Butler Basketball Recruiting: JaKobe Coles commits to the Bulldogs
Butler basketball’s 2020 recruiting class is special. Top 150 power forward JaKobe Coles just became the fifth prospect committed to the Dawgs.
Butler basketball is not often known as an elite recruiting program but the program has experienced an absolutely phenomenal summer. Head coach LaVall Jordan is scorching hot on the recruiting trail as he is looking to mold the future of the program in his image. Over the past few months, the Dawgs have been able to win several high-profile recruiting battles around the country. The most recent addition to Butler’s impressive 2020 recruiting class is JaKobe Coles, a 6-foot-7 power forward out of Texas.
Arguably one of the most polished players in the entire class, Coles was highly sought-after by several strong high-major programs this summer. He brings plenty of size to the table and is remarkably skilled. He can be physical down low, score at all three levels, and showcases elite-level ball-handling and passing for a big man. Coles is ranked as the No. 145 overall prospect in the 2020 class.
Coles already looks prepared to be an impact player at the collegiate level and should be a multi-year starter in the Big East. One of his closest stylistic comparisons might even be to a former Bulldog in Andrew Chrabascz, who was an all-league performer with the program. Coles chose Butler over Texas A&M, TCU, Loyola-Chicago, Minnesota, and Notre Dame.
Over the course of this summer, Coles was a standout performer on the Nike EYBL circuit while playing for Texas Titans. He consistently held down the power forward slot for the team and ran the court alongside other highly-touted prospects such as Cade Cunningham (No. 2) and Greg Brown (No. 8), among others. Coles’ versatile playing style was on display throughout the summer as he ran the break, threw lobs, and operated with efficiency in the halfcourt.
Coles passed the eye test with flying colors and his numbers were also very impressive. The 6-foot-7 rising high school senior posted averages of 13.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game across 18 total contests. While he struggled a bit with his shot from distance (27.8%), Coles still managed to shoot over 50% from the field over the summer.
Even though Coles was not the most highly-rated player on his EYBL team, he simply contributed to winning basketball in just about every way. He constantly made the correct reads with the ball in his hands and rarely forced the issue. Texas Titans might not have won Peach Jam, but they finished the entire summer with a 16-2 record. Coles played 25.8 minutes per game.
Looking ahead to Coles’ role with Butler, it is reasonable to assume that he will be a multi-year starter with the program. He is already extremely polished as a player with the versatility to impact each game in a variety of ways. Coles can be a solid low-post option as a scorer but also showcases the ability to knock down 3-pointers with some consistency. Most importantly, though, he does an incredible job pulling down rebounds and using his playmaking skill to run the break himself.
Coles is joining the best recruiting class in Butler basketball program history and he should be one of the most impactful newcomers. Due to his varied skill set, Coles will fit alongside the rest tremendously well as they look to push the Dawgs to the next level as a program. In the frontcourt, Coach Jordan was also able to secure commitments from do-it-all wing Scooby Johnson (No. 137) and versatile project Myles Wilmoth (No. 290).
Furthermore, the future backcourt is solidified with the additions of elite defender Chuck Harris (No. 149) and standout scorer Myles Tate (No. 109). This group will likely push the pace a bit more in the coming seasons and there is plenty of excitement regarding this recruiting class. All of these recruits bring versatile playing styles to the table and should fit alongside one another. There will be enough shooting, playmaking, and defense in this quintet to carry the Dawgs to some exceptional campaigns in the near future.
Coach Jordan and Co. are putting some special together in Indianapolis and the nation is starting to take notice. Butler’s 2020 recruiting class is currently ranked in the top-10 of the country thanks to its five sensational commitments. While this national ranking will surely drop in the coming months as other programs secure prospects, this will easily go down as the highest-rated class in program history.
It is also important to mention how successful the Dawgs have been in recruiting battles. Butler landed five of its top six targets for this summer and that “hit rate” is particularly impressive. Coach Jordan is doing a great job of narrowing down his list of prospective players and building strong relationships with each of them. That bodes particularly well for the future of the program.
https://twitter.com/jcoles35/status/1180906201820864518
Head coach LaVall Jordan clearly just finished off a superb summer on the recruiting trail and it is also important to mention that the program’s momentum has also already translated into an early local commit from the 2021 class in Jayden Taylor (Unranked).
JaKobe Coles is a sensational addition to finish Butler’s 2020 recruiting class. He is a strong power forward prospect with the ability to immediately make an impact as a freshman. Watch for him to be a starter in the near future while proving to be a difficult matchup for most opponents in the Big East. He is very tough to handle due to his multi-faceted skillset.