The early signing period for 2015 recruiting classes has opened today with three high school basketball players eligible to letters of intent with the Cincinnati Bearcats; Justin Jenifer, Tre Scott, and Jacob Evans. Once the ink is dry, the trio will officially be able join the team next season.
With Jenifer, Scott, and Evans signing sometime in the next few days (Jenifer is set to sign tomorrow), Mick Cronin will have wrapped up his 2015 class potentially before playing a minute of the 2014-15 regular season. It effectively will allow him and his staff to get a jump on the 2016 and 2017 recruiting classes months ahead of time instead of getting in face time with undecided players who are waiting to sign in the Spring.
That will in effect give Cincinnati better and better chances of landing more polished, talented recruits in the future. I don’t think anyone has a problem with that.
Below are brief overviews of each future Bearcat.
Justin Jenifer – Full Profile
- Position: Point Guard
- Hometown: Gwynn Oak, MD
- High School: Milford Mill Academy
- Height, Weight: 5’9″, 160 lbs
- Composite Rating: *** – 91
- 247 Sports Rating: **** – 92
- ESPN Rating: **** – 80
- Rivals Rating: ***
- Scout Rating: ***
The point guard clocks in at 5’9″ and 170 lbs but a stocky 170 lbs. Jenifer’s not one to be bullied at the top of the key and while he’s smaller than the ideal floor general, that size more than makes up for it. He also appears to have a solid handle on the ball. Jenifer uses his continuously moving feet, flexible hips, and good hands in tandem to keep a defender on his heels and ever unsure of where he’s going with the basketball. It could just as easily be to the hoop or a pass to an open teammate. That might be the most important feature in his game, the vision to see the best available play to make a bucket. The point guard needs to constantly ride the fine line between shouldering the load of scoring himself and trusting in the players around him to contribute. Jenifer does both well.
Tre Scott – Full Profile
- Position: Forward
- Hometown: Darien, GA
- High School: Mcintosh County Academy
- Composite Rating: *** – 85
- 247 Sports Rating: *** – 87
- ESPN Rating: *** – 78
- Rivals Rating: ***
- Scout Rating: ***
A redshirt is likely in Scott’s future. Even though Jermaine Sanders graduates after this season, Shaq Thomas and Gary Clark, the two guys this freshman would likely battle for playing time in his first year on campus, both return. Overall, Mick Cronin’s 2015-16 squad will be loaded with seniors and you know how much UC’s head coach favors his vets. So Tre Scott will probably ride the pine as a freshman. But it’s not all bad. That extra year off will allow him the time to bulk up in the weight room and learn Cronin’s complicated defensive system at his own pace. In the end, Scott and the Bearcats will be better off with him redshirting next season.
Jacob Evans – Full Profile
- Position: Wing
- Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
- High School: St. Michael The Archangel
- Composite Rating: **** – 94
- 247 Sports Rating: *** – 89
- ESPN Rating: **** – 80
- Rivals Rating: ****
- Scout Rating: ****
Jacob Evans is a three-tool player in the sense that he can drive to the basket and has a solid mid- and long-range shot. He averaged 20.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists his junior year for St. Michael, doing so by being the all around star that coaches dream about. Evans has the athleticism to get inside and force his way to the bucket but I really like the touch he displays beyond the arc and in that no man’s land area just inside the line. The kind of effortless ability to hoist up a 16 foot or longer shot is unusual for a player his size. All it does is add another tool to his game that gives opposing coaches nightmares to game plan against.