By SAM LANCE
CHICAGO — Class of 2023 four-star center JP Estrella will be releasing a top schools list shortly after the conclusion of the UAA finals, he tells ZAGSBLOG.com.
Estrella, the 6-foot-11, 210-pound center from Brewster Academy (NH) and the Middlesex Magic AAU program, currently holds offers from more than 25 different schools. However, the big man named six schools who are currently recruiting him hardest — Tennessee, Duke, Syracuse, Iowa, Kansas and UConn. He gave his thoughts on each of those options:
Tennessee: “They were like my third offer. I’ve had a great relationship with them. I went down on an unofficial a while ago and I loved it. So I went back to do an official, and it was awesome. They loved every aspect of my game. I’ve heard from coach [Justin] Gainey. I have a great relationship with the whole staff.”
Duke: “I have a great relationship with their whole staff too. They started coming in hot and heavy a little while ago. I’m getting down there for an official, trying to check out the campus and see what it’s really all about. I talk with Amile [Jefferson] a lot. I talk with [Jon] Scheyer a lot. Those are the main guys I talk to.”
Syracuse: “I talk to [Adrian] Autry, [Gerry] McNamara and [Jim] Boeheim all the time. They were my first offer so they’ve been recruiting me for a long time now. The relationships have just grown since day one. I’ve been there a couple times for camp, unofficial visits. Now I’m going to go for an official and check it out again.”
Iowa: “I have a great relationship with the whole staff too. Coach [Fran] McCaffery, coach Courtney Eldridge. The biggest thing for me from them is they develop bigs like Luka Garza. So I find it super attractive.”
Kansas: “They started picking up again. I talked to coach [Bill] Self yesterday. I talk to coach [Norm] Roberts all the time. They’ve been talking to me for a while now. Hopefully I get to check out their campus. Great relationships throughout there and you always see their big men doing a great job in the tournament and the season too.”
UConn: “I talk to coach [Dan] Hurley and coach [Tom] Moore all the time. I crack jokes with them a lot. I went to one of the games against Villanova and they won it with a layup. It was the game coach Hurley got ejected. It was a great game though. The energy was just crazy, and you see a lot of big guys coming out of there too.”
Dan Hurley, Norm Roberts and Amile Jefferson were all spotted court side for a few of Estrella’s games at the UAA finals.
Estrella took official visits to Marquette and Tennessee in early June and has dates set with Iowa (July 29) and Duke (July 31). He also plans to officially visit Syracuse. Ideally, Estrella would like to be committed by the start of the Brewster season.
As far as his game goes, Estrella describes himself as a versatile big.
“I can go out and shoot the three,” Estrella said. “I’m good at post moves. I’m good at blocking shots. I’m also very long and super athletic.”
Estrella’s favorite NBA player is Giannis Antetokounmpo and he’s a big fan of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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