No. 6-ranked R.J. Hampton to announce college hoops plans bright and early Tuesday
Update: Hampton announced he would sign a pro contract with a team in New Zealand rather than pick a college team. That story is available here.
R.J. Hampton, the No. 6-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2019 according to Rivals.com, will announce his college choice on ESPN’s “Get Up” show at 7:30 a.m. Central time Tuesday, he reported Monday on Twitter.
Hampton, a 6-5 senior point guard from Little Elm (Texas) High School, has a final list of Kansas, Memphis and Texas Tech. At one point, both Duke and Kentucky were also on his list of schools.
His dad, Rod, acknowledged last week on 92.9 FM radio in Memphis that the family also has considered the possibility of R.J. playing professionally in Australia for one season in advance of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Hampton, who attended the KU-Baylor game on March 9 as part of an official visit to KU, on April 30 announced plans to switch from the recruiting Class of 2020 to 2019.
Hampton averaged 32.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists at Little Elm last season. He topped the 50-point mark twice. He scored 41 points for Drive Nation AAU in front of several college coaches — including KU’s Bill Self — at a recent Nike EYBL event in Georgia. He competed in that event before making the decision to reclassify.
“Wherever Hampton does decide, expect an immediate producer in the backcourt,” writes Corey Evans of Rivals.com. “A 6-foot-5 guard with plenty of versatility, Hampton is a light-footed athlete that is best in the open floor but has become even more efficient as a three-level scorer. He can impact the game on the defensive end, too, and is one of the elite few that could catapult Kansas, Memphis or Texas Tech further into national title picture for next season.”
Hampton is a good friend of another KU prospect. Jalen Wilson, a 6-8 senior small forward out of Guyer High in Denton, Texas, who has been released from his Michigan letter of intent following John Beilein’s decision to take the Cleveland Cavaliers’ head coaching position, will visit KU starting Thursday. Wilson, who is ranked No. 47 in the Class of 2019 by Rivals.com, has a list of Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Florida. Michigan remains a possibility.
Prep school coach praises Jankovich
Northfield Mount Hermon School has sent more than 100 basketball players to college teams since John Carroll started coaching at the Massachusetts prep school in 2001.
The latest is Michael Jankovich, a 6-foot-4 guard, who has accepted a invited walk-on spot at Kansas.
“I think a lot of people made a mistake on Michael (in not recruiting him). I think he’s going to be a terrific three-point shooter,” Carroll told The Star in a phone interview. “Being a walk-on, I don’t know how long that status will stick with him. I think he has a really good opportunity to help the team.”
Jankovich, the son of SMU coach and former KU assistant Tim Jankovich, averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game his senior season (2017-18) at Jesuit College Prep School in Dallas. He hit 47 percent of his threes.
He finished with 1,254 points in his three-year career at Jesuit. He was named all-district three years and all region his senior year, one in which the team went 30-6 and reached the Texas Class 6A Elite Eight. He decided to attend prep school for a year and helped NMH win the New England League title in 2018-19. He scored 24 points and grabbed five rebounds in a win over New Hampton Prep on Jan. 25.
“He is a coach’s son,” Carroll said, noting several Patriot League and America East schools were interested in the shooting guard, who hit four or more threes in several games in his high school and prep school career. Several Ivy League schools also reportedly recruited Jankovich.
“What he brings to practice … he is a perfect practice player. There’s a number of times we asked somebody to ‘go to that spot,’ and Michael was already standing there. His enthusiasm, his passion, his energy … one of my parting statements to him was, ‘in the future, whatever you need, whenever you need it, I’m there for you.’ He made an unbelievable impression in our community in a short time (one season). He’s a kid I’ll remember coaching for a long, long time. Whatever I can do to lend a hand to him, I’m doing it,” Carroll added.
Ellis inducted into KSHSAA Hall
Former KU forward Perry Ellis was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame on Saturday at the state high school track meet in Wichita.
Ellis, 25, was a part of four state title basketball team at Wichita Heights. He is the school’s career scoring leader (2,231 points). He was a four-time Kansas Gatorade player of the year and the first player from Kansas to be selected four times to the all-state team. Ellis finished his KU career eighth on the school’s all-time scoring list (1,798 points).
He averaged a 16.9 points per game his senior year (2015-16) and earned consensus second-team All-America honors.
This story was originally published May 27, 2019 at 2:59 PM.