Jakhi Howard, a four-star forward for Overtime Elite, will be on Memphis’ campus today for an unofficial visit. The 2024 prospect is a priority target for Penny Hardaway and the Memphis staff in the class of 2024.
The Boston native is ranked as the No. 73 player in the Made Hoops rankings for the 2024 class.
Howard’s Game
Howard is one of the higher-upside wings in his class, and a significant reason for that is his elite athleticism. As arguably the best pure athlete remaining in the high-school ranks, Howard always puts on a mid-air show, and he’s good for at least one highlight-reel dunk each game.
Howard, formerly ranked as a five-star due to this elite trait, fell in the rankings and is now a consensus four-star recruit because of his otherwise raw game. However, since playing for the City Reapers of Overtime Elite, he has developed his overall game. He has showcased intriguing flashes of shot-creation, ball-handling ability and disruptive defense.
He still has some rough edges of his game he needs to smooth out (in particular his shooting consistency). However, Howard’s combination of size, athleticism, length and shot-creation upside is worthy of the five-star bump.
Howard on the EYBL Circuit
Howard has been an eye-opening and standout performer on the EYBL circuit this spring, helping lead his New Heights Lightning team to a 13-4 overall record.
Through 17 games played, Howard has averaged 16.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game in 25.6 minutes per game. He has paired these impressive counting numbers with excellent efficiency, shooting 56.1% from the floor, 37.1% from beyond the arc and 87% from the free throw line.
On the defensive end, he has used his length and athleticism to get out in passing lanes and contest jump shots. He has tallied 18 blocks and 24 steals in these 17 games of action on the circuit.
Where Memphis Stands with Howard
Despite him setting a commitment date for July 29th, no true favorite has emerged in Jakhi Howard’s recruitment.
In October of 2022, Howard released a top eight schools list that did not include Memphis. However, just one month away from his announcement, it does not appear that he has a final school list.
Howard currently holds offers from 22 schools, the most recent coming from Memphis. Other schools of note who have offered the high-flying wing include NC State, UConn and Georgetown.
Following his unofficial visit to Memphis, Howard will take an official visit to UConn on June 20. He also visited NC State for an unofficial visit.
It’s difficult to grasp where Memphis stands with Jakhi Howard. However, it can be said that Penny Hardaway and company are very much in the mix to land his services. If Memphis’ staff can make a strong impression on Howard during his visit, it would go a long way toward their chances of landing the talented wing.
Adding Howard would jumpstart a 2024 recruiting class for Memphis that is hard in pursuit of multiple players. These include five-star wing Naas Cunningham and four-star guard Curtis Givens III.
