Point guard Jordan Clayton is Northwestern's first 2023 commitment
Northwestern landed the first member of its 2023 class on Friday when point guard Jordan Clayton announced his commitment to the Wildcats.
The 6-foot-2 standout from Medford (Mass.) Bradford Christian Academy and the Mass Rivals AAU program chose Northwestern over 15 other offers that included Cal, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island and St. Joseph's.
Clayton took his official visit to Northwestern on Aug. 1-3 and followed that up with an official to Massachusetts. It didn't take him long afterward to decide he wanted to be a Wildcat.
An unranked recruit, Clayton got Northwestern head coach Chris Collins' attention with his performance during the NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Council) Showcase event in June.
He had an outstanding spring period, leading Mass Rivals to a 15-4 record in the Adidas 3SSSB regular season. He then spearheaded his team to the 3SSSB Open Championship in Los Angeles. In all, he averaged 5.2 assists per game on the Adidas circuit.
Clayton is primarily a point guard, but Collins thinks he can play on or off the ball for the Wildcats.
“I have been fortunate enough to coach Jordan as a player at BCA and as a member of the Mass Rivals since middle school,” BCA & Mass Rivals head coach Vin Pastore told New England Recruiting Report. "He shot lights out this spring and summer, expanded his game to become a better finisher off the bounce, become an elite level point guard who makes all his teammates better, all while defending at the highest level with off the chart intangibles.”
Northwestern's 2023 class has begun to take shape in August, as the Wildcats landed Clayton and made the favorites list for three of its top targets. They made made the top five for four-star shooting guard Parker Friedrichsen, the top six for 6-foot-4 point guard Parker Strauss and the top nine for three-star big man Michael Nwoko.