By JACOB POLACHECK
Class of 2022 guard Judah Mintz said Thursday that five schools making him a priority.
Mintz, the 6-foot-3, 165-pound combo guard from Gonzaga College (DC) High School, said late Wednesday that Maryland, Marquette, North Carolina, Seton Hall and Villanova are the schools in contact the most.
He broke down each school:
Maryland: “Of course it’s home and that’s always appealing. They also talked about their school as a whole away from basketball. They went into my game, about how I could be a combo guard, playing the 1 and 2 positions in their system. They basically form their game around guards and they say they would love to have me.”
Seton Hall: “Seton Hall is kind of the same thing. They’re talking about me playing the guard position and of course in a big market in New York. They play around guards. I saw Myles Powell play last year and Quincy McKnight play. It’s a similar type style and they like to get up and down the court in the Big East.”
Villanova: “They’ve been trying to build a relationship on a personal level, as well. We haven’t gone into too much detail on basketball stuff, but I went to their [Hoops Mania] event and the atmosphere was crazy. I’m just looking forward to building the relationship off the court as well as on.”
Marquette: “I’m supposed to be doing a Zoom with them later this week. I talked to coach [Dwyane] Killings a lot from there. We’ve been talking about how I’d fit in their system. They base their system around guards, play in the Big East. They want to win, come out on top and they need good guards to do that. With Markus Howard gone, they’re going to need someone to bring in soon.”
North Carolina: “They play pretty fast. That’s what I like to do. I like to get up and down the court. Of course, the ACC is one of the best conferences in the country, so that’s always a big deal. You want to play against the top competition to get to the next level.”
Among the five, Marquette, Maryland and Seton Hall have offered.
He also holds offers from DePaul, LSU, Florida, Penn State, Georgetown, Wake Forest and George Mason.
Mintz took an unofficial visit to Maryland for their Feb. 29 matchup against Michigan State. The Spartans defeated the Terrapins 78-66.
“I got to see the XFinity Center,” he said. “We took a tour and got to see half of the weight room, not the whole thing. We learned about the history of Maryland, saw former players and it was pretty cool.”
Mintz also visited Villanova on Oct. 5 for their preseason Hoops Mania event.
“I didn’t get to go on a real tour. It was more of a midnight madness preseason thing,” he said. “I walked through a few of their buildings and it looked nice, but I’d like to go on a few more visits and see what their campus looked like.”
Mintz says he’s planning on taking visits to all six schools at some point.
“I’m waiting to be able to do that,” he said. “I’m giving all schools a chance. I’m still early in my recruitment. I have two more years of high school left. I want to take visits and see.
“Of course, it’s really about who wants you and who seems to feel like they need you in their program. That’s going to be a big thing for me moving forward.”
Despite having two years left in high school, Mintz says he’s eyeing a commitment sometime around the start of his senior year.
“I’m not set in stone yet, but I kind of want to be able to do it at least early senior year or before my senior year,” he said. “I’m not set in stone on that. Due to COVID and stuff it’s slower.”
Mintz says he’s looking for schools that fit his style of play.
“Schools that like to get up and down the court and play through their guards,” he said. “Also, an environment that feels like family is also important to me. It reminds me of home, basically.”
According to 247Sports.com, Mintz is ranked as the No. 11 combo guard and No. 76 overall player in the Class of 2022.
Mintz revolves his game around ‘being able to get to the rim, finish through contact and get the mid range jump shot’.
“I can catch and shoot pretty well, too,” he said. “I’m working on expanding my off the dribble shots.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mintz has been unable to participate in any tournaments this summer, but says he’s been working out from home.
During the week, I have three days of strength and conditioning,” he said. “Basketball wise, I’m either in the gym or practicing outside every single day.”
Off the court, Mintz has spent his time playing NBA 2K.
“I used to not even play that much, but now I play,” he said. “2K definitely, playing with my little brother.”
Follow Jacob on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
