Prospect Spotlight: Jai Deshpande (2020)
Sacred Heart Prep’s Jai Deshpande has emerged as a top Class of 2020 wing in the Bay area.
Size, length and shooting ability have helped Deshpande become a major threat on the floor. He’s 6’4 with a 6’7 wingspan and can play above the rim and finish over guys. He also cites slashing and hitting shots as some of his strengths.
“My biggest strength is my ability to score the ball, I’m a shooter, I can come off screens and score the ball. I can pull up off the dribble, mid-range and 3,” said Deshpande.
As a junior at Sacred Heart Prep, he was named all-league after averaging 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and two assists per game. He also shot 40 percent from deep.
“My role was to be a leader, and I was sort of like the go-to option for the team,” said Deshpande. “The season went really well and I thought I played well.”
Now, he’s into an important offseason with Bay City Warriors 17u. Deshpande plays a smaller role with his travel team, and he’s embraced that.
“In high school ball, I’m one of the guys the offense goes through, and during the travel season, everyone on the roster is a capable scorer; so my IQ and passing ability and the ability to affect the game without having the ball in my hands has gotten a lot better,” said Deshpande.
Recruitment: Deshpande has a cumulative 3.8 GPA and is taking the SAT this weekend. He wants to major in computer science. High academic Division III schools have been very interested; Carnegie Mellon, Puget Sound, NYU, UMass Amherst, Chicago and Vassar have all reached out.
“I still want to reach out to more schools and evaluate my options, but those are some of the main ones that I’ve been talking to a lot lately,” said Deshpande.