Men’s Basketball: Q & A With 2022 Jordan Guest

By: Greg Levinsky

Boston University Men’s Basketball added three recruits for the class of 2022 this week in California natives Fletcher Tynen, Garrett Pascoe and Jordan Guest. The trio inked their National Letters of Intent to commit to the Terriers.

The six-foot-eight Guest is about to start his senior season at Rancho Santa Margarita High School in California and took the time for an interview the day after signing his NLI.

Greg Levinsky: When did you first come in contact with BU and how did you foster a relationship the coaching staff?

Jordan Guest: I started talking to Boston University during this past summer. We kind of started our relationship a little late. They were one of the last several schools to start talking to me and didn’t offer me for quite some time. I first started talking to coach [Curtis] Wilson. He was really interested in me and would come out to all my games. Then at one point they said they needed me and Coach Jones started to text me and took over the recruiting. As soon as I started getting back into high school basketball they flew down to my high school a couple of times. I feel like the effort the coaching staff put in helped make my decision.

GL: Describe your game, do you model the way you play after anyone specifically?

JG: I’ve been told I play a lot like Kevin Love. Not like the Cavaliers Kevin Love, but the Timberwolves Kevin Love. I can rebound, pass, space the floor and I really have a high motor, which I think a lot of coaches respect and admire. I want to be kind of a version of Kevin Love, but expand my game more outside on the perimeter. I definitely would say one of my strengths is rebounding.

GL: What other schools were on your radar and what put BU over the top?

JG: There were quite a few schools. Santa Clara, UC Davis, Utah State, Lehigh, Hartford, Elon, Columbia, Dartmouth, Vermont, American and most of those were offers too. The city of Boston caught my eye in the visit. The visit and the coaches really helped make my decision. Also the academics of Boston really did help. I talked to a lot of high academic schools but I thought Boston would be the best fit for me academically and athletically.

GL: Did you go on a visit here to BU? Can you take us behind the scenes as to how that goes?

JG: We did a lot. It was a very packed couple of days. When I got there, we went on a tour, went on a couple of tours to see the city. I went to the dorms and saw all the sports facilities, the weight room, the student centers and everything. I spent a lot of time with the team and saw a live practice. I actually got to play pickup with the team on my second visit and I got to see the competitiveness and really liked the drive the team had. Then I had a sit-down with the coach and we talked about basketball, and he really knew what he was doing.

GL: What is it like already knowing where you will be next year, does it change the way you’ll prepare for your senior season of high school hoops?

JG: It’s not going to make me less motivated to play hard in high school. I still want to win a conference championship and a state championship. We’re a Division 1 high level team and I’m going to try to be in the best shape that I can be before I get into college because I know, at Boston, that’s something that they take very seriously. That’s something I definitely look forward to working at.

GL: Are you familiar with anyone currently on the team, or do you know any of the other recruits from California?

JG: I do know Fletcher Tynen very well. He’s a good guy and we were on the same AAU team in 7th and 8th grade. I’ve played him in high school, both with him and against him in club and AAU. He’s a really good competitor and I think he’s going to do really well. Fletcher does everything, a bit of a jack of all trades. I think he’s going to be a very good asset to the team. I also know Garrett Pascoe, I’ve seen him play and watched him. He seems like he’s very important to the team as well. On the team right now, Max Mahoney was my mentor on my visit. He was the one I was with the whole time. Him, Tyler [Scanlon], I also talked to Javante [McCoy] and Walter [Whyte] a lot. I’m really excited to be playing with them.

GL: When was your first dunk and how did it happen?

JG: My first dunk was in 7th grade. It was actually off an inbound pass. The ball was on the baseline and we ran a play that the University of Arizona ran when Aaron Gordon was there. It was a back screen and I’d loop around, kind of go in a circle and then go jump up and dunk it. I had never tried it in a game and we got it. I have it on video and it was one of the coolest, funnest moments of my life.

GL: If you make it to the NCAA Tournament with BU, what team would you want to upset and why?

JG: That’s easy USC. USC for sure because it’s a local school. I would love to beat any #1 seed. I don’t care who it is, I just want to upset somebody.