Basha HS 6-foot-5 junior combo-guard prospect Jaron Hopkins is our top-rated prospect in Arizona's 2013 class.
After having a very strong junior season this past year, Hopkins is beginning to turn heads of college coaches on the AAU/club circuit this spring, so much that he has generated 11 different scholarship offers for himself.
Last weekend, after a strong performance in Las Vegas, Nevada, while taking part in the Adidas VIP Exclusive Run, Hopkins reeled in 3 more scholarship offers for himself - including a big offer from the University of Arizona and head coach Sean Miller.
An offer from Arizona is a rare event for Arizona's top-rated prospects, and so once an Arizona prospect receives an offer from the Wildcats, the doors open to many other national opportunities, including elite-level college recruitment from many other college programs.
Hopkins also received offers last weekend from UTEP and Nebraska as well. Hopkins also already holds offers from Colorado, Auburn, Penn State, Penn, Washington State, Boise State, San Francisco and Colorado State.
Hopkins had a very strong junior season this past year for Basha HS - leading his team to a 22-7 overall record on the season, before falling at the hands of Perry HS (68-67) in a narrow but major upset loss. Hopkins turned in very impressive numbers this season, averaging a team-high 21.8 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 5.3 steals per/game.
While the 2013 class looks to be solid, no player in the class has improved over the past two years of high school basketball more than Hopkins.
Hopkins has grown significantly over a short period of time - both physically and mentally, and, as a result, has seen his game and college recruitment begin to soar.
Just a short period ago, Hopkins was just barely 6-0 tall and a pure point guard prospect as an eigth grader. Just two years later, Hopkins now stands a full 6-5 in heigth (and still growing) and is a legitimate combo-guard prospect that is capable of handling the point guard position, while also being able to score the basketball at a high rate from the off-guard position with superior athleticism.
Just two short years ago, Hopkins also stood in the shadows of his cousin and teammate - 6-foot-8 junior Torren Jones. Now two years later, Hopkins is a much hotter prospect than Jones, and quickly climbing the national recruiting rankings.
Hopkins is also an excellent student and carries a 3.7 CUM GPA.
Look for Hopkins to continue to raise his recruiting stock this spring and summer, and become the hottest college prospects in Arizona's talented 2013 recruiting class.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Hopkins is a very talented combo-guard prospect with a variety of offensive skillsets and superb athletic talent. He has very good size physically, which allows for him to play both guard positions on the floor legitimately - an attractive feature. Hopkins also has excellent upside as a player, since he is still growing a great deal. As a point guard prospect, Hopkins has a very good handle of the basketball and a nice feel for the game. He is able to create shots for himself or others, and is a good slasher and finisher in the open floor. Also a good finisher in traffic and over bigger defenders. Sees the floor and is capable of setting up his teammates, although he does need improvement in this area to reach his full potential. A very good mid-range shooter, but still needs continued improvement in his consistency on his jump shot with range to reach his full potential as a player. Very good defender with good anticipation that likes to play the passing lanes. An active rebounder. Has excellent potential and a very bright future ahead of him.
