Jalen Bridges sets visits
Top-100 2020 prospect Jalen Bridges announced that he is down to five schools on Aug. 24, which are Alabama, Indiana, Miami, West Virginia and Xavier. The 6-7 versatile combo forward is long and athletic who is also an excellent finisher at the rim. He is a strong 3-point shooter with a quick release and ever-improving handles. In addition, Bridges can create offense when facing up to the basket and defend multiple positions.
247Sports Composite and 247Sports have Bridges ranked 75th and 67 in the nation. He is ranked 72nd by ESPN and 93rd by Rivals.
Breaking down the five finalist
West Virginia: The Fairmont (WV) native will begin his official visits during Labor Day Weekend in Morgantown. Bridges has taken an unofficial to WVU as well as several other times. The Mountaineers have two 2020 scholarships left after receiving a commitment from 6-9 power forward Isaiah Cottrell (Las Vegas, Nev.). They most definitely could use help at small forward.
Alabama: Like the Mountaineers, the Crimson Tide have made Bridges a priority. Bridges will make an official trip to Sept. 6. Alabama has one scholarship available in 2020 and could use help at both forwards spots.
Xavier: The Muskateers have also made Bridges a priority, and he will take his official visit to the Cincinnati campus on September 13. He has previously taken an unofficial to Xavier.
The Muskateers have three commitments from the 2020 class, including 6-2 three-star-plus point guard Dwon Odom (Alpharetta, Geo.), four-star shooting guard Caleb Wilcher (Plainfield, NJ) and three-star shooting guard Colby Jones (Pinson, Ala.). They currently have no scholarships available for next year.
Miami: The Hurricanes will receive a visit from Bridges on Sept. 20. Miami has also made Bridges a priority, and they could use a small forward. The Hurricanes have four scholarships available in 2020.
Indiana: Bridges will make his final trip to Bloomington for Hoosier Hysteria during the weekend of Oct. 5. Indiana could use depth at both forward positions, but those two positions are not a priority. The Hoosiers have two 2020 commitments in three-star guards Anthony Leal and Trey Galloway, leaving them with two more scholarships left.
Prediction: West Virginia, Miami, and Indiana all have been predicted by 247Sports and Rivals experts as a destination for Bridges. I believe that WVU is probably No. 1 on his list followed by Miami, Indiana, and then Alabama. Xavier is last by a significant margin, I think.