Jamal Mashburn Jr.

Four-star guard Jamal Mashburn Jr., the son of former 12-year NBA player Jamal Mashburn, verbally committed to Minnesota on Monday, he tells 247Sports.

“It’s a great opportunity there for me to flourish and for me to win which is a big part of my character and who I am,” Mashburn Jr. said.

“I want to get the NCAA Tournament, the big dance, just to be on that stage and be able to win a National Championship while going there and doing what I’m capable of doing, which is shoot the ball at a high level, score, lead and guard, really sit down and guard,” he added. “Really, that’s the reason why I’ll be going to the University of Minnesota.”

Mashburn Jr., a standout at Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy, took an official visit to California the weekend of Sept. 27 and then an official to Minnesota the weekend of Oct. 5. He was also scheduled to see Wake Forest, but he canceled the trip and opted to end his recruitment.

“I had a gut feeling that I was supposed to be there, that’s where I wanted to play at and that’s where I wanted to be,” Mashburn Jr. said. “I built a great relationship with Richard [Pitino] and a great relationship with the coaching staff and I fit with what they’re trying to do and I fit in to what I’m trying to do which is trying to be a professional basketball player.”

There’s an obvious connection between Mashburn Jr. and Pitino. Mashburn’s father played for Pitino’s father, Rick, at Kentucky, where he led the Wildcats to a Final Four appearance and eventually began the No. 4 overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

“It’s a factor but it’s not as big of a factor that people think because at the end of the day Richard is recruiting me, he’s not recruiting my father who already played in the NBA. We have a good relationship there as far as a family standpoint but as far as just that being a big factor, I wouldn’t say that it’s a big factor,” Mashburn Jr. said.

Pitino’s pitch to Mashburn Jr. was that he could potentially an impact early in his career. Mashburn was also drawn to the idea of studying business at Minnesota.

“He was brutally honest with me, I have to earn my minutes but there are minutes that I can play as a freshman,” he said. “I can impact the game in a positive way as a freshman and they have a business school and I’m very interested on that side of things, I think it’s called the Carlson Business School and it’s a school that teaches you about business and about the nuances of franchising, which is what I’m interested in.”

On the court Mashburn Jr. is known for his ability to score. He current ranks No. 88 overall and as the No. 10 combination guard in the 247Sports Composite Rankings. In 18 EYBL games this past spring and summer, Mashburn averaged 17.2 points, while shooting 40.4-percent from three on 104 attempts.

“I think that one of the guys they have was a pro named Nate Mason,” he said. “He was a great player, he was my height and he could score the ball and facilitate and he was put in places and opportunities where he could display his scoring and playmaking which is what I think I can do at a high level so that’s something that will mesh from the start.

Mashburn Jr. is Minnesota’s second four-star commitment of the past two weeks, joining Martice Mitchell to make up their current 2020 recruiting class.