2017 Xavier verbal commitment Jared Ridder scouting report, recruiting impact

Xavier landed a verbal commitment from Jared Ridder out of Kickapoo last night. Ridder is a 6'7" wing from Kickapoo, MO who had been drawing significant interest from high majors this spring. Now that he has closed his recruitment, what does he potentially bring to the table for Xavier?

The first thing to know is that he can really shoot it; he may have the best jumper in the 2017 class. He has good mechanics and footwork and a nice high release, and the result is confident range well beyond the arc. He averaged 20 and 6 in the recently concluded high school season, and he's shooting 43% from beyond the arc for MoKan Elite in the Nike EYBL circuit this summer.

Ridder isn't going to blow you away with ran and jump athletic ability, but he has good positional sense and a high basketball IQ. From what I've seen and read, he has the skills to finish around the basket and is comfortable scoring at all three levels.

Positonally, he's more of a 3/4 than a 2/3 kind of guy. He can work both forward positions in high school, but he is going to need to add some weight to be able to be effective at the four for Xavier. I'm sure Matt Jennings and the staff will bring him along in that regard.

As a lanky white kid who can shoot, Ridder will draw comparisons to JP, but I think Trevon is a better comp here. Ridder has an inch or two on Macura, and his positional flexibility skews towards the bucket rather than away from it. Like Trevon, he's a smooth shooter whose offensive game works off of his jumper.

Ridder's only a three-star right now, but the staff caught him with his stock on the rise and he'll be a great fit for Xavier. Even if Trevon leaves early, Ridder helps set Xavier at the wing and forward positions in the 2017 class. The Muskies still have at least four scholarships to fill, but expect them to prioritize true guards and a big man.