SLO County basketball star signs with Texas university. Here’s where 10 others are headed
Jamar “J.J.” Howard, a 6-foot-5, fleet-footed athlete who plays football and basketball at Mission Prep, said that when it came down to his college decision, he went with what felt right.
Howard, The Tribune’s County Basketball Player of the Year in 2021-22, is among a group of local athletes who have either signed to play college sports at an NCAA school or have verbally committed to a college (see full list below).
In front of family, teammates and friends at the school gym, Howard inked his commitment last Tuesday to play basketball at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), located about 15 miles north of the U.S./Mexico border in Edinburg, Texas.
Howard’s decision comes after he starred as a junior on the hardcourt at Mission Prep last year, averaging 25.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and throwing down spectacular dunks in big games. His career high was a 39-point game versus Atascadero.
Over the summer he played basketball with the AAU team West Coast Elite, appearing on ESPN in a marquee game in Las Vegas where he was able to hold his own against top players in his recruiting class.
“For a young man to come right out of high school and have options to go to Division 1 campuses right away is something special,” said Terrance Harris, Mission Prep’s basketball coach. “We celebrate this as a school and as a community because we have had some young men around here that have gone on to play at the next level, and for our little community to be able to do that, it says something special about what we’ve cultivated here as a basketball community.”
Harris added: “I couldn’t be more excited for J.J. and his family, for him to be taking this next step, not just as an athlete, but most importantly, he’s got an opportunity to get a debt-free education.”
Howard transferred to Mission Prep from a high school in Pacific Grove after his freshman year but didn’t play sophomore year due to COVID, before his breakout junior season.
Harris commended Howard for his worth ethic, competitive drive and joy for the game.
“He loves life and he loves this game,” Harris added. “When I first met him, sometimes that glee and big smile that you see in him, I said, “Man, all right, how competitive is it going to be?” Yeah, make no mistake, he’s a competitor, he wants to win.”
Howard said he was impressed by the UTRGV program, coaches and campus after meeting the head coach, Matt Figger, and visiting the school.
“The coach went to one of my football games (at Mission Prep),” Howard said. “We just developed a really good bond. I went to the campus and I just I fell in love with the school and it just felt like the right thing.”
Howard said that now that he has signed, he can relax and enjoy the remainder of his time at Mission Prep.
“It’s just an amazing program,” Howard said of Mission Prep. “They really teach you well, they teach you how to be a human being first and then how to play basketball as well. All the teachers really helped me with like homework and schoolwork. And I just feel wanted here.”
Howard’s mother, Jessica Smith, said they were impressed with the Texas university and the opportunity.
“The (UTRGV) coach did a really great job recruiting J.J., and he’s an accountability guy,” Smith said. “So the way that he coaches, it’s like every play, every second, every time matters. I think what this school preaches to J.J. and obviously what I’ve always taught him, too, is to do your best at everything you do. So it’s just a great match.”
Mission Prep girls’ basketball star commits
Another Royals star, Emma Boehm, said that she was drawn to Division 3 George Fox University in Newberg, Oreg., for the school’s “amazing, successful history in women’s basketball.”
Boehm said she liked the coaches and program pitch and the university has “a good relationship with student and teacher, which I thought was really cool because I love that here where teachers and students know each other well.”
Boehm, a 5-foot-10 wing who averaged 10 points and 3.3 rebounds as a junior, said she has worked hard on her shooting, basketball IQ, seeing the floor and attacking the hoop, which she feels are her strengths.
“I think it really came down to just the people that are involved (at George Fox),” Boehm said. “The coaches are amazing and obviously super well-versed, but also I just connected really well with the team and players there.”
Boehm said that she’s looking forward to having fun in her senior season at Mission Prep in the Mountain League, and hopes to achieve first-team all-league.
“We moved up leagues, so it’s kind of a new group of people and first-team, all-league, that’s a personal goal I have,” Boehm said. “A lot of my friends who I’ve made through club teams, we’ll be playing against (in Mountain League), which will be really fun.”
Boehm said that it will likely be nerve-racking to play in her first college game but, like high school butterflies, after the first 30 seconds or so, she settles in.
“I think I will probably be nervous my freshman year of college just because it’s a different setting, but the more time I’m there, I’ll grow in that way,” Boehm said.
Here’s a roundup of other SLO County athletes who have committed thus far. If any coaches, parents or players have information on additional high school athlete commits, email Nick Wilson at nwilson@thetribunenews.com.
SLO County athletes commit to NCAA colleges
Sydney Beeman, Atascadero: Holy Cross College at Notre Dame (soccer)
Sierra Anderson, Atascadero: Vanguard (cheer/stunt)
Rachel Gee, Atascadero: Hope International University (cheer/stunt)
Ryan Tayman, Arroyo Grande: Cal Berkeley (baseball)
Elise Flores, Arroyo Grande: Grand Canyon University (women’s soccer)
Bella Gunasayan, Arroyo Grande: Point Loma (golf)
Colby White, Mission Prep: Cal Poly (preferred walk-on in football)
R.J. Esmon, Mission Prep: University of Nevada (football)
Tacey Bivin, Paso Robles: Cal Poly (soccer)
Olivia Wright, Paso Robles: Saint Mary’s (volleyball)
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 9:00 AM.
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