Kansas Recruiting: RJ Hampton reclassifies and narrows list to four, including Jayhawks

Five-star combo guard RJ Hampton reclassified to the 2019 class and has narrowed his considerations down to four schools.

RJ Hampton is a 6-foot-5 combo guard from Little Elm High School in Little Elm, Texas. After reclassifying to the 2019 class, he announced his final four schools include Kentucky, Memphis, Texas Tech and Kansas.

He has taken visits to Kentucky, Memphis and Kansas and has no scheduled visits to any other schools. Hampton originally was considering Duke, but eliminated the Blue Devils from the list and added Texas Tech.

According to ESPN’s recruiting rankings, Hampton was the fourth highest recruit in the 2020 class. According to 247Sports, he is the seventh best recruit in 2019.

Although Hampton listed three other schools on his list, his father believes Kansas poises a special staff.

“I would feel very, very comfortable dropping R.J. off at Kansas right now with Jerrance Howard and the coaching staff at Kansas. I would have no problem at all and would feel very comfortable with R.J. playing at Kansas with Jerrance and the staff. We are definitely comfortable with the coaching staff,” said Rod Hampton, according to Jayhawkslant.com.

Hampton is a terrific athlete and has handles to drive right by defenders and attack the rim. His speed and ability to change his pace only further solidifies his attack-the-basket ability.

At the NIKE Elite Youth Basketball League over the past weekend, Hampton averaged 28.8 points in four games. Those games included tough competition, competing against some of the top prospects from the 2020 and 2021 classes.

If he were to join the Kansas Jayhawks, Hampton would bring a similar game to what Quentin Grimes was supposed to possess. Both players were athletic, were the primary ball-handlers, attacked the basket and were not known to be much of a three-point shooter.

At the EYBL event, Hampton shot only 27% (7-of-26) from the three-point line. Hampton’s team also went 0-4 in the tournament.

Hampton would be a strong presence alongside point guard Devon Dotson (assuming Dotson returns), he can handle the ball, score inside and rarely turns the ball over. The hope for Hampton would be he is not given the same role Grimes was given, as Grimes struggled trying to be a spot-up shooter, something he was not known to be in high school.

The combo guard would be a huge addition to the Jayhawks’ roster, which is still a work in progress for the 2020 season.

There is no timetable for Hampton’s decision.