Kevin Young is wasting no time getting the ball rolling in recruitment, as top point guard recruit, JJ Mandaquit announced on X that he had received an offer from BYU basketball.
After a great visit with Coach Kevin Young, I am very excited and grateful to receive an offer to Brigham Young University. #gocougs pic.twitter.com/FGCbfYhd0G
— JJ Mandaquit (@jjmandaquit23) April 23, 2024
Mandaquit is a 6'1" point guard from Hilo, Hawaii, but is currently attending Utah Prep in Herriman Utah. A top 50 recruit in his 2025 class according to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Mandaquit is a big-time recruit for BYU to offer. According to Robbie McCombs, head coach Kevin Young made the offer in person. Impressive for a man dividing his time between coaching the Phoenix Suns and building his program at BYU.
JJ played with the USA Men's U16 National Team, winning gold with the squad. A highly talented player like Mandaquit likely wouldn't seriously consider an offer from BYU in the past, but the Cougars are entering a new era of high-level basketball, and are going all in. He played with recent BYU commit, Brody Kozlowski, on the Utah Prospects AAU team. On hearing the news, he spoke with Vanquish the Foe, saying:
"I was super excited when I saw Brody’s commitment post. We’re pretty close and we keep in contact pretty often. I saw him at the airport the other week and we got to catch up a little. I didn’t know he was going to commit but I’m happy for him and excited to see what the future brings for him at BYU."JJ Mandaquit
Making an offer to one of the top point guards in the entire 2025 recruiting class is certainly making a splash. Mandaquit has also received offers from Louisville, UCLA, Tennesssee, and Utah among others.
He's a strong point guard with a soft shooting touch. His shooting form is technically sound, with a high release point and a velvet follow-through. Mandaquit uses his strength well to get position on his defenders and elevates well to create enough space for a comfortable jumper. Scoring isn't his only impressive trait, though. He attacks the defense hard and possesses court vision paired with timely passing that sets his teammates up for easy looks at the basket.
You can see some of his highlights here:
2025 PG JJ Mandaquit put up 29 points and 8 assists yesterday! @jjmandaquit23 @thegrindsession @UtahPrepHoops pic.twitter.com/NMqMLnDn6J
— Courtside Films (@CourtsideFilms) February 11, 2024