Rolling Hills Prep center JT Tan is seeing basketball recruitment take off

In the last week, 2020 Rolling Hills Prep center JT Tan has
been offered basketball scholarships from American University, Montana and UC
San Diego.

“It means a lot knowing all of the hard work that I put in from
when I was younger to now is paying off,” Tan said last week at the Fairfax
High summer tournament.

The senior has also been contacted by Cal St. Northridge, Cornell,
Lehigh and UC Riverside.

In his last two seasons, Tan has anchored a Rolling Hills
Prep team that won consecutive Southern Section championships under head coach
Harvey Kitani. As a freshman, Tan recorded a double-double in the Huskies’
state championship win over Watsonville St. Francis.

While the winning has certainly helped, the biggest reason
for Tan’s recruitment taking off has been his play this summer. Two weeks ago, Rolling
Hills Prep competed in the Section Seven tournament in Arizona with hundreds of
college coaches on hand. Tan made the most of the opportunity.

“Many coaches have told me in the last few weeks that they’ve
never seen him play like that,” Kitani said. “He’s starting to put it all together
and he’s playing smart basketball.”

Despite all of his success, Tan is still a work in progress.

“His body is still changing,” Kitani said. “I think he is
still far from what he’ll be at the end.”

Pair that potential with Tan’s work ethic and it’s easy to
see why college coaches are excited.

“He is working harder and he’s a much tougher person in that I can get on him anyway I choose, and he accepts it,” Kitani said. "With that type of attitude, you will see him to continue to improve in college.”