recent coaching change in Seattle. “All of the seven schools really fit my playing style, they are really good schools and have really good coaches, so I think that was the biggest part.”
Quickley touched on each program in contention.
Virginia: “Tony Bennett is a great guy. He is actually a Christian; me and my mom love him. He is just saying that if you want all of the assets, on and off the court, that Virginia is the place to be.”
Kentucky: “What they have done with their point guards like John Wall; the list goes on and on. What he has done with freshman and getting them to the NBA, which I think it is pretty cool.”
Kansas: “Their skill development stands out. Frank Mason was supposed to go to Towson and ends up being All-Big 12 team and one of the best players in the country.”
Duke: “When you say Duke, you think Coach K and the Cameron Crazies. Their pedigree speaks for itself.”
Maryland: “Obviously it is in my backyard and the hometown school. Coach (Mark) Turgeon is a good guy on and off the floor. I just really like what he has done since coming in at Maryland.”
Miami: “Miami has great facilities and the NBA guys come back in the summer to work out there, which is good to know and have.”
Providence: "I like what they did with Kris Dunn and other point guards there as well. They really fit my style of play."
WHAT’S NEXT
Quickley is one of the few 2018 five-star prospects that is much closer to a college decision than not as he has plans in place for how he wants for things to end this summer.
“I want cut it down in the next couple of weeks to maybe four or three. Once I cut my list one more time, I will visit all those schools,” he said. “I definitely want to get it done before my high school basketball starts. I just want to get it out of the way and know where I am going and cut it off my list of things to do.”
... Playing alongside Quickley on both the travel and high school circuits, Montez Mathis has continued to see his stock improve thanks to his newly refined frame and skillset. A powerful finisher at the basket, Mathis was impressive kicking off his weekend as he flushed home three impressive right handed dunks and was consistently active on the defensive end. While a number of east coast programs have remained in contention, Rutgers looks to have done the most work with him as he recently visited the Big Ten school last weekend for an unofficial visit.
... Playing with the D1 Spartans this weekend, we received intel earlier in the week about Jordan Miller, a 6-foot-5 swingman, who made a giant name for himself on Friday. A smooth lefty and one of the better playmakers for his size on the floor, things are beginning to ramp up for the 2018 wing.
“George Mason offered me last week and Millersville and Catawba have also offered. Mason was my first D1 offer,” Miller said. “I am also hearing from Radford, Mount St. Mary’s and West Virginia. I am visiting WVU on June 10.”
Landing his first division-1 offer from George Mason, as he boasts practically a non-existent college recruitment this late in the recruiting process, is rather unprecedented. Expect to hear much more about the lefty wing with an intriguing skillset and excellent versatility in the coming weeks.
... Just like Miller, Jordan Gibson has not seen much of a hefty recruitment as of yet. The 2018 swingman with the Higher Level Premier 17-under bunch still showed the gusto on Friday as he made timely shots and created for others. High Point, Lafayette, Missouri State and College of Charleston are just a few showing interest as Gibson has the looks of a strong mid-level prospect entering his senior summer.
