After a Grassroots season that saw JJ Matthews jump from a low major prospect to sitting on the mid to high major bubble. Between the April and July months, Matthews picked up sixteen (16) new offers taking his total to over twenty-five (25).
Yesterday the 6’7” 2016 JJ Matthews released his top six schools, James Madison, Towson, Murray State, Old Dominion, Providence, and Temple. Matthews has played in multiple Phenom exposure camps and AAU tournaments and we have enjoyed watching him grow as a player.
For a look into his development, just within the previous four (4) months, take a look at two of our evaluations of him following our events. The first is from the Virginia Top 80, which took place in March. The second was after the David Rose Memorial Day Classic, which took place in May.
After his performance in March’s Virginia Top 80, we wrote, “Matthews came into camp with a good attitude and work ethic. He has a very strong and burly frame that helped him finish well from 15 feet and in. Matthews showed the ability to play good defense off the ball, and he rebounded his area well. As Matthews progresses we would like to see him get his conditioning and ability to see the floor.”
After his performance at the May David Rose Memorial Day Classic, we wrote, “Matthews has a physically mature frame and plays much bigger than his 6’7 listed height. He has excellent footwork in the post and passer friendly hands. Matthews plays with a high motor and is aggressive on the boards on both ends of the court. This past weekend, he was outstanding throughout the tournaments and made his biggest impact in the semi-final and championship game.”
Now that Matthews has narrowed his list, he sees a common theme between these schools that stood out above the rest,“These schools have done the best job as far as building a relationship with me. I fit in well at each school, even if it is for different reasons and roles.”
Matthews mentioned his role at the next level, he seems himself playing a stretch four, “I see myself as a stretch four and I think I am best utilized in that position. I am able to post up, play from the high post, and get to the rim from the wing some.”
Matthews says that now he has narrowed his list to six, he has an open mind going into the process, “I don’t necessarily have a preference of a league or location. I feel they have invested the time in wanting me, now it is just left up to me to work hard when I get there. I do know that I want to major in Business or Sports Management. As of now I plan on taking all five of my visits, but that is not a definite. I have started planning, but it hasn’t all be worked out just yet.”
As we mentioned above, Matthews has played in multiple Phenom events and he has seen the effect of its platform, “The exposure and platform that Phenom Hoops has provided has meant a whole lot. I think it let it be known that I can compete with anybody at any level. It helped me get exposure on a more national level.”
Matthews is a bullishly strong forward. He has dropped around 30 pounds since his high school season, and his motor and conditioning have taken off. Matthews played at a high level in every event he played in this summer, against all types of players. It is a reason why his recruitment took off, and rightfully so.