NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Profile of 2020 4-star point guard Jalen Terry

Jalen Terry is one of the top point guards in the NCAA Basketball class of 2020. Which teams are in play for his services?

It didn’t take long for the recruitment of 2020 four-star recruit Jalen Terry to heat up once again. Terry, who picked up an offer from Louisville on Oct. 22, will take an official visit to LSU on Oct. 25, per 247Sports’ Evan Daniels.  Daniels added that the 5-11 point guard is also working on setting up a visit to Louisville. Terry recently de-committed from Michigan State (Oct. 24).

While slight in frame, the 160-pound lead guard is speedy and fast. He possesses excellent handles and is a good distributor, although he can be careless with the ball at times. Terry is also capable of knocking down mid-range and 3-point shots, but shooting is an area that he needs to continue to improve upon.

Terry had a strong junior campaign at Mount Morris Beecher high school last year. He compiled 22.5 points to go along with 7.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists to earn Division 3 player of the year honors. Terry followed that up with a strong AAU performance on the Nike EYBL  tour with averages of 17.4 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 caroms.

The Flint (MI) native is a consensus top-20 point guard, as well as one of the best 75 players in the country. He is ranked No. 55 and No. 56 in the class by 247Sports and 247Sports Composite, respectively. Rivals have him rated the highest among the major recruiting services at No. 48. Meanwhile, Terry is situated at  No. 73 in ESPN’s rankings.

Oregon, along with DePaul, Arizona, Missouri, TCU, Ole Miss, Florida State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Michigan, California, Iowa State, Butler, Iowa, and Providence, are the other schools that have expressed interest in Terry.

Here is a look at the potential top suitors for Terry.

LSU: The Tigers will get the first visit from Terry. Coach Will Wade was at Beecher to see Terry last week.LSU has three more scholarships available for 2020 as they already nabbed commitment from 5-11 point guard Jalen Cook (Walker, LA).

The Tigers could use a commitment from Terry. While sophomore Ja’vonte Smart and freshman James Bishop, who was a three-star recruit, as well as Cook are expected to be on the roster next year, Terry should be able to come in and start right away alongside the 6-4 Smart. However, adding a wing and a  big is more of a pressing need for Wade. The Tigers will also get a visit from 2020  three-star center Bradley Ezewiro this weekend.

Iowa State: The Cyclones’ coaching staff was up in Michigan to watch/visit with Terry on Oct. 20. Iowa State already has a pair of commitments from the class of 2020, including one from three-star point guard Jaden Walker (Lawrenceville, GA), and they currently do not have a scholarship available. Although the Cyclones are always looking for more ball-handlers and sophomore Tyrese Haliburton may bolt for the NBA after the season. Terry reportedly is slated to visit the Ames campus on Nov. 9, and the Cyclones were in the mix for him before he selected Michigan State.

Louisville: The Cardinals could use some depth at point guard next year with grad transfer LaMar Kimball exhausting his eligibility after the upcoming season. Junior Darius Perry and freshman David Johnson should still be on the roster. Terry did take an unofficial visit to Louisville back in 2018. Louisville has two commits from the class of 2020, yet they have two more scholarships available.

Oregon: Dana Altman has secured top-five recruiting classes in the last two years, but he has a lot of work do in 2020 as the Ducks have yet to obtain a commitment. They have three scholarships available for next year. Altman sent an assistant coach to visit with Terry on Oct. 22.

Oregon could use some help in the backcourt with senior Payton Prichard graduating in the spring. Junior Chris Duarte and freshman Addison Patterson are expected to back next year though both of them can move over and play the 2.

Michigan: Coach Juwan Howard has been pursuing highly regarded recruits since succeeding John Beilein, and he picked up his first five-star commitment las week, landing 6-10 power forward Isaiah Todd. The Wolverines could need help at point guard with senior Zavier Simpson’s departure next year.  Granted, they should have junior Eli Brooks, sophomore David Dejulius and four-star prospect Zeb Jackson (Maumee, OH), who has verbally committed to the program. Brooks and Dejulius have yet to make much of an impact.

Michigan is expected to have at least two more scholarships available, but the Wolverines are very much involved with fellow 2020 classmates Hunter Dickinson, Moses Moody, Mark Williams, and Nimari Burnett.

Arizona: The Wildcats offered Terry on Oct. 23. The Wildcats have three 2020 scholarships to give away despite having already obtained a commitment from four-star shooting guard Dalen Terry (Tempe, AZ).  Coach Sean Miller really could use to add some wings and bigs in the class as he should have redshirt Brandon Williams, along with Devonaire Doutrive and Nico Mannion, back to man the point. But if Mannion or fellow 2019 five-star recruit Josh Green decides to bolt for the NBA following the season, the Cats could make Terry a priority.

It is way too early to predict where Terry is going to end up at this point. It is believed that he is going to take all five of his allotted visits before making a decision, and more offers are sure to come in. At this point, I would put LSU, Louisville, and Iowa State at the top of the list. I would then put Michigan and Oregon slightly below those three. Arizona, along with Iowa and DePaul, would be in tier three, and then level four would be everyone else. Iowa and DePaul were among the finalist in Terry’s first recruitment go-around.