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Fight On: Former Tucker center picks USC

10, Oct 2013

Fight On: Former Tucker center picks USC

Former Tucker big man Jabari Craig announced on Thursday morning that he will play at Southern Cal in college. The 6-foot-10 native of Canada is currently in prep school at Fishburne Military in Virginia.

Craig averaged a modest 8.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks last season at Tucker High School for James Hartry. Craig played well, at times, during the live evaluation periods for Vidal Massiah's Northern Kings travel program. He also considered Arizona State, Purdue, Ohio State, Louisville, Marquette, Texas and Old Dominion.

"At first, I always wanted to go there," Craig said. "I started looking into the program around 2011. When I first went there I was really looking into the music and arts programs. Ever since the offer came I knew I was going to take it."

Craig attended school in California in 2011, which is how the Trojans became his favorite school. He visited USC in September and his feelings didn't change. Craig was also impressed with new head coach Andy Enfield.

Enfield's playing style played a major role in Craig's decision.

"Away from their degree program, I like to run the court," he said. "I am a runner and that is there style of play. I am a strong believer coach will develop me into a strong post player."

Ther wasn't much Enfield could have done to mess up Craig's visit.

"The only thing that would've messed it up is if the trust wasn't there," he said. "But from the first time we met we just bonded. You know that feeling you get that makes you trust a person, that was the feeling I had about them."

Craig has only been playing basketball for four years, which is why his talents are raw. He used to play soccer, run track and swim and didn't pick up a basketball until hitting a growth spurt at age 12. Despite his raw ability, Craig was invited to Team Canada's training camp. He didn't make the 12-man roster for the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship team but Craig learned a lot from the experience. Nevertheless, the experience was priceless.

"I learned a lot of things that I didn't know," Craig said. "The most important thing I learned is the rest and eating right. They also helped with my player development a lot like creating space and all the fundamentals."

Craig has taken it upon himself to become a student of the game. He has recently started watching video of NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing. He will not say what he's taking away from the Jamacian native and his favorite player but believe this Craig is soaking it in.

"I'm not going to say what I am looking for but I'm really loooking at what he is doing," he said.

While not technically considered a Georgian, Craig is the second player with Peach State roots to commit to Enfield's new USC program. He joins former Rockdale County power forward Darion Clark on the Trojans roster. Clark is sitting out a year after transferring in from Charlotte.

Craig is also the third player committed to USC. He joins 6-foot point guard Jordan McLaughlin from California and 6-foot-9 power forward Malik Price-Martin from Florida. Craig likes the guys he is coming in with but would love to see one more guy join the trio.

"We are missing one more person - Stanley Johnson," he said. "If he comes everything will be A1."

Johnson is a 6-foot-6 small forward from California who has offers from Arizona, Oregon, Kentucky and Florida.

Robert Alfonso, Jr.'s take:

Jabari Craig is an athletic and agile big man who is an imposing figure inside. On the defensive end of the floor he is a rim protector. He has decent hands and will only get better on his finishing moves in the post. Craig also runs the floor well for a player his size and has excellent feet. He is also not afraid to mix it up inside on either end of the floor. His best basketball is ahead of him as he continues to work on his development.


Justin Young
Editor-in-Chief

Justin Young has been the editor-in-chief of HoopSeen.com since 2013. He manages the day-to-day operations on the site and in conjunction with our national and regional events. He was the national basketball editor for Rivals.com and a contributing editor at Yahoo! Sports. Young has been earned numerous awards for his work in sports journalism, including the Georgia Press Association Columnist of the Year. His Justin Young Basketball recruiting service has been in existence since 2002 and worked with over 300 schools from all levels. He is the director of HoopSeen Elite Preview camps and our national Preview camp series. 

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