Recruiting Report: Jaden Shackelford (2019)
Rising senior shooting guard Jaden Shackelford has established himself as one of the premier scorers in the state of California, but his recent scoring outbursts on the EYBL circuit have raised his stock on the national level.
Shackelford credits his smooth jump shot and ability to hit it from anywhere for the uptick in his recruitment.
“Of course my shot has been working for me the most,” he told Prep Hoops So-Cal. “That’s gotten me pretty far this spring. Obviously I’m trying to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket more. Being a shooter is what sets you apart and how you advance in this game, but all of those other attributes really helped me out.”
Hesperia high school’s effortless scoring guard Jaden Shackelford has upped his recruiting stock this spring.Something else that has helped out the 6-foot-3 scoring machine is testing his basketball skill at the highest level of club competition playing with The Truth on the EYBL circuit.
“Playing on the EYBL circuit has shown me that I can compete with the best of them, but it’s also showed me I have work to do,” Shackelford said. “It’s a high level that has definitely helped my game a lot.”
The parts of the game Shackelford believes he needs the most work on might surprise some people as it has little to do with skill, but instead focuses on how he can improve others around him.
“I think I’m already a good leader, but when I’m around new guys, I need to keep being me and playing my own game,” Shackelford said. “I need to be a complete player and leader at all times.”
The Hesperia high school product holds scholarship offers from UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine, Montana, Long Beach State and San Francisco, but says there are two schools standing out the most as far as level of communication goes.
“I’ve been hearing from Kansas State a lot,” Shackelford said. “UNLV has been on me hard and I’ve been hearing from a whole bunch of other schools. I’m looking for a school that fits my game and uses me the right way. I want to fit not only basketball-wise, but also with the people and academically.