The state’s No. 1 basketball prospect surprised some people when he committed on the spot to Missouri during a visit this past weekend.
Jakeenan Gant, a 6-foot-8, 200-pounder from Effingham County High School and the AAU’s Southern Stampede, committed to Missouri over 15 other college scholarship offers, including Georgia Tech, UGA, national champion Louisville, Florida State, Miami and Alabama.
It was partly a surprise because the 4-star power forward hadn’t really talked that much previously about how serious he was about Missouri, which seemingly came out of nowhere to secure the grand prize of Georgia.
But it was mostly a stunner because Gant committed on the spot during his first recruiting trip – with giving competing schools a chance.
And, in the aftermath of Gant’s commitment, what is causing the most commotion in basketball circles is the rumor that the state’s No. 2 prospect, Ahmed Hill of Aquinas high school, might follow Gant to Missouri as part of a package deal.
Here’s a Q&A with Effingham County coach Donnie Arrington from Tuesday:
How did Missouri win the sweepstakes for Jakeenan Gant? “He just had a great visit there. He kind of said that in some of the local papers. He just felt like it was a great fit for him with their style of play, and a great fit as far as feeling comfortable with the coaches. He just really enjoyed the campus. He looked at some tape, and got an idea on how he would be able to play for them and where he would fit. Some of the things they do offensively, they are sort of Jakeenan’s strengths. I thought he might have taken another visit before committing, and think he felt like he might. But he felt good about (Missouri while visiting), went ahead, and pulled the trigger.
As his coach, were you surprised Gant committed to Missouri on the spot? “I guess, in a way, I was. But they felt great about Missouri. We talked about it and he did not have another visit set up. There were a lot of guys who were competing for position to set up a visit. He just felt good about Missouri. I think anytime when you commit right off the bat on the first official visit when you’ve got a number of them, it’s a little surprising. Anyways, it felt good to (Gant). If you feel good, why take a second visit?”
Which other colleges were being considered by Gant for official visits? “We had nothing else set up definitely. But some of the names, you’ve probably heard. A bunch of those guys wanted him to take a visit. But he did not have another visit set up. The Missouri trip was all he had set up. I know he talked to Miami about a possible visit but that was in the works and there was not anything set up. Of course, the state schools, Georgia Tech and Georgia, did a great job recruiting him. Florida State, Cincinnati, and Alabama did a great job with recruiting him as well. It was just that Jakeenan felt like Missouri was the better fit.”
Some people feel like Missouri came out of nowhere to land Gant? Is that accurate or not? “I don’t know if that’s exactly true. They were one of the people that had been to our school. They’ve been there, and especially came on toward the latter part of our season (last year) and during the summer AAU season. They were in the picture. I don’t know. Some other guys were in the picture, too. They (Missouri) were not the first ones in. How about that?”
Do you think Gant will take any more official visits or is he finished with recruiting? “Talking to him today, I think he’s done. But I’m not certain. Things change, I guess. But as of right now, I think he’s done. He feels good about Missouri. His family feels good about Missouri. And I think they feel really good. It’s early but something like this allows him to concentrate on his senior year, his academics, our season and trying to get better. It took some pressure off. I know the whole recruiting grind was wearing on him a little bit. When you can do something early, it kind of helps take some of the pressure off things.
How big of a role did Missouri joining the SEC play into his decision? “I think that makes a big difference, knowing that they will be back over this way at least some during his career there. South Carolina is the closest SEC school to us, and Georgia and Florida are not far away. I think it makes a big difference in this part of the country with the SEC legitimacy in the South. I think that’s big.”
Gant was on the wishlist of both Georgia Tech and UGA. How did they take the news? “They’re absolutely disappointed I’m sure, but they’ve been classy and congratulatory toward the kid. They both have done a great job of recruiting him. I can’t say anything but good things about each school and their staff. I’ve got an opportunity to talk to those guys a great deal over the last few years, and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. I know Jakeenan does, too. For whatever reason, he just felt like Missouri was a better fit.”
What about the rumors that Gant and state’s No. 2 prospect (Ahmed Hill) are a package deal to college? “Yes, I’ve heard that, too. And I know (Gant) has said that they would love to play together. Who knows with what is going to happen with Ahmed’s recruitment? In talking with Jakeenan, I know they are close friends. In a perfect world, they would love to play together in college.”
Some elite recruits commit early but wait until the late period to sign to see if there are any coaching changes. Will Gant sign in the November early period or will he wait until after his senior season? “He talked about signing early, but this was before the commitment. He kind of just left it open to if it worked out and he committed early, he would sign early. But if not, that would be fine and he would sign later. I haven’t even asked him or his mom whether they would sign early. I would think that they probably would sign early, but I don’t know. They haven’t told me “Hey, we’d like to wait.’ Nobody has told me that.”
In BYU, Georgia Tech will face a defense that is one of the toughest in the nation to score against and has a playmaking force in outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Tailback J.J. Green said he can’t say for sure how many times he has heard “you’re one play away from playing” from Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
Here is a clue that your trip to sunny south Florida may not be a carefree vacation: You’re a football team, and you lose one of your starters during warm-ups.
If nothing else, Georgia has ensured at least one thing about its season. Regardless of where the rest of the schedule takes them, whether its to an SEC championship, a BCS bowl bid or a national title, there will be no claims from outsiders that this team received too many breaks and escaped health issues, no suggestions that the road to success was lined with lollipops and unicorns.
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