One of the top overall prospects in Arizona's strong 2014 class is Perry High School's 5-foot-10 senior point guard Jordan Howard. I caught up with Howard this week in regards to his future college decision and also his list of current schools.
Howard burst onto the recruiting scene last spring (2012) after a strong performance on the AAU/club circuit with a then, loaded Arizona Magic 16U ballclub that would win the 16 & Under tournament championship at a major Double Pump event in California. Howard would then also continue his strong play throughout the summer, and then also come back with a monster junior season performance, which would earn him several division-I scholarship offers, as a result.
Howard would compete on the spring and summer club circuit this club season with a talented and newly developed Arizona Power Black 17U team, that would fair well on the club circuit. While Howard would play well when healthy, he would also injure his ankle in the spring, which would cause him some struggles on the basketball court.
Howard advised me that he currently has 3 different scholarship offers on the table from Weber State, Northern Arizona and UC-Davis.
Howard also advised me that while he previously had offers on the table for himself from these schools, he has not heard much from either school as of late, and so, as a result, he could decide to wait until the spring signing period to make his decision. He said that he may be leaning that direction at this time, but that he is still not sure,
As a junior last season, Howard had his best high school season to date and also became one of the state's elite performers - averaging an eye-popping 25.6 points per/game and being selected among the 2013 Arizona Preps All-Arizona Team, and also as one of our runner-ups for our Arizona Preps Player of the Year.
Howard is a pure-point guard prospect and a floor general with an excellent handle of the basketball and a strong feel for the game. He makes players around him better and enjoys setting up his teammates for scoring opportunities – a terrific attribute for a point guard prospect.
This young man is also an excellent student that carries a 4.1 CUM GPA, and is leaning towards majoring in Computer Technology in college.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Howard is a pure-point guard prospect and a floor general with an excellent handle of the basketball and a strong feel for the game. He makes players around him better and enjoys setting up his teammates for scoring opportunities – a terrific attribute for a point guard prospect. He sees the floor very well off the dribble and is able to make passes while in motion to the open man on the floor, while also being able to score the basketball effectively and efficiently when he feels he needs to. Jordan is an excellent penetrator and loves to have the basketball in his hands, which makes him difficult to defend one-one-one, as a result of his herky-jerky movement off the dribble. He has a nice shooting stroke with excellent range on his shot, and also has a very quick release – allowing him to get his shot off quite well. Also capable of scoring off the dribble and in the lane over bigger defenders, which he uses a variety of floaters to make plays in the lane. Also a good defender with good lateral quickness. He is able to turn his man, while also playing passing lanes and creating deflections. As Howard continues to mature physically, he will need to add more size to his small frame to absorb contact from bigger defenders at the collegiate level. Natural physical maturity will allow him to reach his maximum potential as a player. A nice looking point guard prospect that can score or playmake. Has an excellent smile and a great attitude on and off the floor.
