Four-star forward Kamari Lands sees a good fit in Tempe
It’s certainly been an eventful week for 6-8 forward Kamari Lands. Just four days ago, the top-55 prospect in the 2022 class decommitted from Syracuse and this week also marked his arrival to Phoenix Hillcrest Prep after playing last year in Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep.
The Sun Devils now located just 20 miles away from his new high school wasted no time in their recruiting efforts of now one of the highest rated prospects in their backyard as they brought him for an unofficial visit today and offered him a scholarship.
"It was a great experience,” Lands said of his time at Arizona State. "This was my first time visiting there, and I did like the facilities, and I wasn't expecting the campus to be that nice. The coaches told me that they like my size my ability to handle the ball and shoot. They told me that with my skills, I could play the 1 through 3 (roles) on the floor. I watched them a little last year because of Josh Christopher, and I do like how fast-paced they are and how they use their guards. So I really like their style of play.
"I'm a perimeter oriented player that can guard a lot of different positions. My ball handling and athleticism are things that I do want to improve before I get to college."
ASU assistant coach Jermaine Kimbrough has been Lands’s primary recruiter for the Sun Devils, and the forward said that he has enjoyed building a relationship with him.
"He is a cool guy and down to earth and always keeps it real with me,” Lands described. “I also talked to Bobby Hurley on the visit, and he told me that I would be a good fit there and I can make an immediate impact if I came there."
Lands, an Indiana native, said that he is enjoying his time at Hillcrest getting to know all his new teammates, one of them happens to be ASU’s first addition in the 2022 class, top 25 center Duke Brennan who pledged to the school last night.
"I just met him this week,” Lands commented, “but I'm sure we will be talking about Arizona State (later in the season)."
Lands mentioned that his decision to decommit from Syracuse earlier this week was not an easy one to make. Sources close to his recruitment said that he made that decision because he wasn’t able to fully explore his options due to the pandemic. Now that he can take both unofficial and official visits to several programs, he plans to take his time with his decision and is not necessarily locked into committing to the school of his choice before November or signing during that month.
"I do like Syracuse, but I also have to do what's best for me,” Lands explained. "Arizona State, Auburn, Michigan, Gonzaga, Kansas, and Georgia are some of the schools that are recruiting me hard right now.
"Arizona State is the first school that I visited since I decommitted, and I haven't set up any other visits right now. I most definitely want to take an official visit to Arizona State later in the year. I'm looking to commit to a school that will have good skill development and is somewhere I can play right away.
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