Vaughan decommits from ODU
Patrick Hite, Staunton News LeaderPublished 1:33 p.m. ET Oct. 29, 2018
Last October, Jarvis Vaughan verbally committed to play basketball at Old Dominion University. This October he changed his mind.
The former Robert E. Lee star, who helped lead the team to back-to-back state championship appearances and a state title in 2017, confirmed that he has taken his verbal commitment off the table and is opening up his recruiting again.
The News Leader's All-City/County Player of the Year last season is currently attending Massanutten Military Academy where he's playing for the postgraduate team. It was a decision he and the Old Dominion coaches thought was best for him, especially after it looked like he would redshirt if he started at ODU this year.
But the danger for Old Dominion in letting Vaughan play at a postgrad program was that he might change his mind about coming to Norfolk. That's exactly what happened.
Earlier this year, during workouts in the Massanutten Military gym, coaches from a lot of colleges were there to watch the players. Vaughan had a chance to talk to a few and was encouraged by what he heard.
"It just kind of opened my eyes to reality," Vaughan said. "Like, I'm here, why not make the best of it?"
Vaughan averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a game last season. He was at 16.6 points and 8.7 rebounds in his junior season at Lee, the year he really landed on the radar for a lot of colleges.
Vaughan was clear that his decision wasn't meant as a negative toward ODU. He still thinks it's a great school and has respect for the coaches. But he thought he owed it to himself to see what other options were available.
"For me, it's four years of college that I'm going to have to live and that I'm going to have to go through and it's a team I'm going to have to be comfortable with for the next four years," Vaughan said. "I just felt like it was in my best interest."
He's already received a new offer from Monmouth University in New Jersey, according to Vaughan. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school is coached by former North Carolina point guard King Rice.
Vaughan also said he has offers on the table from James Madison University and Radford. There are other schools he has heard from, including Appalachian State, who he said was very interested.
Massanutten's season began Saturday at home in Woodstock against S4G Academy. The team also played two exhibition games, including one against Oak Hill Academy. Vaughan scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds in a loss to Oak Hill.
"It brought a lot of clout to my recruiting," he said of his performance against Oak Hill.
Massanutten plays Prestige Prep in Woodstock Saturday at 3 p.m.
Patrick Hite, Staunton News LeaderPublished 1:33 p.m. ET Oct. 29, 2018
Last October, Jarvis Vaughan verbally committed to play basketball at Old Dominion University. This October he changed his mind.
The former Robert E. Lee star, who helped lead the team to back-to-back state championship appearances and a state title in 2017, confirmed that he has taken his verbal commitment off the table and is opening up his recruiting again.
The News Leader's All-City/County Player of the Year last season is currently attending Massanutten Military Academy where he's playing for the postgraduate team. It was a decision he and the Old Dominion coaches thought was best for him, especially after it looked like he would redshirt if he started at ODU this year.
But the danger for Old Dominion in letting Vaughan play at a postgrad program was that he might change his mind about coming to Norfolk. That's exactly what happened.
Earlier this year, during workouts in the Massanutten Military gym, coaches from a lot of colleges were there to watch the players. Vaughan had a chance to talk to a few and was encouraged by what he heard.
"It just kind of opened my eyes to reality," Vaughan said. "Like, I'm here, why not make the best of it?"
Vaughan averaged 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a game last season. He was at 16.6 points and 8.7 rebounds in his junior season at Lee, the year he really landed on the radar for a lot of colleges.
Vaughan was clear that his decision wasn't meant as a negative toward ODU. He still thinks it's a great school and has respect for the coaches. But he thought he owed it to himself to see what other options were available.
"For me, it's four years of college that I'm going to have to live and that I'm going to have to go through and it's a team I'm going to have to be comfortable with for the next four years," Vaughan said. "I just felt like it was in my best interest."
He's already received a new offer from Monmouth University in New Jersey, according to Vaughan. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school is coached by former North Carolina point guard King Rice.
Vaughan also said he has offers on the table from James Madison University and Radford. There are other schools he has heard from, including Appalachian State, who he said was very interested.
Massanutten's season began Saturday at home in Woodstock against S4G Academy. The team also played two exhibition games, including one against Oak Hill Academy. Vaughan scored 14 points and had 10 rebounds in a loss to Oak Hill.
"It brought a lot of clout to my recruiting," he said of his performance against Oak Hill.
Massanutten plays Prestige Prep in Woodstock Saturday at 3 p.m.
