By Robert Wilson
Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Seton Hall, Southern Cal, Houston, and Xavier.
Madison-Ridgeland Academy rising senior point guard Josh Hubbard told on3.com Wednesday afternoon that he has narrowed down his list of college choices to those six schools. The 5-foot-11 Hubbard has said he will announce his decision on Sept. 22.
Hubbard has made official visits to Ole Miss and MSU and is expected to visit Seton Hall and Xavier, Jason Hubbard, Josh’s father said Wednesday night.
In addition, Hubbard has Division I offers from Southern Miss, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley State, LSU, Georgetown, Kansas State and New Orleans.
Hubbard gave on3.com a paragraph about each of the six schools.
Ole Miss: “Ole Miss is a program that was one of my first offers and Coach Kermit Davis has been recruiting me since ninth grade.”
Mississippi State: “Coach (Chris) Jans continued my scholarship when he got the job and has great plans for the program and would love for me to be a part of it.”
Southern Cal: “Eric Mobley and Andy Enfield watched me at Peach Jam. Coach Mobley offered me days later after he liked how I performed.”
Seton Hall: “Seton Hall offered me this summer after a game. Coach (Shaheen) Holloway is also the new coach for the program, and he told me he loved my game.”
Xavier: Coach (Sean) Miller is the head coach and reached out to me one day after seeing me at a tournament this summer.”
Houston: “Coach Q (Quannas White) heard about me and we built a relationship since then. As soon as he offered me a scholarship, told me his plans about the program’s future.”
Hubbard – the Priority One Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Boys Basketball Player of the Year – is ranked as the No. 69 overall player and the No. 17 point guard in the country on ESPN’s 2023 Top 100.
Hubbard, who plays with the AAU team from Memphis (Team Thad), was impressive in a tournament in Orlando this summer where college coaches from across the country were there to look at some of the best high school players in the nation.
Hubbard did well against the top-rated player in the country – 6-1 DJ Wagner of Camden, N.J., High and grandson of former NBA player and former All-American at Louisville Milt Wagner and son of former NBA player and former All-American at Memphis Dajuan Wagner. Wagner scored 28 points in 32 minutes while Hubbard had 20 points in 25 minutes. Hubbard was 8 of 10 from the field and 4 of 6 from 3-point range.
Hubbard also outscored 6-1 Edgerrin “Bronny” James, son of NBA star LeBron James, 15 points to 11 points in the tournament in Orlando. James is rated as the No. 56 player overall and No. 14 point guard on the ESPN 2023 Top 100.
Hubbard averaged 17.2 points in 22.7 minutes in four games in the tournament. He shot 53.4 percent from the field (23 of 43), 52.3 percent from 3-point range (11 of 21) and 80 percent from the free throw line (12 of 15). Hubbard averaged 28.8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals and led MRA to a 33-7 record, a MAIS Class 6A state runner-up finish and an Overall semifinal finish this past season. He broke a 42-year-old record when he became the MAIS career scoring leader, finishing the season with 3,233 career points.
