Suitors emerge for four-star junior Jahmai Mashack

A foot injury put his recruitment on hold last summer, but four-star shooting guard Jahmai Mashack came back in a big way with his high school team this season. Playing in a complimentary role on a team loaded with seniors, the No. 78 prospect in the 2021 class often found himself defending the other team’s best player and picking his spots on the offensive end.

Mashack’s recruitment continues to heat up. The California native mentioned California, Colorado, Kansas, Loyola Marymount, Oklahoma, Oregon State, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA and Utah as the schools in the mix in his recruitment right now. He’s made multiple trips to UCLA’s campus.

Mashack discussed many of the primary players in his recruitment.

California: “My mom graduated from Cal. They through a tough time after Jaylen Brown played there, but I see they did much better this year. I hear Coach [Mark] Fox is a smart coach.”

Colorado: “They just offered. They’ve talked a lot about culture and development. They have guys who are somewhat unknown but get to the league. They are big on character, so they’ve always said I’m their kind of player.”

Kansas: “I’ve never talked to them directly. Their assistant coach contacted my AAU coach. Of course they are a great program, but I’m focused on who is focused on me.”

Oklahoma: “Oklahoma has probably been on me the hardest. They’re an amazing program. Coach [Lon] Kruger has talked to me a couple times and he’s an easy guy to talk to. He has a lot of experience and is nothing but honest with me, which is great. Coach [Carlin] Hartman has built a relationship with not just me but my parents as well. Their facility is nice and they have a lot to offer.

UCLA: “They are great. I pride myself on being a great defender and they are known for their defense. I’ve gotten a chance to have a conversation with some of the coaches and they have a similar mindset that I do. They new staff is definitely putting UCLA in the right direction.”

Utah: “Utah just came on strong. I’ve had great conversations with both the head and assistant coach. I’ve never been to Utah, but I hear that they are pretty close as a team. I’m looking forward to getting to know them more.”

Mashack says he’ll be taking his time with the recruiting process going forward. The combination of his injury last summer setting him back, playing a complimentary role this season, and the COVID-19 situation shutting down travel season has put his recruitment in a holding pattern like it has with many of his peers in the 2021 class. It might take until the end of his senior year for a decision to come.

If we’re handicapping schools right now, Oklahoma has made a strong impression early on. Lon Kruger has had a lot of success with guards in recent years and his staff has done a great job building a relationship with Mashack and his family. Some Pac-12 schools could be a factor here as well. UCLA’s new staff has done a good job sharing their vision for the program and it aligns with how he plays. California, Colorado and Utah are also strong here, but there could be several twists and turns in his recruitment before a decision comes.