'12 KY PG Jaylen Beckham

BearcatAlum1 · 04-08-2010, 10:14 PM

Lexington guard keeps improving
Written by Jim Tirey
March 21, 2010

With the emergence of Darius Miller as an offensive weapon in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky fans in the Bluegrass State have something to beat their chests about that they haven’t had for quite some time. A lot has been said in the past few years about the Commonwealth’s dearth of five-star high school basketball talent. Fans of high school basketball in Kentucky have lit the lamp of hope again.

Looking on the horizon, those fans have plenty of reason to keep that lamp lit. One of the brightest future stars in right in the Wildcats’ backyard, Lexington.

Lexington (KY) Lexington Catholic did not make the Sweet Sixteen this season. The Knights were ousted in the 11th Region tournament, so sophomore guard Jaylen Beckham now looks to a spring and summer filled with doing much of what he did last summer.

“I went down and played with the Kentucky team a lot last summer,” Beckham said, “in between camps. It was up and down, and real fast for me. It gave me a chance to see how they go about practicing. And it really showed me a lot about their offense. I talked with Coach Calipari and the assistants once, and they said they would keep looking at me, and I told him I would keep playing hard.”

When Billy Gillispie was Kentucky’s head coach, and the 6-foot, 180-pound Beckham was a freshman, he was offered by Gillispie. The new staff with John Calipari is reportedly still interested, but they want to evaluate Beckham a little more before reaffirming the offer to play for the Cats.

“I talked to Coach Calipari again just before the season started, and he told me to keep working hard, and that I was doing everything they wanted and liked," Beckham said.

The advantage that Beckham enjoys is that Lexington Catholic’s offense is much like what Calipari is running at Kentucky now. “It’s all about speed,” Beckham explained. “With both programs, we get it out and just go. As John Wall does, and as I try to do, we get the ball from our big man and get down the floor.

“It really helps me out to know that we do the same things that they do, and it really fits my style.”

Something else that Beckham will do again this spring and summer is play AAU ball and travel extensively. “My biggest goal last year was to become a leader, and to fix my attitude, my assist to turnover ratio, and my jump shot. I feel like I’ve improved a whole lot in those areas, but I haven’t accomplished anything. I just want to keep working as hard as I can.”

Beckham is working with a trainer, and constantly trying to improve his perimeter shooting. He hopes to see more improvement on the AAU circuit. College coaches are noticing some kind of improvement, because the list of interest is a long one. Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, LSU, Notre Dame, and others have all contacted him. Depaul, Washington, and Alabama have already tendered scholarship offers.

“I feel like there is a lot of pressure,” Beckham said. “But it is exciting. I don’t want to get the big head, and I want to continue to work hard. Having a couple of offers take some of the pressure off. My coach tells me, though, to keep working hard. Since Kentucky is looking at me, that might push a couple of schools away. They will think that since I am right here, that I might attend that school.”

But Beckham admits to being a Kentucky fan. “All my life,” he said matter-of-factly. “It is a dream to be recruited by them. It is a dream to play at Rupp. I loved playing there last year in the state championships.”

As a member of the class of 2012, he at least has a little while before he has to worry about making a decision.

http://www.kentuckyink.com/index.php...eeps-improving

BearcatAlum1 · 04-13-2010, 09:56 AM

For those interested, here is a list of the top 10 point guards for 2012 (in KY) according to the Louisville Examiner:

#1 Jaylen Beckham

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-9...s-for-20102101

Here is a video that is included:

You Tube

Beckham is the guard that slams home the missed shot. Not bad hops for a 6' guard....

TheLongHaul · 04-13-2010, 10:23 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is the top 10 PG's in KY.

BearcatAlum1 · 04-13-2010, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLongHaul

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is the top 10 PG's in KY.

You are correct. It is not national. I revised my post just for you.

However, expect Beckham to be in the top 150 overall recruits for 2012.

bearcat jeff · 04-18-2010, 09:00 AM

"Speaking of offers, Lexington Catholic guard Jaylen Beckham said he has added an offer from Alabama. He previously had offers from DePaul and Washington.

http://jodydemling.courier-journal.com/

bearcat jeff · 05-12-2010, 03:44 PM

"I try not to get stressed out a lot and focus on getting better and better every tournament," Beckham said recently. "I just want to take my time, keep getting better and wait on making any kind of decisions on college."

http://jodydemling.courier-journal.com/

bearcat jeff · 06-15-2010, 05:34 AM

After playing his first couple of seasons at Lexington (Ky.) Catholic, the six foot tall junior to be is headed east for the rest of high school. In St. Louis, Beckham was one of the top floor generals in camp. A high level athlete with exceptional lateral quickness, he gets into the lane and creates offense for himself and others. Defensively, he's a standout and among the top on the ball defenders we've seen in 2012.

http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...sp?CID=1094268

bearcat jeff · 11-19-2010, 11:26 AM

Former Lexington Catholic (KY) & St. Benedict's (NJ) guard Jaylen Beckham '12 enrolls at Huntington Prep (WV) Friday, per @EvanDanielscout. Maybe Jeremiah Davis can have some influence.

JasonS · 11-19-2010, 12:01 PM

Jeff, do you know if UC has offered Jaylen yet? Last I heard UC has not offered. Obviously there is still plenty of time for that.

psax889906 · 11-19-2010, 03:58 PM

How many scholarships will they have for 2012... just Yancy and Dion correct, assuming Yancy stays put.

