Today, Washington Huskies coach has visited five-star 2013 small forward Aaron Gordon, who has the Oregon Ducks, Washington, and the Arizona Wildcats in his top three. California and Stanford are two other teams Gordon is high on, and the Kentucky Wildcats have offered him with John Calipari showing a high amount of interest in Gordon.
The fifth best recruit in the 2013 class, Gordon is the biggest prize in California and on the west coast, with only phenom Jabari Parker beating him out for the top spot among small forwards in the country.
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Sean Miller, Romar, and Coach Cal have all visited Gordon this month, and he actually named the three Pac-12 schools as his leaders on the day Calipari visited him (one day after his visit from Miller). Gordon visited the Golden Bears to start the month and has his first official visit scheduled this month on the 28th; he will be visiting Washington.
Gordon will be visiting the Ducks on the 5th of October, and he will be also visiting the Kansas Jayhawks and Arizona on the 12th and 19th of October respectively. Washington’s in-home visit today with Gordon has been one scheduled for some time, but some UW fans are, surprisingly, worried that the later visit has them losing ground with Gordon.
In any case, Tony Stubblefield is working hard to try and bring the bona fide five-star recruit into the program. The fact that Gordon has us in his top three represents the growing respect for the Ducks program under Dana Altman. It’s exciting to be a fan of Ducks basketball in addition to football, and adding Gordon would be huge for Altman who is criticized by pundits for not being able to bring in elite talent and keep those players.
Last season for Archbishop Mitty, Gordon averaged 23-13 and showed that he is one of the most active forwards in the nation. He crashes the boards, can facilitate the offense with his passing ability, and he does an excellent job of attacking to the rim and is one of the most exciting and explosive players in the country. Gordon has a knack for making highlight reel dunks and blocks, and his finishing is top-notch.
Although he does not have a consistent jumpshot, Gordon’s contagious energy and elite slashing ability more than make up for it. He is a great all-around small forward with the strength to play at the power forward position if asked to, but he is clearly best off at the 3. There is no doubt in my mind that Gordon is the best recruit out west in the 2013 class, and the Oregon Ducks could really turn the tables in the Pac-12 recruiting landscape with a commitment from Gordon.
We’ll see how Romar’s visit with Gordon goes, as this one of the most crucial events for the Washington Huskies recruiting-wise with regards to the 2013 class.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.