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Although we have just finished our class of 2015 (Which technically still isn't finished either with Davon Dillard's situation), Cal is on the recruiting trail for our 2016 class. As of right now we do not have a need for any specific position but with potentially losing up to 4 players, Coach Martin need players across the board to fill in the departing talent. A good starting point would be SF Vance Jackson.
Here is your basic info:
Name: Vance Jackson
Position: SF/PF
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 215 lbs
High School: St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA)
AAU: Belmont Shore
Rating: 4-Stars (ESPN #34, Scout #44, Rivals #30)
Considering: Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, UConn, UCLA, USC, Washington, UNLV
It's still a long ways a way but Vance Jackson is one of our most sought after recruits. Arguably the best pure shooter in the 2016 Class, Vance could be a jump shooting 3 or a natural stretch 4. He's currently considering a group of top notch basketball programs, but his commitment could go a long way. There is no favorite currently, but we'll know more in a few months after the summer AAU circuit and start of High School Basketball season. Let's see what he would bring if he were to choose Cal.
Strengths:
- Jump Shooting - This kid can shoot from anywhere and everywhere. His range is outstanding but the greatest attribute of his shooting is his ability to shoot from any setup. Off the bounce, off a screen, catch and shoot, pick and pop, Vance Jackson has the ability to shoot the ball in any situation. His feet are always set and squared up. But he also jumps straight up on his jumpers. Many prospects tend to shoot either leaning (draw a foul) or fading away (to create space). His upside his extremely high if he can build his game around his shooting, and that leads to his second strength.
- Decision Making - Vance Jackson is extremely adept at making sure he makes the right play. From making dump off passes from pump fakes to shooting from the post on a smaller defender to making a cross court skip pass out of a full drive. He has a high basketball IQ and can slow the game down for himself. He still does force a few shots out of the post or on a drive but that will change with more maturity and experience.
Weakness:
- Play-making Ability - If Vance can add this aspect to his game, he could elevate his offense to another level. As stated in his strengths, he can shoot the lights out and make the right decisions, but if he could be aggressive in balancing out finding open teammates and shooting the ball himself, he should be a match up nightmare at his position and size. His decision making is great, but if he could look to be more aggressive and find teammates in more creative ways, he would be able to keep entire team defenses more honest against his play.
- Body Strength - This is hard to ask a 17 year old to change quickly, but some time in the weight room to give him some muscle to throw at defenders in the post will help him out. At Vance's size he needs to be able to battle in the paint from time to time and will need more strength to battle with the bigger and stronger bodies of the NCAA. Hitting the weights sometimes throws off jump shooters and their form, so we'll see how much he can bulk up during his senior year and if not, when he spends his first off season work out in college.