Sharing the same name and sport as his famous father, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, Shawn Kemp Jr. (6-10, 265) will finally get the chance to play college basketball.
Washington announced Thursday that Shawn Kemp Jr. has signed a financial aid agreement with the Huskies and will be eligible to compete for the team next season. Kemp Jr. will join a five-man Huskies recruiting class ranked No. 19 in the country, led by PG Tony Wroten Jr., SG Hikeem Stewart and PF Martin Breunig.
While the name certainly invites direct comparisons, Kemp Jr. is still raw, as he only began playing in the eighth grade. And although he boasts a familiar style of play that makes the similarities more noteworthy, the kid clearly has some work to do—on and off the court.
Kemp Jr. originally signed with Alabama in the Class of 2009 but was ruled academically ineligible. After spending the 2009-10 year at Hargrave Military Academy, he committed to Auburn but was not allowed admittance into the school. He then spent this past year away from basketball so that he could focus on academics.
Kemp runs the floor well and possesses explosive leaping ability, but he’s still developing post moves and a consistent jump shot. “He’s got good size,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. “He’s a very good athlete…the type of player that plays above the rim.”
Let’s just hope he spends as much time studying as he does improving his post play.