By JACOB POLACHECK
J.T. Thor, the 6-foot-8 power forward from Norcross (GA), is down to three.
Thor, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 51 overall player in the 2020 class, named Auburn, Oklahoma State and UCLA as his final three schools. His brother Jal broke down each school for ZAGSBLOG Wednesday:
Auburn: “They have been recruiting him hard the last month or two. We went to the Texas A&M game [March 4] and LSU game [Feb. 8]. He loves the atmosphere there. They love their hoops and it’s like a big family vibe. [Bruce] Pearl [has been] telling JT he can come in right away and help. They have nobody on their roster like him, a 6-foot-10 hybrid that can do it all.”
UCLA: “They’ve kinda just been hanging around all year. We love how they play Chris Smith and just depending if he goes to the draft or not, that would be the role JT would fill. He’s a big wing that can really score it. As you see, UCLA really puts the ball in Chris’ hands so that’s kinda what they would do with JT. Plus playing with [Daishen] Nix is huge. We know college is a guard’s game and it’s hard to win and score from JT’s position if you don’t have good guards to initiate offense and draw to be kicked. The point guard spot means a lot.”
Oklahoma State: “OSU is just like family to us. We’ve built a long and very strong relationship with coach [Mike] Boynton. He’s been here through it all. JT and him are really good for one another . He’s really really prioritized JT and with all the seniors gone at OSU, it’s a very good opportunity for JT to showcase his skillset. To play both forward spots is huge for us . Then, obviously having Cade [Cunningham] just makes the games easier. JT played with Cade at camp and that’s kinda what initiated everything between them. They love one another’s game and they compliment each other so it’s a great fit.”
Jal broke down what J.T. is looking for in a school:
“It’s all about that guard play and who JT can play with. We want a great pass first guard,” he said. “OSU has Cade , UCLA has Daishen Nix, who JT grew up with in Alaska, and Auburn has [Sharife] Cooper that has been recruiting JT a little on his own.”
“Whichever schools offers the best role, the best chance to win and opportunity to showcase his full skill set is where he will end up,” Jal said.
Thor has not made a decision on whether or not he will reclassify to the 2021 class.
“It’s pretty much one of those three schools or a situation where he goes back to 2021 and goes prep to pros,” Jal said. “We are balancing options now to wait it all out and should come to a final answer sometime in early May.”
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