For those of you who want to know who might be the next great contributors for West Coast hoops, check out the new Pac-12 basketball recruiting board for 2013!
Here's how I feel watching Aaron Gordon's high school highlights (video is viewable after the jump).
1) Wow.
2) Drool.
3) More.
If Gordon could just grow a few more inches, he might just be ready to project as the sort of ultra-evolutionary version of Chris Webber with the dunking ability of Blake Griffin--a gifted fullcourt player who can do everything you'd ever want on a basketball court offensively and defensively. He can pass, rebound, block, and score like few can at his level.
Unfortunately, that projection falls apart a bit because Gordon hasn't grown quite yet. He's still at 6'7", which means he can operate just fine as your power forward in high school and in college, but he might struggle at the NBA depending on the team he faces up with. Still, it's hard to see him not being a lottery guy in two years. If he keeps on developing through his senior year and his first year in college, one-and-done seems the likeliest conclusion.
That won't stop him from wrecking in that one year in college though--one only has to look at another fellow 3/4 tweener in Derrick Williams to see how Gordon can dominate in the Pac-12 level.
Williams performed very well at the four position in college at only 6'8". He stretched the floor with his incredible three point shooting, worked off the ball to get open looks.
Gordon can probably end up doing the same.
Only three Pac-12 teams seem like they're really in the running for Gordon--Washington, Arizona and Stanford were listed early as Gordon's top schools . The Huskies seem to be the favorite, as Lorenzo Romar has been on Gordon for quite some time (the relationship is probably similar to the one Ben Howland enjoyed with Shabazz Muhammad). If anyone is going to sneak in there Pac-12 wise, it's probably going to be Arizona. Miller can sell on the fact that he just put a potential one-and-done player similar to Gordon in Williams right in the lottery. Those figure to be the two main players in the game, although Stanford is showing significant interest too.
However, as time goes by, expect Gordon to attract even more attention from all major schools, and you have to think Gordon might take a look at the big programs outside the West Coast.. Gordon is going to cause a lot of problems on the college level for whoever he ends up facing.
Previous basketball recruiting profiles: Jabari Parker | Gordon's recruiting profile on Pacific Takes