Perry High School's talented 5-foot-10 rising junior pure-point guard prospect Jordan Howard is a big-time talent that burst onto the high school basketball scene this past season. While Jordan and his family are very well-known in basketball circles around the state of Arizona, this version of the Howard family took his game to another level in his sophomore season.
One of three Howard brothers, Jordan came up big this past season for former Perry HS head coach Mark Nold, as the Pumas advanced to late into the Division-I state playoffs, after big upset state playoff wins over higher seeded North HS (63-53), and also then #1 ranked Basha HS (68-67).
I caught my first glimpse of Howard's extreme talent in the big playoff win over North HS, as this young man took the game over down the stretch for his team and carried his team to victory.
Howard would have a nice sophomore campaign - averaging 12.4 points, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals per/outing on the season - helping lead Perry to a strong 21-9 overall record on the season.
The sophomore season would be just the beginning of things to come for this talented young prospect. Howard has continued his strong play this off-season, already turning in a terrific spring performance on the club circuit and thrusting himself into a nice ranking amongst the top point guard prospects in Arizona's superb 2014 class.
While traveling with his club team the Arizona Magic-2014's, coached by Jeff De Laveaga, Howard has impressed many scouts and media as he has helped the team to many tournament wins, including a tournament championship victory at this spring's Double Pump Hoopfest event in California (April 20-22).
Recently, Perry HS head coach Mark Nold decided to resign from the Perry program - accepting a job at Arizona College Prep. As a result, Howard will return next season as the team's top leading returning player, but will play for a new head coach. Howard advised me that he is not concerned who coaches the team, and that he will continue to play as hard as he can and hope to carry his team as far as he can.
Howard will look to continue his strong play this summer, after already taking unofficial recruiting visits to such schools as Columbia and Yale.
"The Columbia trip was great," said Howard. "The campus was amazing and the environment was like nothing on earth. There are a lot of opportunities in New York City."
Howard went on to say, "Yale was terrific. The campus is so beautiful and I loved the coaches. One of the best campuses I have ever seen."
Howard is receiving a lot of division-I interest already as a result of his strong play, and will look to gain much more attention over the next year of his young basketball career.
This young man is an excellent student that carries a 4.1 CUM GPA, and is leaning towards majoring in Computer Technology in college.
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.
Howard is a product of a strong basketball family. His brother Desmond Howard has moved on to play collegiately at Phoenix College, while his younger brother, Markus Howard, is a future stud prospect in Arizona's 2017 class. His father Chuck Howard is a basketball trainer and also the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Grand Canyon University basketball program, while also operating Grand Canyon's Recreation Centerbeing. His mother, Noemi Howard, also works at the school - managing the school's Rex Center.
Look for Howard to continue to climb the player rankings at his position in the class, while returning next high school season to lead his Perry team back to the top of the Division-I standings.
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 - alllowing 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 very good defender with excellent 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, but he has time. 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.
