4-Star Northwestern Target Emphasizes Academics, Guard Play in Recruiting

The Wildcats are a potential landing spot for a talented New York shooting guard.

Stepinac's Jasiah Jervis (25) puts up a shot in front of Cardinal Hayes' Trevon Lewis (21) during the CHSAA Class AA basketball championship at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx Feb. 25, 2023. Cardinal Hayes won the game 85-69. Stepinac Vs Hayes Chsaa Basketball Championship | Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Chris Collins and the Northwestern men's basketball staff have been putting in work during the summer recruiting cycle. The 'Cats have offered seven 2026 prospects across the East Coast and the Midwest, and while the program has yet to earn a commitment, Northwestern fans will likely feel very good about their chances to land a big fish after the latest comments from one of Collins' top targets.

Four-star shooting guard Jasiah Jervis, who picked up an offer from the Wildcats in December, revealed details about his recruitment from several major schools in an interview with ZAGSBLOG's Sam Lance and James Madden. Among those was Northwestern, a program whose values align closely with those of the White Plains, New York, native.

"I take pride in my grades," Jervis said. "My parents always say schoolwork first, basketball after... They let their guards play. They trust their guards to do whatever it takes to help them win and they’re a winning program. The Big Ten is one of the best conferences, I would say."

As a university, Northwestern is tied for the sixth-best college in the United States, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report ranking. Jervis has also received an offer from Stanford, U.S. News' fourth-best American college by academics.

From a basketball perspective, Jervis appears to have taken notice of the guard-dominant program that Northwestern has become in recent years. Names like Boo Buie, Chase Audige, Ty Berry, Ryan Langborg and Jalen Leach have manned the Wildcats' backcourt over the past half decade, leading the team to unprecedented success. Northwestern's last three seasons have been the winningest stretch in program history and featured a pair of NCAA Tournament berths.

Jervis, ranked the No. 62 player in the Class of 2026 and the No. 8 shooting guard by 247 Sports, has won three consecutive state titles at Archbishop Stepinac High School and has led the NY Rens to a 10-1 start in this summer's Nike EYBL circuit. In addition to NU and Stanford, Jervis holds offers from schools such as Villanova, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Wake Forest, NC State, California, St. John's and Xavier.

The talented guard is set to take his first official visit to Northwestern on August 1, followed by a trip to Piscataway to visit Rutgers on October 19.