Former Top Recruit Waiting For NCAA Clearance, Talks Plan
SEATTLE – Over the past eight to 12 months former top basketball recruit Marjon Beauchamp trained with his intention being ready for the 2021 NBA Draft.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Beauchamp wasn’t able to showcase his talent as his family had envisioned.
With uncertainty surrounding where the former Garfield, Nathan Hale and Rainier Beach High School star could play next season, Beauchamp will try the college route. He has applied to the NCAA for clearance and remains focused on preparing his body and mind so that he is ready to go when the word comes.
“It hasn’t happened yet, the clearance stuff. I’m really excited, though,” Beauchamp told Rivals on Saturday.
“Just the chance to play again. This is what I do. I can’t wait to play – especially the way Covid shut me down this (past) year. I was just really working on my body. Getting strong. Mentally I got a lot sharper.”
Beauchamp, a 6-foot-6 small forward who weight 175 pounds eight months ago, is now up to a firm 204 pounds with a 7’2 wingspan. He has returned to the Seattle area to train and, should he get clearance from the NCAA that he’s eligible to play college basketball for the 2021-22 season, the school in his backyard will likely be involved.
He received his first major scholarship offer as a freshman from current UW assistant coach Will Conroy when he was at Hale. Additionally, he has a strong relationship with another assistant on the Huskies coaching staff, Cameron Dollar.
“From day one he’s been real,” Beauchamp said of Conroy. “And coach Dollar has been a great mentor for me. Coach Hopkins would let me in the gym whenever. Me and my dad would be doing drills and coach Hop would come in and watch with a big smile on his face.”
It’s understandable that Hopkins would be delighted at the length Beauchamp possessed at the time, and even more so now. J’Raan Brooks, a junior center for UW who transferred in from USC after the 2018-19 season, played with Beauchamp at Garfield.
The Yakima, Wash., native also knows the other two former in-state players on the UW roster, Cole Bajema and Erik Stevenson. But, if the former four-star forward is cleared to be a recruit, his decision will come down to two main factors; playing time and style of play.
Several Pac-12 schools and a handful of Southeastern Conference programs are expected to be interested in Beauchamp once he is ruled eligible.
In addition to his offer from the Huskies, he held nine other scholarships from Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Eastern Washington, Florida State, Marquette, Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State.