Turner gives verbal
October 1st, 2008, 12:36 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Mark Heller
Josiah Turner gave a verbal commitment to Arizona State last weekend. He’s expected to become one of the best guards in California by the time he graduates high school in three years.
Sorry there’s been precious little to report on the Arizona State basketball front of late — besides, it’s football season, right? — but another nugget came about this weekend.
Josiah Turner, 15, a sophomore at Sacramento High School, made a verbal commitment to ASU.
Turner played his freshman year of high school at Cordova High in Northern California before transferring to Sacramento High this summer. He averaged 10 points and five assists as a freshman, and coach Derek Swafford said he’ll likely start this winter for a school hoping to return to the state championship game.
“He’s going to be one of the best guards in the state,” Swafford said. “He can pass, move up the court. He’s a great kid who won’t ever talk back. His mother (Doris Ward) and I are both big on discipline.”
ASU assistants first noticed Turner during an Amateur Athletic Union tournament this summer, and Swafford said Turner made a visit to ASU a couple of weeks ago. He cannot sign a letter of intent for at least another year, so a lot can happen by then.
Still, Swafford is confident Turner’s decision would stick.
Sacramento High is expected to continue its run as an elite program in California, and three more years of growth for the 6-foot-1, 165-pound Turner — especially on-court decision making and gaining strength — will only help.
“My players, as long as they graduate, that’s all that counts with me,” said Swafford, who demands a 3.0 GPA from his players. “Then I’ve done my job.”