NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Looking ahead to the top 2020 prospects

R.J. Hampton – Little Elm, TX

CG | 6-foot-4 | 170 lbs | No. 5 overall

R.J. Hampton is listed as a combo guard by most recruiting services and I think he fits that mold quite well – I see him as a shoot-first point. He finishes around the rim extremely well, exhibits strong court vision, has a quick first step, and operates well in the pick-and-roll. He is a relatively strong 3-point shooter and that also allows him to be all the more deadly as a penetrator. Hampton does a great job getting past his initial defender and finishing although he could improve when it comes to finding the open man when help defense commits to his drive.

Hampton is already a relatively strong defender and his size/athleticism will allow him to defend positions 1-through-3 at the collegiate level. He does, though, need to add some strength before really asserting himself on the defensive end. This lack of build also applies offensively as he might struggle against stronger/quicker defenders who can bump him off his drive.

In April 2018, Hampton competed in eight games for Mudiay Elite, averaging 24.6 points (.456/.328/.758), 4.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. There were rumors that Hampton would be reclassifying to the 2019 class but he wrote a blog post explaining his decision to remain in the 2020 class.

It is also important to mention that he has already narrowed down his list of potential schools to just five: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, and TCU.