No. 1 sophomore Brandon McCoy Jr. looking forward to June 15
Matt Moreno | Rivals.com
NORWALK, Calif. – College coaches aren’t allowed to directly contact prospects in the class of 2026 until June 15, but that doesn't mean No. 1-ranked sophomore Brandon McCoy Jr. doesn’t already have a handful of relationships in place through bumping into coaches at events or deciding to reach out to them.
McCoy, who rightfully expects his phone to be busy once the contact period begins, recently spoke to Rivals about which coaches he’s already started to form bonds with and what the future of his development may hold.
*****
ON WHAT HE EXPECTS WHEN COACHES ARE PERMITTED TO CONTACT HIM ON JUNE 15:
“I’m expecting a lot of coaches to call because I’ve worked hard enough and put in a lot of time and effort for all this, so I’m looking forward to it. I don't do all the work, eat right and get my sleep for nothing. The goal is to go to college and go to the NBA, so the calls will mean a lot to me.”
ON THE COACHES WITH WHOM HE ALREADY HAS RELATIONSHIPS:
“I had a decent relationship with Andy Enfield before the coaching change at USC. Then, my man Mick Cronin (at UCLA). Also, the Georgia Tech coach, Damon Stoudamire. He’s been at my school a few times and is just a really cool dude. He’s a legend."
ON DAMON STOUDAMIRE:
"Having him as a coach would be crazy, man. People that know basketball know he’s a legend – Mighty Mouse."
ON HOW SOMEBODY HIS AGE KNOWS SO MUCH ABOUT STOUDAMIRE:
“My pops definitely caught me up on him and all that. I didn’t know too much before other than he was a legend, but my dad got me up to speed.”
ON MICK CRONIN:
“I love him. He’s a different style of coach– real aggressive, but he definitely makes his players better. His practices are really intense, I’ve heard. That’s a good thing, though, That's how you get winning teams.”
ON SCHOOLS HE HOPES TO VISIT DOWN THE ROAD:
“I haven’t made up my mind on anything yet to be honest, so I’m really hoping to visit as many schools as I can before I decide where I want to go to college.”
ON WHAT PART OF HIS GAME HE IS WORKING TO IMPROVE THIS YEAR:
“I’ve been in the gym with The Guard Whisperer, Olin Simplis. I've been working on my ball-handling with him. We’re working to make sure nobody ever speeds me up and to get my shot a little more consistent.”
RIVALS' REACTION
Making any prediction about McCoy’s recruitment at this early juncture would be a waste of breath, as things won’t begin to take real shape until the fall. That said, he seems to have already taken a serious liking to UCLA and Cronin, so that’s something to monitor should the Bruins bounce back from the 16-17 record they posted this season.
Georgia Tech has also made an early splash, obviously. Still, expect the bluebloods and a long list of other heavy hitters to be involved with McCoy by this time next year.
