Jordan Ash, a 3-star point guard, announced at his high school, St. Joseph (Westchester, IL), Wednesday night that he has committed to Northwestern. Ash picked the Wildcats over offers from Boston College, DePaul, Purdue and Xavier. He is the first player in the class of 2015 to commit to NU.
Three guards (Shooting guard Scott Lindsey and point guards Bryant McIntosh and Johnnie Vassar) will join NU next season as part of a recruiting class ranked 37th in 2014 by 247sports. NU will also have junior point guard Dave Sobolewski, sophomore shooting guard Tre Demps and junior guard JerShon Cobb in its backcourt.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Chicago native was once considered one of the top prospects in Illinois; one writer in 2012 went so far as to mention him in the same breath as Isiah Thomas.
247’s composite rankings peg Ash as the No. 39 point guard in the country. For some perspective, McIntosh is No. 40 and Vassar is No. 46. McIntosh, Vassar and the rest of NU’s 2014 class (forwards Victor Law and Gavin Skelly, guard Scottie Lindsey) reportedly recruited Ash to NU. Looks like their sales pitch was convincing.
Ash will certainly have to compete for minutes in what’s shaping up to be a crowded backcourt. McIntosh, Vassar and Lindsey should compete for playing time as early as next season. Sobolewski will be gone by the time Ash arrives, but Demps, who has blossomed into one of NU’s top scorers, will be a senior.
Coach Chris Collins made waves with his first recruiting class, and in landing Ash, his second is off to a nice start. Here are some video highlights of Ash: