Gamecocks getting serious consideration from North Carolina 7-footer
Jonas Aidoo, a 7-foot center from Durham, NC who attends school in Charlotte, has been one of the big risers in the basketball recruiting world because of his performances over the summer and in the early fall. He has climbed to four-star status in the 247Sports Composite and is ranked the No. 20 center nationally and the No. 4 prospect in North Carolina for the 2021 class.
Clemson and South Carolina made offers to him during the summer. Clemson has fallen by the wayside with him but USC is still a player. Aidoo plans to announce his top 10 on Friday and the Gamecocks look good for a spot on his list.
“I feel comfortable with them and I’m seriously considering them,” Aidoo said of the relationship he’s built with the Gamecocks through assistant coach Will Bailey. “We talk on like an everyday basis, just checking up on me, giving me tips and stuff like that. He tells me how he sees me there, they need me and would love to coach me and and how he would develop me.”
Aidoo has plenty of other major offers including Kansas, Tennessee, Providence, Virginia Tech, Houston, Wichita State, Marquette, Alabama, Miami, VCU, Rutgers, Georgia, Wake Forest, NC State and St. John’s. He has a short list of what he’s looking for in that right place.
“A family environment, a place I know I can go and make an impact and get better and learn the mental and physical part of the game,” Aidoo said. Along with USC, he said he’s also hearing a lot from Ole Miss, Georgia, Providence, Marquette, Kansas, Tennessee, Miami and Pitt.
Aidoo played for Voyager Academy in Durham the past two seasons. He originally was in the 2020 class but reclassified for 2021 and transferred to Liberty Heights Athletic Institute in Charlotte.
According to MaxPreps states, in 25 career games, Aidoo has averaged nine points per game. Last season he also averaged six rebounds per game.
Notes:
▪ Orlando 2022 wide receiver C.J. Smith (6-foot-2, 175 pounds) was offered by South Carolina. He also has offers from FIU, Tennessee-Martin and UCF. Smith also is a track standout and was ranked fifth in the nation in the 2022 class in the 200 meters in the indoor season. He has competed at an indoor track event at USC in January. This season Smith has 23 catches for 361 yards and four touchdowns.
▪ The Gamecocks offered 2023 wide receiver Jalen Brown (6-foot, 155 pounds) of Miami. He also has offers from Tennessee, Georgia, West Virginia, Florida State, Penn State, Nebraska, Louisville, Coastal Carolina and Syracuse. He’s also a track standout in the 200 meters. Brown is rated a four-star by 247Sports and ranked the No. 3 receiver prospect in the country in the class. Last season he caught 15 passes for 426 yards and three touchdowns.
▪ Greer 2022 wide receiver Jaleel Skinner plans to name his top 12 on Friday. He has offers from South Carolina and Clemson among many others. At 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Skinner could be a tight end in college. Some of his other offers are Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Penn State, Florida, Tennessee, Wake Forest, Michigan, Georgia, LSU, Oregon, Duke, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Miami.