Three-Point Play: Josh Primo blowing up, Curbelo cuts list, Mashburn visits
Today in the Three-Point Play, Canadian junior guard Josh Primo has coaches raving about his development. Meanwhile, top 50 senior Andre Curbelo is down to five and four-star combo guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. gets back on the visit trail this weekend.
Starting Five: UNC's big class, Pangos All-West and more
1. JOSH PRIMO BLOWING UP AT AZ COMPASS PREP
Four-star junior guard Josh Primo has always been a tantalizing prospect. The Canadian has terrific size, is an explosive athlete and has shown ball skills and potential as a shooter.
Now at AZ Compass Prep in the Phoenix area, his stock has taken off and several sources have told me that Primo has taken big steps. So, I wanted to check in with him to see what's been the big difference.
Physical maturity is one thing, but it sounds like Primo is maturing mentally and it is making a big difference.
“I love it out here. Compass we work hard as a team," said Primo. "Last year I was more focused on working on as an individual and this year I’m trying to be more of a leader so I’m really focusing on the team aspect."
Primo is also looking to show that he can play extended stretches with the ball in his hand to go along with his ability as a slasher and one-on-one scorer in transition.
“I’m trying to become more of a point guard," said Primo. "I’ve always been able to get my teammates involved and I want to be more focused on not just getting my own shot but making my teammates better.”
As a sophomore, Primo made unofficial visits to Kentucky and Xavier. This fall, he's been to nearby Arizona State and will head to Utah this weekend. He also told me that he's been talking to Creighton, Gonzaga, Ohio State and Texas about lining up visits. In addition to those schools, Alabama, Arizona, California, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon State, TCU, UNLV and Washington State have been in touch.
There will be no rush to reach a decision, though, as Primo wants to focus on the season.
"It’s coming at me pretty quickly since the end of the summer," said Primo. "I’m just going to take my time with it and really watch closely and see where I fit. I want to focus on the season and winning a championship."
2. TOP 50 CURBELO IS DOWN TO FIVE
One of the top point guards in the class of 2020, Andre Curbelo is down to a final five. On Monday afternoon, Curbelo cut his list to Illinois, Indiana, Miami, Oregon and St. John's.
A pure playmaker with a flair for the game and the type of enthusiastic personality that rubs off on his teammates, Curbelo has steadily worked his way up in the class of 2020 and has a final list that is befitting of his ability.
So, the question is what's next? After starring in the summer for the NY Jayhawks and taking some time to put his list of finalists together there was much speculation that Curbelo would wait until the spring to decide. Now, sources close to the situation are telling me that a decision should still happen this fall. With that in mind, official visits should all be locked in within the next day or two.
As for who to watch out for in Curbelo's recruitment now that it is down to five, well that is anybody's guess. There's not been too much speculation just yet but now that he's got his final group, I'd expect rumors to start flying real soon.
3. FOUR-STAR MASHBURN READY TO TAKE VISITS
Finally, if it seems like there's not been a lot of news about four-star scorer Jamal Mashburn Jr. over the last few months that's because, well, there hasn't been any news to report.
However, look for things to start heating up for the senior at Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Prep in a hurry.
Mashburn gets onto the visit trail this weekend with a visit to California this weekend and next weekend he will see Minnesota (for a second official visit). Next, he'll visit Wake Forest in mid-October and barring any changes of plans those will be the three programs that he focuses on from here on out.
Richard Pitino and the Gophers clearly have a strong connection and are in good shape given that Mashburn's father played for Pitino's father in college and the fact that Jr. will return for a second visit to Minneapolis. Many feel the Gophers may be tough to beat but this isn't a done deal. At Cal, new coach Mark Fox is looking to make his first big splash on the recruiting trail. Wake Forest has a roster that features two players from Mashburn's summer program, the PSA Cardinals, so Danny Manning and his staff have enjoyed some success with players Mashburn is familiar with.