Already ranked as one of the top prospects in his class nationally, 2024 6’2 Jamari Phillips has been backing up his ranking with his tremendous play at Modesto Christian (CA).  Phillips is averaging 23 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, leading the way for his team.  Phillips is also already catching the attention of high-major college coaches all over the country.

Phenom Hoops was able to recently speak to the sophomore star in California, as he speaks about the team’s success and all the latest with his recruitment.


Phenom: How has everything been going overall for you these days and this season?
Phillips: Everything has been great.  This season has been good, we just came back from two losses in St. Louis but that doesn’t stop our motivation as a team to make this run for a state championship.

Phenom: What are your thoughts on this year’s team?
Phillips: Our team is very young with mostly sophomores and juniors but we aren’t fully connected as a team yet, but we will be very soon.  We are all very talented and have the work ethic and heart for this game of basketball, so I think we could go pretty far with who we have.

Phenom: As you mentioned, you are one of several sophomores on the team… How have you seen your team’s improvement over the season so far and what has it been like to step up as a young prospect?
Phillips: Our team has been getting to know our teammates more, like who prefers to shoot a catch and shoot more than an off the dribble shot, who the ballhandlers and playmakers are, who are the best finishers at the rim, and where peoples’ hot spots or comfortable spots to shoot the ball from.  It is good being a younger prospect because you can pick the older player’s brains and people that have been there and done it all, so you could use the information they gave you and bring it to your game or use it.

Phenom: This past summer was a good one for you as far as your recruitment.  You picked up some tremendous offers and really started to take off. What was that moment like when the offers started to come in?
Phillips: It was just more of a wake-up call for me, knowing that the work I’ve been putting in and the way I was playing on the court was being noticed, not just by college coaches but with NBA GM’s and it just gave me another motive to hit that next gear and keep on working and pushing to do better.

Phenom: California was your first offer.  What was that moment like and what has that relationship been like with them so far?
Philips: It was a good feeling, knowing people from my own backyard and my area see what I’ve been working with and putting them on notice.  They are a Pac-12 school.  Coach Francis, Coach Fox, and I all have a pretty good relationship and I’ve gone to two of their games and had my family there with me; they are great people.  

Phenom: Wanted to also ask your thoughts early on a few other schools like Washington State, Texas Tech, US, and Washington?
Phillips: All those schools are great with a great program.  I’ve taken an unofficial with USC and love to take some with the other schools.  They’ve seemed to be on me early in my recruitment process, which is good and their coaching staff have all been great people.

Phenom: What was it like to get that Kansas offer?
Phillips: Kansas is a big “blue blood” program, which is different from the offers I’ve received and it could mean more “blue-bloods” could be looking at me or other schools in their conference. But once again, it shows the work I’ve been putting in is paying off.

Phenom: And wanted to ask you about your latest offer from Illinois?
Phillips: Blessed to receive an offer from there.  A good friend of mine, when I was younger growing up, he played with Dream Vision with my brother at the time, Coleman Hawkins. I talk to him often and ask him about Illinois, how he likes it, and what’s it like. He has been giving me solid feedback and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the coaching staff.

Phenom: What other schools have been showing interest but have yet to offer?
Phillips: Baylor, North Carolina, and UCLA. 

Phenom: Have any spoken to you?
Phillips: Nope, none of that.

Phenom: Do you have any visits set up down the road?
Phillips: I currently have no visits set up yet but I’m most likely going to schedule some with coaches when the time comes.