Recruiting Report: Jordan Hairston (2019)
Playing in the DMV area, which is known to produce some of the best basketball talent in the country including this year’s first overall pick in the NBA draft Markelle Fultz, you often play against some of the best competition in the country. However, you can also get lost in the mix, where so many guys in Virginia, DC and Maryland are hyped up at a young age, it’s hard to tell who’s real and who isn’t.
While some were rumbling about Westfield point guard Jordan Hairston, saying he was overhyped after he transferred from Bishop O’Connell back to public school, he’s starting to show that he can get it done with the best of them, starting at the point for a talented Baltimore Basketball Club 16U group that has made waves in their first year on the Adidas Gauntlet.
Hairston had a great year, whether many noticed or not, being named First Team All Conference 12. At least coaches are starting to notice the point guard as well, as his ability to make plays for others, knock down shots and control tempo has had him invited unofficial visits to UMBC, George Mason, University of and UConn. He most recently took an unofficial visit to the University of Richmond, which he says was the first school to call him when division one schools were allowed to call sophomores. He’s also planning to take visits to High Point, Navy and UMES who have all shown a lot of interest.
His ability to be a true point guard is what he believes separates himself from there talented guards in the area.
“Well being a good point guard, I have to think quickly and play with a high IQ,” he said. “I have a lot of talented players around me so I like to put them in the right situation to score and make everyone on my team better.”
One of the biggest things that has helped Hairston in his transition to Team BBC is being under the tutelage of 17U point guard Immanuel Quickley, one of the top ranked lead guards in the country. The local product has instilled a culture of togetherness and family, and he has taken Hairston under his wing to show him the ways of being a high level leader of a talented team.
Hairston’s nonstop work ethic is starting to pay off with division one interest from all over.“The transition has gone really well,” Hairston said about joining a new team. “Everybody has gelled with each other, everybody wants to act as a family, play as a family and be one together.”
One of the best things about Hairston is that he’s ALWAYS in the gym. He’s a workout warrior, who is always working to get better or playing in some kind of structured event to show his skill set and improve in his overall feel.
“I’ve been working on my jump shot, especially my midrange because I know there are taller players and I won’t be able to get to the rack every time,” Hairston noted.
The biggest knock on Hairston is obvious, his size. He’s a little on the short side at about 5’10”, but his father Rodney, who played at George Mason and professionally overseas, says that he was a late grower, and he sees the similarity in his son. Even if he doesn’t grow, Hairston understands what he has to do to negate his size on both ends.
“I have to play with a lot of energy, I have to crash the boards hard, keep my teammates involved and show the coaches I have a high IQ and good feel for the game.”
While he still has time to both grow as a player and improve his stock moving forward, his intelligence both on and off the court shows when you ask him what he’ll be looking for when the time for a decision comes.
“I want to go to a school that puts me in the best situation to be able to better myself and accomplish my dreams both on and off the court.”
If he continues on this path, which should happen because of his incredible work ethic, don’t be surprised to hear Hairston’s name come up in the recruitment of division one schools up and down the east coast.