After it looked as though he was headed to Grand Canyon University next fall, there is now a change of plans for Florence High School's 6-foot-10 senior post Jeremy Verhagen.
After the firing of former Grand Canyon University head coach Russ Pennell and the introduction of new head coach Dan Majerle recently, Verhagen has decided to re-open his college recruitment - obtaining a release from his national letter of intent to the Antelopes' basketball program.
It now looks as though Verhagen will play through the spring evaluation period in an attempt to gain maximum exposure to college coaches in search of a low-post player for next season. Verhagen plans to play this spring with Team Power, a newly developed club program in the East Valley.
Grand Canyon landed the post prospect early in the recruiting process, so another performance on the club circuit should be very beneficial for Verhagen who is among the top post prospects in Arizona’s 2013 class - still a developing talent with major upside as a player.
Verhagen is coming off his best high school basketball season of his high school career, after averaging huge numbers for Florence HS and leading them to a strong 28-7 overall record. Verhagen poured in 17.6 points, 14.8 rebounds and 7.2 blocks per/game this season. For his efforts, Verhagen was also selected as our 2013 Arizona Preps Defensive Player of the Year.
I caught my first glimpse of Verhagen in our 13th Annual Arizona Preps Fall Showcase, two years ago. In the event, Verhagen played very well and raised many eyebrows with his length and tremendous upside for the future.
Verhagen is also a very good student and carries a 3.1 CUM GPA.
Arizona Preps will continue to follow the college recruitment of Verhagen closely and bring you any updates as they continue to develop.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Verhagen’s has good length and an ability to run the floor. He has solid hands and feet. He is a capable scorer around the basket and has a variety of offensive moves to go with solid footwork. He also is able to complete a nice looking jump hook and uses his length to make plays. A solid finisher that will only get better over time as he matures physically and adds size to his very thin frame. Verhagen is also a good shotblocker that has good timing, and is also a good offensive rebounder. He also has a soft shooting stroke from the perimeter, which he is able to do quite nicely with range – a nice attribute for a prospect with his size and mobility. Very good upside for the future, but needs to add serious size to his thin frame to reach his full potential as a player.
