Georgetown Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting

COACHES CALLING JAYLEN BOND OFTEN

Philly-area forward int he class of 2011 having a very productive spring

Back in May, the NBE Basketball Report’s Matt Whitfield was at the IS8 playoffs in NYC when a player caught his eye with East Coast Elite, an upstart program that travelled into the Big Apple from Delaware. After inquiring with east coast high school basketball guru Tom Konchalski, NBE got a crash course on Jaylen Bond, who Konchalski referred to as a ‘definite’ Division 1-A player.

As a sophomore for Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, near Philadelphia, Bond averaged in the neighborhood of 12 points, 9 rebounds and a couple steals, blocks and assists per game for coach Jim Donofrio. The Colonials had a very successful season, winning their Suburban-One conference with a 13-1 record and finishing the season at 25-6, losing to Penn HS in the 4-A state semifinals, 64-56.

Along with fellow big man C.J. Aiken, the 6-foot-7, 205-lb Bond forms one of the most feared post duos in the Northeast. While Aiken, who recently committed to St. Joe’s, is the long, lean and athletic shot-blocker in the paint, Bond is the physically strong and athletic forward that overwhelmes opponents with his brute strength, but his game is more well-rounded than that.

“He possesses a very powerful physique, so it is easy to simply want to anchor him inside,” coach Donofrio told NBE last month. “But, he certainly possesses the natural talent and athleticism to become a combination post/wing player that can score and defend from anywhere on the court.”

With his reputation rising this spring with impressive play in the IS8 league and on the AAU circuit, Bond’s recruiting profile, which has always been strong in his home area of Philadelphia, is also beginning to grow more and more outside his immediate area. Since June 15th marked the first day college coaches could call prospects in the class of 2011, Bond’s phone has been buzzed often.

“Temple, St. Joe’s, Villanova, West Virginia, Florida State, LaSalle, Georgetown, Penn State and a few others called my parents,” Bond told NBE when asked what schools he has heard from this past week.

The number of interested parties is likely to grow as the summer gets going shortly after the Fourth of July as Bond will be competing in the Reebok All-American camp in his home area and also has trips planned with his AAU program to the Peach Jam and Las Vegas where college coaches will be doing additional evaluations.

Current, Bond indicated that Villanova, West Virginia, Florida State and LaSalle were making the biggest impression on him early on. It will be very interesting to see how his list evolves through the summer. We are certainly going to be seeing a lot more of Jaylen Bond this summer and in the future.