Five-star Class of 2020 point guard R.J. Hampton on Thursday trimmed his list of finalists to 5, with Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Memphis and TCU making the cut.
Hampton, a 6-foot-5, 170-pound prospect from Little Elm, Texas, is ranked No. 5 overall in the 2020 class by Rivals.com and is regarded by many recruiting analysts as a “can’t-miss” prospect.
[Hampton recently caught up with Rivals analyst Corey Evans to give his thoughts on his 5 finalists.][1] Of Kansas, the dynamic, play-making point guard said simply, “KU is college basketball. The atmosphere is second to none. Coach Self is a Hall of Famer. They always push for the title and the development, (and) the strength and conditioning program is top-notch. There is a lot to like about Kansas.”
Despite Thursday’s news, Evans said fans should not expect the elite point guard to make a final decision any time soon.
“Like most heavily rated and coveted prospects, Hampton will likely wait until he has a greater grasp of the potential roster makeup of each of his finalists before considering his college destination,” Evans wrote Thursday. “Whichever program he does select (can) expect a do-it-all guard who has evolved into a more-than-solid play-making (guard) who is at his best on the attack.”
Here’s a quick look at what Hampton told Evans about the rest of his finalists:
• Duke – “Coach K is amazing. Year after year, he puts his team in position to win the national championship.”
• Kentucky – “It is Coach Cal and the way that he treats his players. He demands a lot out of you and you have to really work, but he wants nothing but for them to succeed.”
• Memphis – “Playing for one of my idols would be great. Coach Penny (Hardaway) has revived the Memphis program and the staff is next level.”
• TCU – “The TCU program is making strides year after year. Coach (Jamie) Dixon really lets his guards play. They recruit at a high level and the Big 12 is great basketball.”
[1]: https://kansas.rivals.com/news/five-star-junior-rj-hampton-cuts-his-list-to-five
