Jordan Akal didn’t have to wait long to hear from coaches on the first day they were allowed to contact prospects in the Class of 2022.
Akal, Harlan’s standout junior point guard, received a text from Western Kentucky University coach Rick Stansbury moments after midnight on Monday when NCAA schools were allowed to contact players who will graduate in 2022. Akal also heard from Youngstown State and Northern Kentucky University on Monday. Harlan coach Derrick Akal, Jordan’s dad, was contacted by Clemson, West Virginia and Morehead State University in March.
“As his dad and coach, I’m proud of him but he’s far from finished,” Derrick Akal said. “This is just part of the process. Hopefully, he continues to work hard and understands there are a bunch of players who have been contacted, and he will have to work even harder to prove that he deserves the recognition from those schools.”
Akal, a starter since the eighth grade, averaged 25.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season for the Green Dragons, who won the All “A” Classic regional title and advanced to the 13th Region Tournament for the fourth straight year after finishing second in the 52nd District Tournament. Akal was ranked as the third best sophomore in the state last season by Prep Hoops.