Is Abdur-Rahim Virginia’s Next De’Andre Hunter?

By Scott Ratcliffe

One of the most intriguing prospects in attendance at Top 100 Camp this week is small forward Jabri Abdur-Rahim from Blair Academy in New Jersey. The 6-foot-7, 205-pounder is the son of former No. 3 NBA pick Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who enjoyed a successful 12-year career at the highest level.

Like his father, Jabri can put the ball in the basket. Through four games at camp (the teams have played a pair of games each day, although stats were not kept for Wednesday’s two), Abdur-Rahim is one of the top scorers, averaging 15.8 points a contest.

UVA coach Tony Bennett still has a scholarship to offer for the Class of 2020, and according to Abdur-Rahim, the ‘Hoos have been showing lots of interest.

“They’ve been on me really, really hard, especially these last couple of months,” said Abdur-Rahim. “Obviously I really like how they played in the championship game. They’ve been one of the schools to reach out to me on a more consistent basis, so they’ve just been telling me that I can come in and be an elite defender, and [Bennett] sees me as kind of filling a De’Andre Hunter-type role.

“I talk with Coach Bennett pretty often, there’s a live event in a couple weeks at my school, he says he’s gonna come down and see me, so we talk a lot about my game and about a bunch of other stuff, too.”

His father Shareef is a California alum, and the Golden Bears are doing all they can to reel in another generation of Abdur-Rahim.

“They’ve been in contact a lot,” Abdur-Rahim said, “and basically [Coach Mark Fox] has been saying, ‘Shatter all your dad’s records and come in and continue the legacy at Cal.’”

Michigan was high on Jabri and he had scheduled a visit to Ann Arbor, but cancelled when then-head coach John Beilein left for an NBA job in Cleveland. Beilein’s replacement, former Wolverine star Juwan Howard, is hoping to keep a connection with the young Abdur-Rahim.

“They played against each other [in the NBA], I’m not sure if they have a friendship,” Jabri said when asked about the bond between his dad and Howard.

Along with the ‘Hoos, Golden Bears and Wolverines, several other programs are working to bring Abdur-Rahim in. Among his other suitors are Villanova, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky and Michigan State, along with many others. According to 247sports.com, Abdur-Rahim currently holds offers from more than 30 schools. Throw in the fact that pretty much every coach in the country was in attendance at JPJ to evaluate the Top 100 talent the last two days, and realize that number could continue to grow.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” Abdur-Rahim said of this week at camp. “The top 100 kids in the country, we get to play in front of college coaches and NBA scouts, so it feels really good to be here.”

Abdur-Rahim went on to explain how his hard work continues to pay off, as evidenced by recently putting up some big numbers on the AAU circuit.

“It’s just all the work I’ve been putting in, in the fall with my high school and stuff like that, all the extra reps in the gym,” he said. “I finally got to show what I’m capable of on the circuit and just blessed for the opportunity.”

As a junior at Blair Academy, Abdur-Rahim averaged 17.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, while registering an average of 1.7 blocks and 1 steal per game. At camp, Abdur-Rahim is showing consistency in his shooting, as he’s put up the following numbers over the past few days:

6 for 10 FG (60%), 2 for 4 from 3 (50%)

5 for 11 FG (46%), 3 for 7 from 3 (43%)

5 for 10 FG (50%), 3 for 7 from 3 (43%)

4 for 9 FG (44%), 2 for 3 from 3 (67%)

He was also 13 for 17 (77%) from the free-throw line, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists over those four games, against some of the top talent in the nation.

Not only does Abdur-Rahim value the on-court experience of the camp, but also the behind-the-scenes teaching activities that are passed down through NBA veterans, designed to help the aspiring campers adjust to life in professional basketball, if and when the time comes.

“It’s a blessing,” said Abdur-Rahim. “There’s 30-plus guys who were in a position that I want to be in one day, so I just want to take in as much knowledge as I can. This is definitely something I look forward to every year — it’s easily the camp where I learn the most. They have a bunch of classroom sessions to where we can prepare ourselves for the future and stuff like that, so it’s been great.”

Shareef has been through all of this before, and has given Jabri first-hand tips on how to handle the craziness of being an elite recruit.

“It’s just been to keep my head level, not get too high and not get too low,” said Jabri of his father’s advice. “Just make sure I’m always humble and taking my time and working hard. Just not to not rush anything, take my time with the recruiting process and not make any rash decisions really early, based off impulse or anything.”

The fact that UVA captured it’s first national championship only boosted Abdur-Rahim’s already-respectable impression of the program.

“I always thought highly of Virginia,” he said. “Obviously, winning the national championship helps them with recruits like myself and others, so I paid attention to [the Cavaliers] during the tournament, like I did with other teams, and I really like what they did, for sure.”

Abdur-Rahim says he will likely take an official visit to Charlottesville in the near future.