Louisville 2020 signee and Trinity High School product Jay Scrubb was the best junior college player in the country this season, according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Scrubb was named the 2020 National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year on Wednesday, putting a capstone on a two-year JUCO career that saw him blossom into a legitimate NBA prospect.

A 6-foot-5 wing who's considering whether to come to Louisville next season or jump straight to the pros, Scrubb was tough to stop in 2019-20 at John A. Logan College in Illinois. He averaged 21.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game for a team that was considered one of the top contenders in the NJCAA Tournament, which was canceled like all other major sporting events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Scrubb burst on to the scene years ago in Louisville, winning back-to-back Seventh Region Player of the Year honors at Trinity in 2017 and 2018. He was a force in his freshman season at John A. Logan as well, averaging 20.2 points and 8.9 rebounds a night while earning first-team JUCO All-American honors in 2019.

Scrubb was open throughout his recruitment process that jumping straight from the JUCO ranks to the NBA could be an option. He's been listed as a potential 2020 prospect in some projections, although his chances to perform in-person workouts and interviews with league personnel ahead of this summer's NBA Draft have been hampered by the coronavirus shutdowns.

Louisville coach Chris Mack was asked about Scrubb's status during a teleconference Tuesday afternoon and said it's his job to collect information for the Louisville signee and help him make the best decision. If he chooses to go pro instead of join the Cardinals, Mack said, then Louisville's coaching staff supports the move.

But the canceled workouts and scouting events will have an impact on the feedback Scrubb receives, Mack added — Scrubb won't have as much of a chance to prove himself to NBA scouts and executives beyond the tape that's already available.

"The ability to move up the board or move down the board, at least in my mind's eye, has been compromised with what we're all dealing with," Mack said.

Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach. Support strong local journalism and subscribe: www.courier-journal.com/lucasa.