Three visits have been finalized for top 100 forward Jalen Bridges.
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Three visits finalized for Jalen Bridges
ByBRIAN SNOW 23 hours ago
One of the more versatile power forwards in the country has taken a big step in moving forward in his recruitment. Four-star prospect
Jalen Bridges has now finalized three visits according to his father Cory Bridges.
Bridges, who is the No. 83 ranked prospect in the industry generated 247Sports Composite Ranking for the class of 2020, has finalized visit dates with Alabama, Miami and Xavier.
"Jalen will be making official visits to Alabama the weekend of September 7, Xavier the weekend of September 14 and Miami the weekend of September 20," Cory Bridges informed 247Sports.
At around 6-foot-8 with excellent length and an improving ability to handle the basketball, Bridges had a very impressive showing on the adidas Gauntlet with Wildcats Select. During the adidas Summer Championships and the adidas Gauntlet Finale, Bridges was a force scoring and rebounding. At first in July he was struggling some with his shot, which is usually his bread and butter as a player, but that picked up in a big way in the middle of July with Wildcats Select, and then again at the NCAA Regional Camp in Champaign, Illinois.
Recently Bridges cut his list to 10 schools, and a further cut down to around five is expected soon. Clearly the three schools that have official visits set will be in that final grouping, and then other programs such as Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Indiana, Texas A&M, USC and Oklahoma State will be vying for the remaining places on his list, and potentially official visits as well.
With his combination of size, athleticism and skill, it was a breakout spring and summer for Bridges who saw his stock soar in the eyes of college coaches. Bridges had the option of moving back into the class of 2019, but he has decided to stay in 2020 in hopes of getting stronger and more experienced so he can be ready to contribute from day one once he gets to college.
Already Bridges has made unofficial visits to Xavier, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. As a native of the Mountaineer State, Bridges grew up a short drive from Morgantown, so he is very familiar with both West Virginia and Pittsburgh.
Look for Bridges to take the visits scheduled, and continue to move toward a decision in that time period. The intention is for Bridges to sign in the early signing period, and have a decision out of the way as he heads into his final season of high school basketball.
Because of his strong play during July, it is possible that Bridges could see a bump in the rankings when they are next updated. None the less, the four-star prospect remains one of the more coveted and versatile prospects in the class, and is the subject of an intense ongoing recruiting battle.
Jalen Bridges is a Small Forward from Fairmont, WV.
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Originally, I saw him as the backup option if Scottie Barnes did not commit to Miami. Given that Scottie is waiting until next year to commit, it may be best to sign him and/or Earl Timberlake so they don't get left out.
I agree with the Crystal ball that he goes to West Virginia but the 25% chance for Miami looks good.
