One of the best lead guards within the junior class continues to cement his status as a guy that can take over games with his scoring at the basket where his quickness and body control off his feet are second to none. Makai Ashton-Langford, a 6-foot-1 guard out of Cushing Academy, caught up with HoopSeen recently and brought us up to date on a possible reclass option and the two programs standing out in his recruitment.

A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, the junior guard became a pretty well-known recruit last summer playing alongside Wenyen Gabriel, a 6-foot-10 forward headed to Kentucky. Running with the Mass Rivals squad, the duo made the quite the dynamic 1-2 punch along with such others as Ashton-Langford’s teammate at Cushing in Wabissa Bede and UMass signee Chris Baldwin.

Built with a very strong and compact body type that allows for him to take the bump appropriately on the downhill drive to the basket, it is nearly impossible to contain the aggressive junior. He practically gets wherever he wants with the ball in his hands and his finishing prowess within traffic is second to none. He still does have to add more consistency and gain confidence with his perimeter jumper but he has incorporated a nice floater within the mid-range area near the basket.

On the recruiting front, two programs seem to stand out the most with him. “UConn and Providence have really made me a priority,” the New Englander noted.

A possible reclass into the 2016 class is still an option, something that Ashton-Langford spoke briefly on. “I would have to get my last few classes completed before I could qualify for next year,” he told HoopSeen. “If I did get them, my decision probably wouldn’t come until later this year once school gets out.”

Providence is a program that wouldn’t mind having Ashton-Langford in the fall, especially with the pending departure of its All-American guard. “They just are telling me that Kris Dunn is out and that the chance is there for me to step in immediately,” the Cushing guard stated.

The other program heavily in the mix for the top shelf floor general is the UConn Huskies program. While they are bringing in Alterique Gilbert next fall, the system that Kevin Ollie runs leans heavily on small ball lineups in the backcourt, something that is being sold to him. “They just want another guard with Jaylen Adams in the backcourt since they like to run two-guard lineups,” Ashton-Langford said.

Regardless of when Ashton-Langford does come out, it would seem that Providence and UConn stand on solid footing for one of the more explosive lead guards who absolutely flourishes whenever the game speeds up.