2020 PF Jabari Walker is nearing a decision
Jabari Walker has only recently burst onto the scene as a legitimate 2020 Power-5 recruit.
After a good AAU season last spring and summer and then a solid senior season. He finally started receiving looks from big-time programs.
“I didn't play on that stage (before) and playing (high-level AAU) competition and just proving myself,” Walker said on why he thinks he started to gain more interest. “I think it opened a lot of people's eyes so it started off with (Dream Vision) in the summer and it already had people looking at me and then I just kept going and just kept improving.”
The 6-foot-8, 195-pound forward has gotten bigger, faster and stronger over the last year. He says he’s grown about three inches since last spring.
“I just look like a completely different person over like the last year developing getting stronger and just added more to my game,” Walker said. “So once I did that against high competition I got more looks and started picking up some offers.”
One of the schools giving Walker a lot of attention recently is Colorado. They originally liked him as a 2021 recruit when Walker was considering reclassifying. But circumstances have changed and Colorado now has room to take him as a 2020 recruit.
“I was probably gonna reclass early on and they would be looking at me for 21,” Walker said. “And then I talked to them and they wanted me for 2020 and so then I made the decision not to reclass and just go with what I have. And I think I think I'm ready for college right now, even though I'm a young 17.”
Walker played for the same AAU team, Dream Vision, as Evan Battey and Tyler Bey. Walker is sort of a mix between the two but he sees a lot of himself in Bey, as does the CU coaching staff.
“I was just watching how he plays and he impacts the game all around: on the defensive end, offensive end, rebounding, can stretch the floor can go to the basket. So he could just do it all.”
He has heard from his AAU coaches about what CU has done for Bey's development and that’s one of the reasons CU has become so enticing.
“He came from Dream Vision which is the same AAU team I play for and I don’t think he was always like a big name,” Walker said. “I think he developed late. He wasn’t just a one and done, he had to actually develop. That shows Colorado has a great player development program.”
Walker is unable to take a visit to Colorado until at least April 15 but says that he’s been talking to people that go there and has been doing his research online.
He recently released his top three which involves CU, St. Mary’s and Cal.
“So Cal is a younger program,” Walker said. “They're in a rebuilding process right now. So it could be a great opportunity to be a part of the rebuilding process and turning them into a winning program.”
“And then St. Mary’s, they have a great role for me as well,” Walker said. "Similar to Colorado, they have and NBA guy as well. So I can fill his shoes and try to take after what he was doing. They have a great player development, campus is great. Everything's great there as well.”
Walker would like to take some visits so long as the April 15 date does not get pushed back. If it does, he might be forced to make a decision without visiting.
