Eli Boettger | @boettger_eli | 04/10/20
Welcome back to Three Things!
The intention of Three Things is simple: Keeping you informed. The offseason can be a busy time and college basketball isn’t always on everyone’s radars from April to October.
Here’s how it will work: Every morning, Monday through Friday, we will provide you with three things that you need to know from the previous day. Pretty simple, right? You’ll be amazed by your new college basketball wisdom!
Here are the three things you need to know for April 10.
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Jay Scrubb goes pro
Louisville’s massive pickup of grad transfer Carlik Jones on Monday was offset Thursday by the official word that Jay Scrubb, the No. 1 JUCO prospect in America, has negated his commitment to the Cardinals and will instead turn pro. Scrubb is a 6-6 guard out of John A. Logan College and originally committed to the Cardinals over Alabama, Memphis and others.
Scrubb’s announcement isn’t all that surprising after previous indications, but it still leaves a hole in Louisville’s ’20-21 rotation. The player impacted most by the news is David Johnson, who showed positive signs as a freshman and will certainly see a larger role in his second year. The former top-100 recruit started four times and averaged 6.3 points and 2.8 assists per game this past season.
Johnny Juzang picks new school
Johnny Juzang’s freshman season didn’t go exactly as planned. The nation’s No. 34 recruit played sparingly in his first and only campaign with Kentucky, averaging 12.3 minutes per game, struggling from the field, and eventually deciding to transfer at season’s end.
Juzang, unsurprisingly, picked up considerable interest on the transfer market after hitting the portal, and ultimately chose to return back to Los Angeles and play for UCLA in an announcement Thursday. Early rumblings have pointed towards Juzang attempting to get an immediate-eligibility waiver, though there’s no indication that it would be successful.
Bryce Aiken heads home
Another major transfer puzzle piece came into place on Thursday with Harvard graduate Bryce Aiken selecting his new school. After putting out a flier on seemingly every high-level transfer on the market, Kevin Willard and Seton Hall finally landed one in Aiken, the ’18-19 Ivy League player of the year.
The New Jersey product, if healthy, will be a huge boost to the Pirates. Aiken is averaging 16.8 points and 2.7 assists per outing while shooting 34.7 percent from 3-point range over his 65-game career. Due to injuries, Aiken has failed to play more than 18 games in a season since his freshman year. Assuming the 6-foot guard is back to 100 percent, he will pair with Canisius sit-out transfer Takal Molson in another formidable Seton Hall backcourt.
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
Boettger’s content has been featured by Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, FiveThirtyEight, Yahoo Sports, Athletic Director University, Washington Post, Illinois Law Review and Notre Dame Law Review, among other publications. Boettger is also a current USBWA member and Rockin’ 25 voter.