Rivals150 PG Enjoys OU Visit
With the brouhaha of Trae Young’s recruitment behind them, Oklahoma is now able to shift its focus towards the class of 2018.
One of the players they’ve identified early is Rivals150 Grandview (Mo.) point guard Jordan Lathon, who visited Norman this past weekend for OU’s 81-51 victory over Kansas State.
While this was Lathon’s first trip to campus as a recruit, the Missouri native is no stranger to the Sooner State as a one-time member of Young and Michael Porter Jr.'s national champion AAU team Mokan Elite.
“I came down to Oklahoma with Mokan last year to meet Kevin Durant and go to a game. We practiced against the 17-and-under team at Trae's school.”
That stint with Mokan was too short for him to create any close friendships with the current OU five-star commitment.
“Never had a chance to build a relationship with (Young and Porter). After we got back from Oklahoma, I decided to switch teams and play up in the Adidas gauntlet with Team Rush, which is Brandon Rush's AAU team out of Kansas City.”
Lathon was joined on the trip by his parents and the Sooner coaching staff did their best to give the clearest picture of what it's like to be a University of Oklahoma basketball player.
“We watched team shoot around, toured the Academic Assistance Center and Headington Hall. Later met with Bryce Daub, the Director of Athletic Development. Then watched OU versus K-State and met all the coaches and players."
The next day, Lathon and his family were then able to get some more one-on-one time with the coaches, who attempted to paint a picture of how they see the 6-foot-4, 175-pound athletic scorer fitting into their culture.
"Sunday morning we met with coach (Lon) Kruger and (Chris) Crutchfield in Kruger's office. We talked about how Kruger let's his guys play and how they respect him as a coach, which really stood out to me.”
Is that a style that resonates with the Rivals150 point guard?
“Yeah, for sure. I want to play for a coach that let's his guards make plays.”
While Oklahoma has yet to extend a scholarship offer, that may change due to some fortunate proximity of an upcoming conference event.
“They plan on coming to watch me play in the state playoffs when they come (to Kansas City) for the Big 12 tournament.”
It’s still early in the process for Lathon, who currently holds offers from Air Force, Boise State, Butler, Colorado, DePaul, and Tulsa, so he'll take his time the next few months before narrowing his focus.
“I don't have a top list as of now. After the summer I will probably cut my list and set officials.”
However, the Sooners should feel good about the positive impression left on Lathon.
"The coaches showed me a ton of love. I really enjoyed the visit."