By JACOB POLACHECK
ATLANTA – Class of 2024 top-60 forward Jahki Howard has named his top eight schools and has set a commitment date, he tells ZAGSBLOG.
The 6-foot-6, 175-pound small forward from Overtime Elite (GA), will be committing on November 20 and is down to a final eight of Kentucky, Auburn, Kansas, Florida State, Texas, Arkansas, Georgia Tech and Georgetown.
“It was really breaking down every school,” Howard said. “Even though I haven’t gone on any visits, I just broke down each school and the connection with the coaches, seeing where I fit in with the school. With those schools, I feel like I can play there and that I fit in at each one.”
He broke down each program:
Georgetown: “Patrick Ewing, you can’t say nothing about that. He’s a legend. He was an NBA basketball player, coach. He’s a great coach. You can’t deny Georgetown. It’s a great program.”
Kentucky: “Blue-Blood. You can’t go wrong with Kentucky. Pros go to Kentucky. I’ve seen the development they’ve had. It doesn’t matter if you’re there for one year or two years, you’re destined to get somewhere.”
Kansas: “They’re coming off a championship. You can never go wrong with a team of winners. They play fundamental, they play defense and they’re coached very well.”
Arkansas: “Me and the head coach [Eric Musselman] have a close bond, a lot of the coaches do. They talk to me a lot. It’s just building with them, talking to them multiple times throughout the week and being there everyday. I had to put them on my list.”
Georgia Tech: “I’ve been living in Atlanta for a couple and they’ve been with me since eighth grade summer. They’ve always been connected with me and have always been there in my area.”
Florida State: “For me, I was always playing in Miami, playing with Nightrydas my freshman year. I ended up building a bond with Florida State. It was really off the relationship with me and the coach, talking my whole freshman year until now. It was the relationship part and my playing style fits their playing style.”
Texas: “I’ve been talking to them for a while. We have a really, really, really close bond. My favorite player is KD [Kevin Durant], so Texas, you gotta love it. Orange.”
Auburn: “I love the way Coach Bruce Pearl coaches, the energy he brings. If you’re playing defense, he’s going to keep you on the floor no matter what. I just love his intensity as a coach. He’s going to yell, be happy, have players lit and I love that.
Next up for Howard is his first official visit to Georgetown on Thursday, October 13.
Howard said he’s going to be planning more visits and unofficial visits shortly.
“Family is a big thing to me when it comes to college, everything,” Howard said. “Whatever school I feel like is going to be the home and a family for me is where I’m going to go. Family is everything. My community is everything. Whatever school has the biggest community and the biggest family type of vibe is where I belong.”
Ranked by On3 Consensus as the No. 17 small forward and No. 58 overall prospect in the class of 2024, Howard uses one word to describe his game – motor.
“I say motor because people really think that I can’t do a lot of things like dribbling the ball, shooting,” Howard said. “I can do those things, but I know that’s not what my team wants me to do. When you have all those good players around you, you find your spot. My spot is to play defense, rebound, dunk and hit open shots. I’m going to do what I have to do to win.”
Howard will be committing on his mother’s birthday, November 20, at Shelbourne Community Center in Roxbury, MA.
Follow Jacob Polacheck on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
