What 5-star Springer said about Tigers basketball, Hardaway
EMERSON, Georgia — A broken foot relegated Jaden Springer to spectator status for the Under Armour Association Finals.
Wearing a walking boot Friday at one of the premier annual high school basketball showcases in the country, Springer couldn’t help B Maze Elite, his AAU team, try to win the championship. The 6-foot-4 combo guard, who’s from Charlotte but attends IMG Academy in Florida, could only provide moral support.
But his cell phone has stayed plenty active. In fact, it was positively blowing up Thursday with lots of calls and text messages, with several coming from Memphis.
Springer is rated the No. 11 2020 prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite. He said he talked to Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway, assistant Mike Miller and Tigers freshmen Lester Quinones and Precious Achiuwa on Thursday. "I talk to all of them," Springer said. Last week, Springer announced he was considering Memphis, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Tennessee. He said the first time he heard from the Tigers was “a few months ago” and since then, Hardaway and Miller keep in touch with Springer and his father, Gary Springer Sr.
All five schools can help the five-star achieve his dream of playing in the NBA. He said Memphis is especially attractive because of Hardaway. It also doesn’t hurt that the Tigers assembled the No. 1 recruiting class in the country this year.
“Memphis stood out because they’ve got something big going on,” Springer said. “They got a lot of great players and they’re trying to build something special. Trying to win a national championship.
“I like what they’re doing.”
Although, they weren’t teammates, Springer and Quinones (who played on IMG Academy’s post-grad team last year) are close friends. Quinones has provided Springer with a steady stream of intel and feedback on the program since arriving this summer.
“He really likes Memphis,” Springer said of Quinones. “He said really that everybody’s locked in. He said all his teammates, everybody’s going hard every day. He said he’s been getting a lot better with his game. Said he’s been getting stronger and faster. “He said it really helps you out.” As for visiting Memphis, Springer has not made it to campus yet.
"But I plan on going once school starts up," he said. "I don't have a set date yet. Nothing's really set. But I've got plans to visit each school."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.