Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
6-foot-4 shooting guard Jahmai Mashack adds three offers
By JACOB POLACHECK
Jahmai Mashack has had quite the week.
It all started on Tuesday, when Mashack picked up an offer from Utah.
“They really believe in my game,” Mashack said of the Utes. “They really pitched that if I go there, I’m going to play right away.”
“They love my toughness, they love my defense, they love that I have a high floor and ceiling and they love that I can become a great player,” he said. “They love to develop players and that’s really important to me.”
The next day, Mashack picked up a couple offers, the first coming from Colorado.
“Colorado is really based on toughness and the freedom of their players,” Mashack said. “That’s really important to me.”
Mashack is also impressed by Colorado’s coaching staff, led by head coach Tad Boyle.
“I’ve talked to their assistant coach ever since my sophomore year,” Mashack said. “Their head coach came along and he’s been a great person to talk to.”
Mashack broke down Colorado’s pitch:
“They’ve just been saying that they really believe in my skill, they are really sold on me and if I go there I’ll be ready to play,” he said. “That really sells me as far as Colorado goes.”
Oklahoma came next, also offering Mashack on Wednesday.
Oklahoma is the latest to offer four-star junior Jahmai Mashack (@jahmaiM)
“Oklahoma is one of the schools that loves my defense but has also seen some of my offensive side,” Mashack said. “At my high school, I had to play wherever they needed and guarded the one through five positions depending on our opponent.”
“Oklahoma came to a practice and saw me playing more of my natural position,” he said. “They’ve called every day since then.”
Mashack broke down Oklahoma’s pitch:
“They are pitching player development, great coaching with a tournament history and the ability to play my game without limits,” he said.
Outside of his recent offers, Mashack is also receiving interest from schools such as UCLA, California, Oregon State, Gonzaga, Texas Tech, Florida State and Kansas, among others.
Mashack has no timetable for a commitment, but emphasized playing time freshman year as a key factor in his decision.
“It’s not the most important thing in the world, but that is something that I will want in a school,” Mashack said. “I want a school that wants to play defense and is tough.”
“Also, I love schools that focus on player development,” he said. ” Player development is definitely one thing that I strongly consider in a college, being able to work on my game and improve during the season to become the best player I can be.”
At 6-foot-4, 180-pounds, Mashack is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 81 overall player in the Class of 2021 and the No. 4 player from the state of California.
“I really base my game off of being a two-way player,” Mashack said. “I want to go out there and be a hustle guy and at the same time play good defense. I can score, pass and rebound. I really feel like I’m a player that’s unselfish and willing to do anything for the team to win.”
Normally, Mashack would be preparing for AAU ball during this time of year, but given the recent coronavirus pandemic, like many others he is staying home.
“I know it’s a tough time for everybody during this pandemic,” he said. ” I’ve really just been spending time with my family and getting my mind off of other things.”
In the meantime, Mashack has been training from home.
“I start in the morning, running two miles,” Mashack said. “Later on, about an hour or so after I run, I go out and shoot on the court that my dad got me, getting shots in from different locations.”
“Thirty minutes after that, I go in, get two balls, get some gloves and I work on my ball handling for an hour before shooting around again,” he said. “To end it off, I usually work on my body, doing push ups, pull ups, dips, ab workouts and then ending the day with stretching, getting a lot more flexible.”
Off the court, Mashack has also been staying busy.
“Sometimes I’ll play video games just to have fun with my friends online and through social media,” Mashack said. “I’ll also work on homework and other things to occupy my time.”
Photo: Rivals
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