Top-40 junior Jaeden Mustaf talks recruitment, upcoming visits
It’s been quite the year for Top-40 junior and Bowie, Maryland native, Jaeden Mustaf.
After a successful junior season, averaging 18.5 points per game, along with five rebounds and three assists, Mustaf was able to prove his worth all season long.
Mustaf’s emergence began far before his junior season started.
Last year, he completed the AAU summer with an Adidas 3SSB championship win, in addition, to the tournament's MVP award. On top of that, Mustaf is a D.C Metro-Area-raised kid, the talent bred from that area speaks for itself. His father was also in the NBA and attended Maryland, but it’s evident to me that Mustaf has already cemented his own legacy before even touching an NBA floor.
His recruitment has been a strong reflection of just why he’s so highly-touted. He’s nabbed offers from schools in all different conferences, most recently adding a Big East offer from Seton Hall. I believe Mustaf will remain on an uptick, as I feel he’s a five-star prospect and will show it all summer long.
Now, to the nitty gritty. Mustaf joined Stockrisers.com during its re-launch to discuss his recruitment, including two scheduled official visits.
Which schools are heavily involved?
Mustaf: “Virginia Tech, Indiana, Maryland, NC State, Miami, and Florida State are all involved heavily.”
Any new schools?
Mustaf: “ Seton Hall recently offered but not really anyone other than that.”
Indiana, what are your thoughts on Coach Woodson, and what he’s building over at IU?
Mustaf: “I love the coaching staff at Indiana. I think I could really see myself fitting in there with them. They had Jalen Hood-Schifano this past year, as a freshman he went in and lead the team and is now going to be a first-rounder. He and I are very similar, so it shows I can come in and work hard to do the same things and get some wins.”
Miami, what’s their pitch to you and thoughts on their guard play and how you’d fit with them?
Mustaf: “I think I’d fit great there as well. They play through their guards and they have success in doing that. They win and they develop their players and also love to recruit players from my area, so I think it would be a great spot.”
How about your thoughts on NC State and Kevin Keatts?
Mustaf: “I love Coach Keatts and the staff at NCSU. I live down there now so my family is very close, they also play through their guards and they know how to develop and get players to the next level. We talk all the time and they also have Paul McNeil committed and he’s recruiting me. And, you can’t have two bigger rivals than what they have in UNC and Duke.”
Visits, have you got anything planned for the summer?
Mustaf: “Yes, I will be visiting NC State officially on June 4th and Indiana on June 8th. I still have to set up visits with the other schools too. I will try to set those up sometime this summer.”
How would you best break down your game?
Mustaf: “I would say I am a competitor, a winner, and I can get my teammates involved. I also can score and lead, and on defense, I pride myself on getting stops and helping my team get stops.”
Finally, have you discussed a possible commitment timeline?
Mustaf: “I think I want to commit once I visit all of the schools, so sometime in Late-July, August, or September, around those three months.”