May 4, 2011
Jabari Bird is a 5-star recruit and the No. 2 ranked 2013 prospect in Northern California according to NorCalPreps.com. The Salesian High sophomore led his Pride to a 26-12 forfeited record or 36-2 on the court, while averaging 17 points and 8 rebounds as Salesian advanced to the Division IV state title game.
At 6-foot-6 and 175 pounds, Bird is a national prospect that is being sought after by Arizona, California, Florida International, Oregon, Washington, and Washington State.
As a nationally recruited prospect, Bird has had some initial thoughts about these schools and their conferences.
Pac-12 (Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, and Washington State): Bird says, "I definitely have a lot of respect for those schools and it would be honor to go to any of them. As of now, Washington and Arizona are recruiting me the hardest."
Bird is also being recruited by Florida International, which is coached by former Indiana Hoosier, Isiah Thomas. Bird had these comments about FIU's coach and its program, "It is a real honor to be recruited by an NBA hall of famer and getting that type of attention is real exciting."
For this upcoming summer, Bird plans to work on getting stronger and improving his ball handling. He feels that his overall game always has room for improvement. He will be playing for his Oakland Soldiers 17U Black team.
Oakland Soldiers Coach Ray Thomas says, "Jabari is a scoring machine. He is long and athletic which allows him to score over anyone. He has a great midrange pull up and can shoot a great 3 ball. Off the court, Jabari is a quiet, mild manner, thoughtful kid. He does not have an ego or sense of entitlement. Jabari is a high major talent. He has a chance to be a 5-star top 20 nationally ranked kid by the end of the summer."
Bird's body and basketball skills provide that unique and desired hybrid interior and exterior skill set. He has that Kevin Durant, Lebron James, or Paul Pierce mix of size and ability to ball control. Bird has a good mid-range and pull up game but can also play with his back to the basket.
Bird has much praise for these dominant players. "I view Durant and Pierce as elite scorers who can do it off the dribble from anywhere and pull up or attack the rim," said Bird. "I see James as a do it all guy that just gets it done on both ends. I resemble those players a little when I'm on the top of my game."
The Oakland Soldiers have been part of the Elite Youth Basketball League that is sponsored by Nike. After trips to Virginia and Texas, the Soldiers are 9-1 with an upcoming trip to Los Angeles that will determine if they get invited to Peach Jam in South Carolina later in the summer.
Bird has been a key in the Soldiers hot start with his scoring, rebounding, and defense. With a solid showing in the rest of the summer league events, expect Bird to really be on the national recruiting scene. And then watch for Bird help his Pride make another return trip back to the state title game.
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