Derek Piper:
Future150 Midwest Analyst Covering high & middle school basketball. IL, IN, KY, OH, MI, MO & WI
Louisville, KY (Future150) -- Four-star combo guard Jimmy Whitt has been one of the premier performers in the 2015 class this summer.
Along with point guard Jawun Evans, Whitt was one of the most hyped standouts at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June. Overall, Whitt has proven to be a dynamic scorer who is skilled enough to play the point or the off-guard.
Last week, Whitt took to the court at AAU Nationals with KC Run GMC in Louisville, where he continued to light up the scoreboard at a high level. One of his best performances came at Freedom Hall in front of Illinois head coach John Groce. Whitt nailed threes, drove to the lane and finished, splashed pull-up jumpers and facilitated for his teammates—nothing too out of the ordinary for him though.
Since the April evaluation period, Whitt has picked up offers from a variety of high-major programs. Arkansas, Missouri, SMU and a few others offered back in 2013. Now, Whitt is set to narrow things down in August.
“My recruitment right now is going pretty smooth. I’m getting looked at by Arkansas, SMU, Illinois, Marquette, Memphis, Wake Forest—schools like that,” he said. “There’s no schools standing out right now. I’ll probably narrow it down—since the season is over—in August and narrow it down to the schools I like.”
Whitt had a number of schools watch him in Louisville last week, including Arkansas, Illinois, Marquette, Missouri and others. Groce was courtside on Friday morning, and Whitt said he has built a great relationship with him and assistant Jamall Walker since the Illini offered on April 30th. He plans to visit Champaign this Friday.
“It’s a great relationship. We’ve talked a lot—we’ve built a real good relationship with him and Coach Walker. I’m actually going to take a visit up there August 1st, so I’m pretty excited about that. Get to go up there and see the campus, meet the players and the coaching staff,” he said.
Another program that Whitt is high on is Missouri. The Columbia (MO) native has had his hometown school in the forefront of his mind, and while they changed coaching staffs this off-season, it has been a positive move in Whitt’s recruitment. He said he has a very good impression of head coach Kim Anderson and the staff.
“It’s a good relationship. Ever since he came in, he’s been contacting me. I’ve been up there to play pick-up games with the guys—it’s been a real fun experience getting to know them. And just the thought of getting to play in your hometown in front of all the people you grew up with is a great idea,” Whitt said.
Kansas has also been in the mix, but they have yet to offer. Whitt said he has been in contact with the Jayhawks staff, but he is unsure on where things currently stand.
“I’ve talked to them…They said Coach Self was going to be up to watch us play but they said he couldn’t make it. I guess we’ll see where it goes after this tournament in the next couple days,” he said.
As for official visits, those won’t likely come until Whitt narrows down his list. However, Whitt will be attending the CP3 Elite Guard Camp on August 7-10, and he said he will likely visit Wake Forest while he’s in the area. He plans to make his decision before the start of his high school season, and there are quite a few things that he’s looking for at the next level.
“A team that plays up-tempo basketball and somewhere I can go fit in. Somewhere I can come in and make an instant impact with my game, and get some minutes and help the team win,” Whitt said. “Just a great coach and somewhere that is going to develop me to my fullest potential so I can go as far as I can with basketball. And just a great atmosphere.”
There has been a lot of talk about whether Whitt will pick a school where he can come in and play point guard. As for the high school season, Whitt said he would likely play the off-guard with 2017 point guard Chase Thomas making the move up to varsity.
But wherever he is on the floor, one thing is for sure: he’s going to get buckets.
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