The recruitment of Independence High School's 6-foot-7, 195-pound senior forward Jonathan Wilson has officially ended and will soon begin again, as Wilson has landed at a junior college program and will now look to improve his college recruitment in the future.
In an attempt to reach his personal goal of playing division-I basketball, Wilson has decided to pass on several division-II scholarship offers for himself, and will instead head the junior college route in an attempt to earn a division-I scholarship in the future.
Last week, after careful consideration, Wilson gave a verbal commitment to attend Williston State Junior College in North Dakota, where he will play for head coach Eric Peterson and his staff.
While Wilson had no division-I scholarship offers throughout his high school career, he did receive serious interest from such programs as Weber State, Northern Arizona, Southern Utah and Idaho State. He also received division-II offers from Minnesota-Deluth, Nebraska-Kearney and Seton Hill University (PA).
Wilson is still a work in progress but has developed a great deal over the past year, and is a very intriguing prospect that most college coaches still do not know much about. He has only played organized basketball for 3 full years. Wilson's best attribute as a college prospect is his athleticism and excellent length, allowing him to finish plays around the basket and play much bigger than his size suggests. He is still raw offensively, and still developing his ability to score consistently away from the basket. While it will take his some time still develop his overall fundamental approach to the game, you cannot teach his length, athleticism and willingness to compete. Wilson has a good motor and still plays all over the floor. As he continues to develop offensively and learn the game, he will develop into a serious college player.
He has a nice ability to defend and block shots, which he does very well. He is capable of guarding several positions on the floor and has very good timing as a shotblocker. Wilson either changes or alters many shots in his area in the paint, and attempts to block most shots inside or outside of his area. Wilson is also an active rebounder and rebounds outside of his area, another nice attribute for him as player.
Wilson runs the floor very well and is a good finisher in the open floor - an area of his game where he thrives.
Currently, Wilson is a face-up four man, but could develop over time, and with hard work, into a 3 at some point. He is capable of playing as a small forward now, but needs much more work on his ability to shoot the basketball from the perimeter. While he is capable of making shots, it is definitely not his strong suit, as he is at his best scoring inside the paint. He will need to continue to develop his perimeter skills as a shooter and as a ball handler to maximize his college recruitment.
Wilson has also had to overcome a lot of adversity in his life, as he lives with a single mother and has very little financial support. Wilson has worked hard to succeed each day of his high school career. For many kids in Arizona, days come and go by with ease, but for Wilson each day is a challenge just to get to school and make it through the day. This young man's desire to compete in the classroom, on the basketball court and in life has proven just how bad he wants to be successful. He is on the right path and is someone that everyone can root for, as he looks to make it from the streets of West Phoenix to a college in the future.
Wilson is a full academic qualifier and carries a 2.8 CUM GPA.
Congratulations to Jonathan Wilson on his accomplishment of going to college, and good luck to him in the future from our staff here at Arizona Preps.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Wilson is an intriguing prospect. His best physical attribute as a college prospect is his athleticism and excellent length, allowing him to finish plays around the basket and play much bigger than his size suggests. He is still raw offensively, and still developing his ability to score consistently away from the basket. While it will take him some time still develop his overall fundamental approach to the game, you cannot teach his length, athleticism and willingness to compete. Wilson has a good motor and still plays all over the floor. As he continues to develop offensively and learn the game, he will develop into a serious college player. His best asset as a player is his ability to defend and block shots, which he does very well. He is capable of guarding several positions on the floor and has very good timing as a shotblocker. Wilson either changes or alters many shots in his area in the paint, and attempts to block most shots inside or outside of his area. Wilson is also an active rebounder and rebounds outside of his area, another nice attribute for him as player. Wilson runs the floor very well and is an excellent finisher in the open floor - an area of his game where he thrives. Currently, Wilson is a face-up four man, but could develop over time, and with hard work, into a 3 at some point. He is capable of playing as a small forward now, but needs much more work on his ability to shoot the basketball from the perimeter. While he is capable of making shots, it is definitely not his strong suit, as he is at his best scoring inside the paint. He will need to continue to develop his perimeter skills as a shooter and as a ball handler to maximize his college recruitment. Improved perimeter skills will raise his recruiting stock a great deal in the future. An excellent and well mannered young man that deserves everything that comes his way.