11-19-2010, 11:26 AM	#18
bearcat jeff Hoops Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 7,502	Former Lexington Catholic (KY) & St. Benedict's (NJ) guard Jaylen Beckham '12 enrolls at Huntington Prep (WV) Friday, per @EvanDanielscout. Maybe Jeremiah Davis can have some influence. Last edited by bearcat jeff; 11-19-2010 at 11:55 AM.

04-08-2010, 10:14 PM	#11
BearcatAlum1 Elite Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Dayton Posts: 1,008	Lexington guard keeps improving Written by Jim Tirey March 21, 2010 With the emergence of Darius Miller as an offensive weapon in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky fans in the Bluegrass State have something to beat their chests about that they haven’t had for quite some time. A lot has been said in the past few years about the Commonwealth’s dearth of five-star high school basketball talent. Fans of high school basketball in Kentucky have lit the lamp of hope again. Looking on the horizon, those fans have plenty of reason to keep that lamp lit. One of the brightest future stars in right in the Wildcats’ backyard, Lexington. Lexington (KY) Lexington Catholic did not make the Sweet Sixteen this season. The Knights were ousted in the 11th Region tournament, so sophomore guard Jaylen Beckham now looks to a spring and summer filled with doing much of what he did last summer. “I went down and played with the Kentucky team a lot last summer,” Beckham said, “in between camps. It was up and down, and real fast for me. It gave me a chance to see how they go about practicing. And it really showed me a lot about their offense. I talked with Coach Calipari and the assistants once, and they said they would keep looking at me, and I told him I would keep playing hard.” When Billy Gillispie was Kentucky’s head coach, and the 6-foot, 180-pound Beckham was a freshman, he was offered by Gillispie. The new staff with John Calipari is reportedly still interested, but they want to evaluate Beckham a little more before reaffirming the offer to play for the Cats. “I talked to Coach Calipari again just before the season started, and he told me to keep working hard, and that I was doing everything they wanted and liked," Beckham said. The advantage that Beckham enjoys is that Lexington Catholic’s offense is much like what Calipari is running at Kentucky now. “It’s all about speed,” Beckham explained. “With both programs, we get it out and just go. As John Wall does, and as I try to do, we get the ball from our big man and get down the floor. “It really helps me out to know that we do the same things that they do, and it really fits my style.” Something else that Beckham will do again this spring and summer is play AAU ball and travel extensively. “My biggest goal last year was to become a leader, and to fix my attitude, my assist to turnover ratio, and my jump shot. I feel like I’ve improved a whole lot in those areas, but I haven’t accomplished anything. I just want to keep working as hard as I can.” Beckham is working with a trainer, and constantly trying to improve his perimeter shooting. He hopes to see more improvement on the AAU circuit. College coaches are noticing some kind of improvement, because the list of interest is a long one. Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, LSU, Notre Dame, and others have all contacted him. Depaul, Washington, and Alabama have already tendered scholarship offers. “I feel like there is a lot of pressure,” Beckham said. “But it is exciting. I don’t want to get the big head, and I want to continue to work hard. Having a couple of offers take some of the pressure off. My coach tells me, though, to keep working hard. Since Kentucky is looking at me, that might push a couple of schools away. They will think that since I am right here, that I might attend that school.” But Beckham admits to being a Kentucky fan. “All my life,” he said matter-of-factly. “It is a dream to be recruited by them. It is a dream to play at Rupp. I loved playing there last year in the state championships.” As a member of the class of 2012, he at least has a little while before he has to worry about making a decision. http://www.kentuckyink.com/index.php...eeps-improving

04-13-2010, 10:23 AM	#13
TheLongHaul Epic Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 3,036	Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is the top 10 PG's in KY.

04-18-2010, 09:00 AM	#15
bearcat jeff Hoops Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 7,502	"Speaking of offers, Lexington Catholic guard Jaylen Beckham said he has added an offer from Alabama. He previously had offers from DePaul and Washington. http://jodydemling.courier-journal.com/

05-12-2010, 03:44 PM	#16
bearcat jeff Hoops Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 7,502	"I try not to get stressed out a lot and focus on getting better and better every tournament," Beckham said recently. "I just want to take my time, keep getting better and wait on making any kind of decisions on college." http://jodydemling.courier-journal.com/

06-15-2010, 05:34 AM	#17
bearcat jeff Hoops Moderator Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 7,502	After playing his first couple of seasons at Lexington (Ky.) Catholic, the six foot tall junior to be is headed east for the rest of high school. In St. Louis, Beckham was one of the top floor generals in camp. A high level athlete with exceptional lateral quickness, he gets into the lane and creates offense for himself and others. Defensively, he's a standout and among the top on the ball defenders we've seen in 2012. http://basketballrecruiting.rivals.c...sp?CID=1094268

11-19-2010, 12:01 PM	#19
JasonS Football Moderator Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 5,181	Jeff, do you know if UC has offered Jaylen yet? Last I heard UC has not offered. Obviously there is still plenty of time for that.

11-19-2010, 03:58 PM	#20
psax889906 Epic Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Omaha Posts: 1,944	How many scholarships will they have for 2012... just Yancy and Dion correct, assuming Yancy stays put.