After surprising everyone at the end of the high school season with his transfer from St. Mary's High School to Hillcrest Prep Academy, 6-foot-10 senior post KJ Hymes surprised everyone again on Wednesday morning when he decided to end his college recruitment much sooner than expected -giving a verbal commitment to a Mountain West basketball program.
It was thought that Hymes would take several visits before making a decision. His sister even told our staff last weekend that he had planned to make his decision late in the spring. But on Wednesday morning, Hymes decided to pull the trigger with the University of Nevada - one of the top mid-major plus programs in the country.
The Nevada staff has always done an excellent job of recruiting the state of Arizona over the years, and it paid off for them in landing Hymes, who had received a large number of offers over the past two years. When it came down to it, Hymes' relationship that he had developed throughout his recruitment with head coach Eric Musselman and associate head coach Johnny Jones made the difference.
Throughout his college recruitment Hymes received a large number of offers from such programs as Michigan, Cal, Virginia, Oklahoma, St. John's, Washington, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Memphis and Grand Canyon.
Hymes will sign a national letter of intent this fall in the month of November. He will also play his senior season for Hillcrest Prep on a national schedule on the Grind Session.
Congratulations to Hymes and his family on this accomplishment. We will continue to follow Hymes while playing for Hillcrest Prep this high school season.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Hymes is a long and skilled prospect that gravitates to the perimeter where he has a solid shooting stroke with range. He looks to be very comfortable on the wing and will develop with maturity and hard work. He also has a good understanding of the post position and has good low-post footwork and moves, which allow him to score inside and out. He is a solid finisher and uses his length to finish plays over defenders, and possesses a good overall feel for the game offensively. Hymes is an active rebounder and shotblocker, but he should develop in both of these two areas over time - especially as he gains much more physical size and strength. His body is still very thin but he has added 15 pounds since his junior season. He should add strength over time with natural maturity and hard work in the weight room. He is a good passer and and has a nice overall feel for the game. Hymes has tremendous upside as a prospect.
