University of Evansville men's basketball offers scholarship to local eighth grader
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The University of Evansville men's basketball program has offered a scholarship to Helfrich Park Middle School standout Jaylan Mitchell.
Yes, middle school. He's in eighth grade. Class of 2027.
Helfrich Park is a feeder into Reitz High School. The Panthers' boys basketball account tweeted the offer Thursday morning.
Big Shoutout to Jaylen Mitchell, (Helfrich Park Middle School Student Athlete) Jaylen received his first D1 Offer from @UEAthletics_MBB! pic.twitter.com/aTk9EaIpeK
— FJ Reitz Basketball (@ReitzFj) September 1, 2022
Mitchell, a 14-year-old who reportedly stands 6-foot-7, made the move to Evansville from Olney, Illinois, this summer. The Purple Aces are the first Division I team to give him an offer, per his Instagram.
Having already garnered attention in Illinois, some recruiting outlets tabbed Mitchell as one of the top middle school basketball players in the country. He is the latest player to visit UE under new head coach David Ragland, with Hillcrest Prep's Gianni Ferentinos and South Warren's Ty Price joining Sunrise Christian five-star John Bol to make campus appearances.
While it might be considered premature to recruit a middle schooler, it’s not unprecedented.
Most Hoosiers are familiar with the legend of Damon Bailey, who was offered by Indiana’s Bob Knight as a 14-year-old eighth grader in 1986. Knight famously told his assistants that Bailey "is better than any guard we have right now. I don't mean potentially better, I mean better today." Bailey, of course, eventually became the state’s all-time leading scorer in high school boys' basketball.
Maybe this is the start of another legend to revitalize what UE's new athletics leaders consider to be a "sleeping giant" of a program.
More recent early recruitments locally have involved freshmen. Heritage Hills' now-sophomore Trent Sisley was offered by Indiana and Purdue last year before his first high school game. Former Bosse standout JaQuan Lyle also received an IU offer from Tom Crean prior to his freshman season. Reitz graduate Khristian Lander didn’t see his recruitment take off until the summer before his sophomore year, but he was about the same age.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Evansville basketball: UE offers middle school recruit Jaylan Mitchell
