Four-star wing Abdur-Rahim is letting his game do the talking
When four-star wing Jabri Abdur-Rahim arrived in Charlottesville last week to participate in NBPA Top 100 Camp, he obviously did so knowing full well college coaches would be in attendance for a day or two.
But it was how Abdur-Rahim measures himself that really drove him, as he continues to look to prove he’s one of the best players the 2020 class.
“I think I’ve been doing pretty well,” he told CavsCorner on Friday, “shooting it pretty well, trying to get really active on defense, and just trying to challenge myself to guard the best players and see what I’ve got and attack the best players.”
This spring, the 6-foot-7 forward has been on the EYBL circuit and it’s a move he said was much in the same vein.
“I just wanted to show that I’m one of the best players in the country,” he explained. “I wanted to go out there and compete on the best circuit and perform at a high level on the best circuit and I feel like I did that.
“I kind of picked up where I left off,” Abdur-Rahim added. “Shooting the ball pretty well, play hard defensively, and stuff like that.”
After scoring a camp-high 17.3 points per game, it appears his recruitment is set to take off. He’s already added offers from Arizona and UCLA this week with more surely to follow.
During camp, Abdur-Rahim was asked specifically about three schools: Michigan, UVa, and Louisville.
“I’ve heard a little bit from them,” he said of the new staff in Ann Arbor. “They’ve been trying to keep in touch with me. Coach (Juwan) Howard and his new staff, they’ve done a pretty good job of keeping touch.
“I want to get a chance to watch them play,” Abdur-Rahim added. “I want to see what they do offensively, see what they do defensively, see their style of play, see what they have. I’m interested to see how it goes next season for them.”
Being that he’s had an offer from the Cavaliers for a couple months now, it’s no surprise Tony Bennett and Co. had been in touch leading up to this event.
“Oh I’ve been hearing a lot from Virginia, “ he said. “They told me while I’m here to take a look at the campus and they see me filling in a pretty big role, like a De’Andre Hunter type role, and they’re always really consistent. I have a pretty good relationship with Coach Bennett so far. So, yeah, everything is good.”
Seeing the Hoos win the National Championship in April will certainly help in recruiting and that's the case with Abdur-Rahim.
“It does a lot,” he said of watching UVa win it all. “You get a chance to see them play a lot of games especially and see them play at the highest level and compete at the highest level and perform really well. So that does a lot. I really enjoyed getting to see what they did in the Final Four and I appreciate them recruiting me.”
Lastly, when asked about Chris Mack and what he’s building at UL, Abdur-Rahim says the message has been very consistent.
“Just come in and be a part of something special,” he said. “Coach Mack and I have talked a little bit and they’re to create something new and special over there.”
As far as what he’s looking for when he weighs the various schools, what seems to matter a great deal is how comfortable he feels.
“Just a place I can go and be me,” Abdur-Rahim said. “A place that’s not going to limit me to one or two things. A place that’s going to let me expand my game and get better at the things I need to work on.”
For now, he’ll keep trying to improve and let the schools that are interested tell him so. There’s no real sign of him slowing things down or making any decision anytime soon.
“Maybe start narrowing some stuff down towards the end of the summer, the fall,” he said.
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