Editor’s note: Once per week, from now until the start of the high school season, Prep Hoops Colorado will profile a preseason candidate for our Mr. Colorado Basketball award to be given at the end of the state tournaments in February. Important to note: Just because a player doesn’t appear in a profile, it certainly doesn’t mean he can’t be chose as Mr. Colorado Basketball. Players profiled in the preseason have simply compiled the kind of prep career resumes that makes them intriguing candidates for the award. Today: Justinian Jessup.
(Photo courtesy of Colorado Hometown Weekly)
Heading into his senior year at Longmont, Justinian Jessup is a prime candidate to capture our inaugural Mr. Colorado Basketball award for the same reason he picked up yet another Division I offer Wednesday.
Jessup, whose most recent offer came from Pepperdine, is the definition of a complete player, consistently putting his fingerprints on every inch of the game. He was named the Class 4A player of the year by every Colorado publication last season, and he guided the Trojans to a near perfect season, their only loss coming in the state title game to Air Academy.
Jessup, a lengthy 6-foot-5, 185-pound guard is perhaps the most highly skilled wing player in the state. He nearly always gets to the wear he’s going because of his fundamentally sound ability to pursue the right angles with the ball. He consistently finishes in the lane with a wide array of polished moves and excellent footwork.
Jessup averaged 17.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and an eye-popping 3.2 steals per game last season. His arms are constantly in passing lanes, and he often turns steals into easy offense on the other end with his ability to score in traffic or find teammates.
The smooth left-hander can also light it up in a hurry from behind the arc when he’s not attacking the lane. He knocked down 42 percent (47-of-113) of his 3-point attempts last season.
In addition to the latest offer from Pepperdine, Jessup has also received offers from Davidson, Northern Colorado and mid-major power Northern Iowa.
Jessup, the fifth-ranked player in Prep Hoop Colorado’s 2016 class, is coming off another strong summer with the Colorado Titans and was named to our first All-Grassroots 17U Team.
If Jessup continues to raise his game from his sensational junior season, there could be plenty more big accolades on the way.
Check out Jessup’s highlights here: (We’re still working on uploading Hudl highlights) http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4937784/highlights/250715375/v2
