Gopher recruit Rashad Vaughn moves up to No. 1 SG in Class of 2014

Rashad Vaughn of Robbinsdale Cooper High School is the top prep shooting guard in the country, according to ESPN and Rivals.

The 6-foot-6, 200 lb offensive talent moved into the top 10 overall for high school players in the country and is No. 2 in Minnesota, only behind point guard Tyus Jones of Apple Valley High School.

Vaughn had a terrific showing in both the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and the Pangos All-American camp, which played significantly in his rise in ranking.

As the new mixtape shows, Vaughn dominated the competition at the Pangos All-American camp  by being faster and stronger than his peers as he easily blew by his defenders to the rim. On top of that, his ball handling is very solid for a shooting guard.

The New Hope, Minn. product hopes to cut down his list of schools by late June, according to Rivals, but as of now, his choice of schools include the Gophers, Iowa State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Florida, and Kansas among several others.

A new addition to Vaughn’s list is UCLA. He visited the Bruins over the weekend, according to multiple outlets.

There also have been several rumors that Vaughn is leaning towards the Tar Heels, which would be a great fit for Vaughn as he would be able to prosper at least a year under head coach Roy Williams before likely declaring for the NBA draft.

Both Jones and Vaughn list Minnesota as finalists, but those who have followed Gopher basketball in recent years would be shocked if either player commits to the Gophers. Winning an NCAA National Championship will certainly be on the minds of these young prep players when they choose their school, but ultimately getting paid is the goal.

While Vaughn would be more than capable of putting up big numbers in head coach Richard Pitino’s system, Pitino has no record of helping college players turn pro. On the other hand, Williams and a slew of other coaches that have extended offers to Vaughn have significant track records of setting players off to a successful NBA career after one year or more.

All in all, besides the schools (or school) that will sign Vaughn and Jones, the winner is prep basketball in Minnesota, which undoubtedly produced its best basketball class in state history.

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