For Sunnyslope High School's talented and emerging 6-foot-10 senior post Michael Humphrey, the busy business of college recruiting has now taken shape, as Humphrey has narrowed down his long list of college programs now to five college programs. After a busy month of July where the almost unknown post prospect became a household name among division-I college coaches around the country, Humphrey has decided on five college programs that he will take visits to this fall.
I caught up with Humphrey on Saturday evening, and he advised me that he will now make his college decision between UCLA, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and Arizona - in no particular order.
Humphrey told me that he plans to take all five of his official recruiting visits to each school, and has set up the following dates for each program: Vanderbilt (Sep. 7-9), Stanford (September 21-23), Notre Dame (Sep. 28-30), UCLA (October 12-14) and Arizona (October 19th).
Humphrey is currently playing football for his high school program, where he is the team's starting quarterback, so he will plan to take his college visits on a Saturday through Monday this fall, since his football games are held on Fridays.
Humphrey also advised me that he does not have a clear leader at this point, but that he is looking to develop one through his recruiting visits this fall. Humphrey has also been very clear that he wants to go to a college program with strong academics and a good basketball program.
Since leaving the annual Reebok Breakout Camp in Philly, Humphrey saw his college recruitment soar with a large number of college programs extending scholarship offers to the tlaneted post prospect. Humphrey earned more than 30 different division-I offers from college programs in the month of July.
Humphrey would receive scholarship offers from such schools as Louisville, UCLA, Arizona, Indiana,Texas, Notre Dame, Stanford, Cal, Georgetown, Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Iowa, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Miami, Nebraska, Washington State, Vanderbilt, Oregon, USC, Gonzaga, Tulsa, San Diego, San Diego State, Loyola Marymount, PENN, Utah State, Grand Canyon, Nevada, Northern Arizona University, Columbia and Weber State during the month of July and after the Reebok camp.
Humphrey’s games with his club program, the Arizona Magic Elite, during the month of July were a circus as more than a hundred college coaches attended his games, in some cases. What was most impressive, was that head coaches from numerous college programs were in attendance. Such head coaches as Sean Miller (Arizona), Steve Alford (UCLA), Tom Crean (Indiana), John Calipari (Kentucky), Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt), Herb Sendek (Arizona State), John Thompson (Georgetown), Tony Bennett (Virginia), Johnny Dawkins (Stanford), Dana Altman (Oregon), Brian Gregory (Georgia Tech), Dan Majerle (Grand Canyon), Jack Murphy (Northern Arizona), and many others were in attendance for Humphrey’s games.
Humphrey missed the spring evaluation period as a result of an injury to his thumb, but he returned in super fine fashion for his first event of the 2013 off-season – the Pangos All-American Camp held at Cabrillo High School in Los Angeles, CA. In the event, Humphrey would have a coming-out-party, as he would gain serious national attention for his play in the camp. As a result, Humphrey would receive the vote as the camp’s Sleeper of the Event.
In both the Reebok and Pangos camps, Humphrey would block shots, score the basketball in the paint and from the perimeter, run the floor, rebound hard and finish strong around the rim – showcasing his versatility and productive ability to get a lot done.
Humphrey was previously selected as our 2013 Arizona Preps Most Improved Player of the Year. Humphrey developed into one of the state’s most gifted post prospects last season. He was also recently regarded by numerous scouting services as the hottest prospect on the West Coast for the 2014 class.
Humphrey is also an impressive student and carries a 4.6 CUM GPA. Humphrey has never finished with less than an A grade since entering high school. An impressive student-athlete with loads of potential.
Arizona Hoop Review Scouting Report: Humphrey has developed into a long, athletic and very skilled low post talent that is capable of scoring from almost anywhere on the floor. Humphrey has grown physically a full 3 inches over the past year of high school – an intriguing attribute which shows that he is still growing a great deal. His fluidity as a player is most intriguing as he is able to make plays from the post or from the wing position, and out to three-point distance. Humphrey possesses a sweet shooting stroke with a soft touch and also has nice footwork inside the painted area, where he also has a nice jump hook and gets off the floor quite easily. Humphrey dunks the basketball with ease and is able to finish strong over defenders in the paint, an aspect of his game that will only continue to strengthen for him as he adds more size and strength to his thin frame. Humphrey is also an excellent shot blocker with excellent length and very good timing. He keeps balls in play and is capable of playing much bigger than his size suggests. He also runs the floor like a guard and is a very good finisher in transition. As a member of the state’s very loaded 2014 junior class, Humphrey is one prospect that has flown well below the recruiting radar until now. Look for Humphrey to continue to develop a great deal over the next several years as he matures. Humphrey is such a great kid with an infectious smile and a humble attitude that you want him to do well. In an age where so many kids have a ridiculous sense of entitlement, Humphrey is the exception. His sheer improvement as a player has come from his hard work and dedication to the game of basketball. He does not cheat the sport with a lack of intensity and selfishness, but rather plays hard and seems to always be enjoying his craft.
