Prospect Spotlight: Jael Vaughn (2019)
As he heads into his senior season at Herriman, 6-foot 1 point guard Jael Vaughn is eager to show his maturity as a player, and hopes area colleges notice.
Vaughn, currently Utah’s 29th-ranked 2019, has been working this spring and summer on basketball IQ and leadership ability. He’ll have three more months to hone those abilities before he takes the reins as a senior point guard for the Mustangs.
“I’ve been working on strength and speed, and changing speeds. I’ve been working on better decision-making, and playing off screens better. And I’ve been working in the gym just trying to get up shots,” said Vaughn.
He played with Las Vegas Rebels 17U this offseason, and said it was an up and down season. Now, he’ll head into his senior year at Herriman, and thinks his squad could do some big things this winter.
“My junior and sophomore season, being younger, I think I was more selfish. But, now that I’m older and everything, I’m just trying to be a better leader for my team,” said Vaughn.
“We’ve done some really good things this summer, and I think we could really do some damage at the state tournament this year.”
As for his recruitment, Vaughn says he’s spoken with some D2 programs, and that JuCos are coming at him, too.
“I’ve talked to some D2s, and most of the JuCos said that I could come there, said Vaughn.
He says he’d embrace the opportunity to play at the JuCo level, and is ultimately just looking for a place where he can play and thrive.
“As far as recruitment, I’m really just looking for the best option,” said Vaughn. “Wherever I go, I just want to be an impact player.”